Office of Compliance and Inspection

The Office of Compliance and Inspection of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) investigates complaints and suspected violations of environmental laws and regulations, and performs compliance monitoring of regulated activities. DEM says compliance with environmental laws, rules, regulations, permits and licenses is enforced through both informal and formal enforcement actions.

In a Phase I ESA

ASTM E1527-21 does not name complaint or enforcement records among its standard record sources. A complaint or enforcement record at a property is still worth reading.

• Complaints are public records. DEM says complaints are public records, and that information forwarded to the office will be available for public review unless the person filing it asks to remain anonymous.
• Waste complaints come here. DEM's waste pages send complaints about illegal disposal or mismanagement of solid waste, and about mismanagement or release of hazardous waste and other dangerous chemicals, to the office at 401-222-1360. The office also issues hazardous waste temporary ID numbers; see Hazardous waste generators, transporters and facilities.
• Enforcement actions are linked. DEM's File Reviews page links a page titled Office of Compliance and Inspection Enforcement Actions. This handbook did not open it and does not say what it holds.

Where to look a site up

• To report a complaint, DEM gives the mailbox DEM.Compliance2@dem.ri.gov, and 401-222-3070 for an after-hours emergency.

Getting the file

The pages read do not say how to request the office's complaint or enforcement files. DEM's File Reviews page, which links the Enforcement Actions page, does not name the office among the areas it lists; see DEM File Reviews for the route it gives.

Sources

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management pages, read October 13, 2026:

• Environmental Protection, last modified November 10, 2022.
• Solid Waste, last modified November 18, 2022.
• Hazardous Waste and Used Oil Topics, last modified January 22, 2026.
• DEM File Reviews, last modified September 24, 2026.