Environmental Compliance Inspectors
Inspect and investigate sources of pollution to protect the public and environment and ensure conformance with Federal, State, and local regulations and ordinances.
$80,730 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 63%
- 7%
- 31%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 29%. Today's estimate: 37%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 26 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determine the nature of code violations and actions to be taken, and issue written notices of violation, participating in enforcement hearings, as necessary.Done daily by most who do it. | 15% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1 work day | 43%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Prepare, organize, and maintain inspection records.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 7% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Prepare written, oral, tabular, and graphic reports summarizing requirements and regulations, including enforcement and chain of custody documentation.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | 49%Half by now | |
| Inspect waste pretreatment, treatment, and disposal facilities and systems for conformance to federal, state, or local regulations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Interview individuals to determine the nature of suspected violations and to obtain evidence of violations.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Inform individuals and groups of pollution control regulations and inspection findings, and explain how problems can be corrected.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Observe and record field conditions, gathering, interpreting, and reporting data such as flow meter readings and chemical levels.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine permits, licenses, applications, and records to ensure compliance with licensing requirements.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Determine sampling locations and methods, and collect water or wastewater samples for analysis, preserving samples with appropriate containers and preservation methods.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h50 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct research on hazardous waste management projects to determine the magnitude of problems and treatment or disposal alternatives and costs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 4%Half by Dec 2027 | |
| Verify that hazardous chemicals are handled, stored, and disposed of in accordance with regulations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor follow-up actions in cases where violations were found, and review compliance monitoring reports.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health4% now, 57% by 2028
- Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health11% now, 61% by 2028
- Environmental Engineers6% now, 54% by 2028
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians16% now, 62% by 2028
- Occupational Health and Safety Specialists16% now, 61% by 2028
- Government Property Inspectors and Investigators18% now, 67% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.