Compliance & Enforcement Ladder

The NRCB’s Compliance and Enforcement operational policy emphasizes education and voluntary compliance as the first and preferred approach to bringing an operation into compliance with the act or conditions attached to the operation’s permit. If there is an immediate risk to the environment, the inspector may issue an emergency order. In rare circumstances the inspector may initiate prosecution, if required.

In most cases the inspector and operator work together to identify a plan to address the compliance issue that is appropriate for the issue and the specific operation. The plan may include a commitment to timelines for completion. For more information, please refer to Operational Policy 2016-8: Compliance and Enforcement.

Refusal to Comply

Operators who fail to comply with enforcement directives from a NRCB inspector or who have a history of repeated non-compliance will be subject to a series of escalating enforcement actions. For example, in the case of an operator who has ignored a verbal directive from an inspector, the inspector's next step will likely be to issue a written compliance directive. Enforcement and emergency orders are posted on this website and are archived when complied with.

If an operator fails to comply with an enforcement order, the NRCB may issue a follow-up enforcement order with more conditions (such as requiring the removal of livestock) or obtain a court order directing the operator to comply with the enforcement order. As a last resort, the inspector can pursue prosecution.