Guides / Site inspections
Site inspection report template and checklist
Short answer: A site inspection report documents an inspection of specific work against a defined standard, usually the approved drawings, specs and a checklist. It needs a header (project, date, inspector, scope), the checklist items with a result for each (pass, fail, not applicable, not inspected), findings with location and photo, required corrective action, and a sign-off. The difference from a general field report is the checklist: every item gets an answer, including the ones that passed.
Inspection reports come from a lot of directions on a US job. The GC runs its own quality inspections before calling for the building department. Third-party inspectors check work for owners, lenders or insurers. Engineers inspect before a pour or before backfill. The format below works for most of them. Code-required inspections by the building department and special inspections have their own forms and rules, set by the AHJ and the project's statement of special inspections, so follow those where they apply.
Field report or inspection report?
A field report is open-ended: you walk the site and record what you see. An inspection report has a defined scope and a list. "Inspect Level 2 deck reinforcing prior to pour" is an inspection. The checklist matters because a reader later wants to know whether you checked cover, or just didn't mention it. Every item gets marked.
Header fields
- Project name, address and permit or job number
- Inspection type and scope, including the area or elements covered
- Date, time on site, weather
- Inspector name, company, credentials if relevant
- Contractor and subcontractor responsible for the work
- Reference documents: drawing sheets, spec sections, approved submittals, revision numbers
- Who attended the inspection
The reference documents line is the one people forget. If the drawings were revised last week, the reader needs to know which set you checked against.
Inspection checklist structure
Build the checklist from the spec and drawings for the element you're inspecting, not from a generic list. For each item, record a result:
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Conforms | Observed and consistent with the reference documents |
| Does not conform | Observed and not consistent; a finding is required |
| N/A | Doesn't apply to this scope |
| Not inspected | In scope but not checked this visit, with the reason |
"Not inspected" is the honest answer when the area was blocked or the work wasn't ready. Leaving the box blank looks like a pass.
Example checklist: concrete pre-pour
Pre-pour inspection items
- Formwork dimensions, elevations and bracing
- Reinforcing size, spacing, laps and placement per shop drawings
- Clear cover and chair or bolster support
- Embeds, sleeves, blockouts and anchor bolts located per drawings
- Construction and control joint locations
- Vapor retarder condition under slab-on-grade
- Subgrade condition, no standing water or frozen ground
- Formwork clean, debris removed
- Required inspections signed off (for example, MEP in-slab rough-in)
- Mix design approved; testing agency scheduled
The same structure works for framing before cover, waterproofing before backfill, roofing, firestopping, or a final MEP walk. Pull the items from the spec section, add the common misses from your own experience, and keep the list short enough to actually use.
Writing findings
Each non-conforming item becomes a numbered finding with:
- Location (grid, level, room, elevation).
- Requirement, with the drawing or spec reference.
- Observed condition, measured where possible.
- Photo, wide and close.
- Required action: correct and request reinspection, submit an RFI, or provide engineer's review.
- Responsible party and target date.
- Status: open, corrected (verified), or closed.
Example: "F-3. Level 2, grid C-4 to C-6. S-201 detail 4 calls for #5 at 12 in. o.c. bottom. Observed #5 at 14 in. o.c. over approx. 10 ft. Photos 7, 8. Correct spacing and notify for reinspection before pour. ABC Concrete. Open."
Stay with what you observed and what the documents require. Telling the contractor how to fix it is usually the engineer of record's or the GC's call, not the inspector's.
Full site inspection report template
Template outline
- Header: project, permit or job number, report number
- Inspection type, scope and areas covered
- Date, time, weather, attendees
- Reference documents and revisions
- Checklist with result for each item
- Findings: number, location, requirement, observed condition, photo, action, owner, status
- Previous findings and verification status
- Limitations and areas not inspected
- Overall result: ready to proceed, proceed with conditions, or reinspection required
- Inspector signature, date, distribution
Follow-up and closing findings
An inspection report isn't finished until the findings are closed. On reinspection, reference the original report and finding numbers, photograph the corrected condition from the same angle as the original, and mark each one closed with the date. If you're closing based on a contractor photo instead of your own observation, say so. That distinction matters later.
Tracking this across visits by hand is where most inspection programs break down. Keeping every report for a project in one searchable archive, with each finding's photo and status, saves the cross-checking between last week's PDF and this week's notes. Arazim Reports files reports by project this way and includes a pre-pour inspection report.
Run your inspection checklist on site
Mark each item, attach photos, and send a signed PDF on your letterhead before you leave. Works offline.
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What should a site inspection report include?
A header with project, date, inspector and scope; the reference documents checked against; a checklist with a result for every item; numbered findings with location, requirement, observed condition, photo and required action; limitations; and a signature.
Is a site inspection report the same as a building department inspection?
No. Building department inspections are performed by the AHJ using its own process and records. A site inspection report as described here is usually prepared by the contractor, owner's rep, engineer or a third-party inspector. Code-required special inspections follow the project's statement of special inspections and local rules.
How do I mark items I couldn't inspect?
Mark them "not inspected" and give the reason, such as no access, work not ready, or covered. Never leave them blank, because a blank reads as a pass.
Should I include photos of work that passed?
Yes, a few. Photos of conforming work, especially work about to be covered, are useful evidence later and protect both the contractor and the inspector.
How do I close a finding?
Reinspect or review evidence of the correction, reference the original finding number, photograph the corrected condition, and mark it closed with the date. Note whether you verified it in person or from submitted photos.