TCEQ Enforcement Process, Initiation Criteria, and Field Citation Program
Summary
TX TCEQ publishes an overview of its enforcement process, describing the phases from violation discovery through enforcement actions including notices of violation, notices of enforcement, and agreed orders. The page links to related policies on enforcement initiation criteria for air, water, and waste violations; field citation procedures offering reduced penalties for eligible violations; evidence protocols for submitting information; and petroleum storage tank certificate revocation procedures.
What changed
TX TCEQ published an informational page describing its enforcement process framework. The page covers enforcement initiation criteria for air, water, and waste violations; field citation procedures providing reduced penalties for eligible violations; protocols for gathering and preserving evidence; criminal environmental investigation support; and petroleum storage tank delivery certificate revocation for default cases.
Regulated entities operating under TCEQ jurisdiction should understand these enforcement pathways to assess their compliance exposure. The field citation program offers a pathway to reduced penalties for qualifying violations, which regulated parties may find relevant in enforcement scenarios.
Archived snapshot
Apr 20, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
The Enforcement Process: From Violations to Actions
Explains the various phases of action that can occur when environmental violations are found. Includes discussion of
notices of violation, notices of enforcement, agreed orders.
Enforcement Initiation Criteria (EIC)
Criteria used by TCEQ inspectors for air, water, and waste violations.
Environmental Crime
TCEQ provides technical support and criminal investigative expertise in multi-agency
investigations. We also serve as a resource for and provide training to local, state, and federal law enforcement
officers on criminal environmental violations.
Field Citation Program
The field citation is intended to promote a quick resolution for any of the field
citation-eligible violations documented during a TCEQ investigation, while offering a reduced penalty.
[Gathering and Preserving
Information and Evidence Showing a Violation](https://www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/complaints/protocols/evi_proto.html)
Information about most agency protocols, procedures, or guidelines to use when collecting
and submitting information or evidence to TCEQ.
[Revocation of PST
Delivery Certificate in Case of Default](https://www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/enforcement/pst-defaults/pst-defaults.html)
Explains the agency's policy of revoking a PST delivery certificate if a respondent defaults
in a PST enforcement case.
[View State, Federal and International Rules and
Regulations](https://www.tceq.texas.gov/rules/links.html)
Links to rules adopted by other governmental bodies.
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Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from TX TCEQ.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
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