Notice of Violation (NOV) User's Guide

07 October 2019 The Notice of Violation (NOV) program was implemented in 1995 to address the Coast Guard's concern that the civil penalty assessment process was too lengthy when applied to small oil discharges under 100 gallons and minor pollution prevention regulation violations (33 CFR parts 154, 155, and 156). The process time meant that a party frequently would have additional violations before being notified of an initial violation. Early resolution of these minor violations saved time and reduced costs of internal reviews, improved compliance and deterrence, and facilitated corrective action by providing more immediate notice to the charged party. Because of the success of the initial limited NOV program, it was expanded in 2004 to include oil spills of 1,000 gallons or less and to include violations of other laws and regulations that the Coast Guard enforces. Since its inception, the NOV program modified the civil penalty process by creating a regulation, 33 CFR 1.07- 11, that allowed for immediate notification to the responsible party of the alleged violation(s).