Compliance Commitment (C2) Site Visit Program

On-site, environmental compliance assessments (site visits) for small businesses and local governments.

This site visit program offers free, confidential**, on-site, compliance assessments of facilities that are owned or operated by local governments, independently owned and operated businesses, and independent school districts. Those who successfully participate in the program receive a Compliance Commitment (C2) certificate and can earn up to a two-year exemption from routine investigations.

How to get a site visit
Who is eligible for site visits
Who is not eligible for site visits
How to earn an exemption from routine inspections

How to get a site visit

The facility's owner or operator (representative) signs up for a free, confidential**, compliance site visit, during which environmental compliance issues are reviewed using an appropriate checklist.
The representative receives a written report describing all compliance-related findings and recommendations for achieving compliance with the checklist (possibly including ways to reduce pollution and waste).
The operator or owner corrects all compliance deficiencies the TCEQ contractor noted.
The contractor verifies, in a second free visit, that the operator or owner corrected all deficiencies.

Site visits are conducted by an environmental consultant under contract with the TCEQ.

**All information from the site visit is confidential: it is not provided to TCEQ enforcement staff.

Who is eligible for site visits

To qualify for a site visit, the owner of or operator of the site or facility must:

Employ a company-wide total of 100 or fewer employees;
or
Be operated by a small local government (a county with a population of 100,000 or fewer people; a city with a population of 50,000 or fewer people);
or
Be an independent school district (ISD) serving a student population of 100,000 or fewer students;
and
Participate in at least one site visit,
Correct all compliance issues (deficiencies) found during site visits.

Eligible Facilities

Who is not eligible for site visits

Facilities and local governments are not eligible to receive a site visit if they:

Owe fees and penalties to the TCEQ;
Have an open Notice of Violation (NOV);
Have an open Notice of Enforcement (NOE) or an agreed order that has not been signed.

How to earn an exemption from routine inspections

If all compliance issues are corrected, the TCEQ awards the facility or site a certificate from the C2 Program. With a C2 certificate, recipients receive up to a two-year exemption from routine investigations. The facility or site may not be under an active enforcement review by any of the applicable regulatory environmental organizations listed below.

Note: General Recycling and PST systems are not eligible for C2 certificates. Therefore, they will not be covered under the C2 exemption. The TCEQ reserves the right to inspect any and all General Recycling and PST systems.

In addition to the TCEQ, the following programs also recognize the C2 certificate:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
City of Corpus Christi—Storm Water Department
City of Dallas—Air Pollution Control
City of Dallas—Public Works and Transportation
City of Dallas—Storm Water Management
City of Fort Worth—Department of Environmental Management
City of Houston—Bureau of Air Quality Control
City of Houston—Public Works and Engineering
City of Pasadena—Public Works and Engineering
City of Waco—Water Utility Services
Brazoria County Environmental Health Department
El Paso, City-County Health and Environmental District
Fort Bend County Environmental Health Department
Galveston County Health District
Harris County Pollution Control Services Division
Montgomery County Environmental Health Services

Retracting an Exemption

The exemption from routine inspections is void in the event of imminent threat or danger to human health and the environment, catastrophe, formal complaints, inspections required by a permit, or a follow-up on previously cited violations.

Related content: Compliance Checklists; TCEQ Compliance Commitment (C2) Program

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