Estimate U.S. EPA civil penalty exposure under the major environmental statutes. See both the statutory maximum (per-day × days × violations) and a policy-based estimate built the way EPA actually settles cases — gravity-based penalty plus the economic benefit of non-compliance, minus adjustments for good faith, compliance history and ability to pay. Uses the current 2026 inflation-adjusted 40 CFR Part 19 amounts. Exports to Word, CSV and print.
Distinct violations (e.g. separate outfalls, parameters or units).
Most acts treat each day as a separate violation.
EPA's gravity component reflects how serious the violation is and how far it deviated from the requirement.
EPA media-specific penalty policies set a matrix value; enter your estimate or leave the suggested figure.
EPA's BEN model recaptures the economic advantage a violator gained by delaying or avoiding compliance costs, so non-compliance is never cheaper than compliance. This tool compounds the saved amount at your cost-of-capital rate over the delay period as a simple proxy.
EPA may adjust the gravity portion up or down for good faith, history, ability to pay and other factors. Economic benefit is generally not negotiated away. These percentages apply to the gravity component only.
Pair this estimate with your hazardous-waste recordkeeping in the RCRA waste register, and review baseline obligations in the US EHS requirements guide.
⚠️ This is an educational estimate of statutory maximum exposure and the EPA penalty framework — it is not a penalty determination and not legal advice. Actual civil penalties are set by EPA through settlement or by a federal court, applying the EPA Penalty Policy, the relevant media-specific policy, the statutory penalty factors and the agency's BEN and gravity models. Per-day maximums shown are the current inflation-adjusted amounts under 40 CFR Part 19 (see effective year below); they are recalculated each January. Verify the current figures and your specific obligations with EPA / your environmental counsel.