Enforcement

The Maricopa County Air Quality Compliance and Enforcement Division is responsible for ensuring compliance with federal, state and county air pollution regulations. The enforcement activities of the department seek to deter future air quality violations and ensure a level the playing field among all regulated facilities so that none has a competitive advantage derived from non-compliance.

After an inspector has issued a Notice of Violation (NOV), the Compliance and Enforcement Division refers an inspection file to the division’s enforcement team. Referrals will typically include photographs, the inspector's report including a narrative description of the violation(s), and additional supporting evidence.

For compliance-related links, please see More Information.

When calculating penalties, the Enforcement Division uses the Violation Penalty Policy and considers the following:

• Level of risk the violation posed to the community AND the environment

• Toxicity of the pollutant

• History of non-compliance

• Size of the violator

• Degree to which the violator deviated from the substance and intent of the requirement

The Enforcement Division has the authority, per Arizona Revised Statutes, to recover penalties up to $10,000 per day, per violation.

Enforcement cases are published on the website on a monthly basis and will be updated by the 15th of each month. Click here to view the latest reports.