Herc Rentals, Inc. Settles Environmental Protection Case for $243,291

Final Judgment (PDF, 769 KB)

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez announced today the settlement of an environmental protection lawsuit against Herc Rentals, Inc., which was approved by the Sonoma County Superior Court. The defendant will pay $243,291 to settle a civil law enforcement complaint alleging that Herc Rentals violated California’s Underground Storage of Hazardous Substances laws and regulations at its Rohnert Park facility. 

The civil complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office alleged that Herc Rentals failed to timely repair a waste oil sump for one of its underground tanks and failed to timely repair the tank secondary containment system after notice of said violations were given by Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention. Once contacted by the District Attorney’s Office, the company cooperated with remediating the problems by properly removing the existing tank and replacing it with a new tank. 

District Attorney Rodriguez stated, “Our Environmental and Consumer Law Division works with the various Certified Uniform Program Agencies in the county that regulate local businesses and hold them accountable for complying with state laws relating to underground storage tanks and hazardous waste. We are satisfied that this result furthers the overall goals of our office and these agencies to protect the environment in Sonoma County.” 

The stipulated judgment was entered by Judge Jane Gaskell on May 5, 2026, and provided for civil penalties in the amount of Two Hundred and Twenty Thousand Dollars ($220,000) and recovery of costs in the amount of Twenty-Three Thousand two hundred and ninety-one dollars ($23,291). The judgment also includes injunctive terms mandating compliance with the Underground Storage of Hazardous Substances and Hazardous Waste Laws for all facilities owned and operated by Herc Rentals, Inc. in Sonoma County. 

The violations were brought to the attention of the District Attorney’s Office by Permit Sonoma Fire Prevention. Deputy District Attorney Caroline L. Fowler was the prosecutor for the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office. 

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