How TCEQ Can Help You
Read this page to make sure filing a complaint is the right action for you.
When you see or experience an environmental, health, or regulatory concern, the best way to request TCEQ action is for you to submit an environmental complaint using the QR code or online form link at the bottom of this page.
Some concerns may not be within our jurisdiction or there may be a local, regional, or federal organization with the authority and resources to address your concern. To determine where to submit your complaint see our webpage Who Can Help With Your Environmental Complaint.
Citizen Involvement and Citizen Collected Evidence
When you make an environmental complaint, it is beneficial to you and to TCEQ that you remain an active participant in the investigation process. This could mean answering investigator requests for additional information, allowing access to your property, and submitting documentation called Citizen Collected Evidence.
Types of evidence we commonly accept include:
- Photographs
- Videos
- Written Impact Statements
- Odor Logs
- Water Samples
- Soil Samples
TCEQ appreciates receiving your evidence as part of our compliance investigation and in the case of nuisance allegations may require that evidence to document violations. You live in the affected community and will have more frequent opportunities to make observations. To evaluate the strength of evidence received, we will use the following criteria:
- If you’re filing a complaint you must submit a notarized affidavit attesting to the facts that constitute the environmental concern and be willing to testify in any formal enforcement hearing in regards to the affidavit. Anonymity cannot be guaranteed if your evidence is used.
- Physical or sampling information must be scientifically reliable and legally defensible and must be gathered according to relevant agency protocols.
- Information gathered illegally will not be considered. Under Texas Government Code 423, drone footage is classified as illegally gathered evidence and will not be considered.
- Gathering and Preserving Evidence Showing a Violation
After You Submit a Complaint
After we’ve received your complaint, here are the usual steps we take.
- Unless you have chosen to remain anonymous, an investigator will be in touch with you to discuss your complaint and any information you have. If you want to have further contact with your investigator, be sure to write down their name and your complaint number.
- In most cases, an on-site investigation will be conducted to see if any environmental regulations have been violated. If your allegations are primarily nuisance-based, access to your property and the submittal of a written impact statement may be required at this stage
- If the investigation reveals a violation, we will take appropriate action to ensure that the violation is corrected. Actions could include issuing a violation requiring the violator to correct the problem within a specified time frame or, in the case of serious or continuing violations, assessing a fine against the violator by referring the case for an enforcement action.
- The Violation Process and Enforcement Actions
Filing an Environmental Complaint
Thank you for reviewing the critical information above before submitting your complaint. To file a complaint scan the QR code or fill out our online form .
- Learn more about our complaint process, including frequently asked questions.
- Download our complaint manual for a full copy of our complaint policies and procedures.
- Track the status of your complaint.
- Prefer to submit your complaint by phone? Use our Regional Directory to find contact information for your Regional Office.
