Free checklist
Concrete pre-pour inspection checklist
A concrete pre-pour inspection is the last look at everything the concrete is about to bury — reinforcement, embeds, sleeves, vapor barrier. Once the truck arrives there is no recheck, so this checklist walks the placement in pour order with the photo each item needs before the pour starts. Work is commonly verified against ACI guidance — confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
- Items
- 7
- Photos required
- 15
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The GC's superintendent with the concrete foreman, releasing each pour area — with the engineer of record or special inspector where the contract requires them.
When in the schedule
After reinforcement, embeds and forms are complete on a pour area, before the concrete trucks are released to site.
The checklist
Every item, and the photo that proves it
The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Copy the list as-is, or load it into RTI and let the gate enforce it.
Reinforcement
- 3 photos
Bar size, spacing and lap length match the drawing
Spacing checked across the field of the slab, laps at the specified length and location, grade marks visible.
- 2 photos
Reinforcement chaired at the correct depth
Bars supported at the specified cover, chairs spaced to hold under foot traffic, nothing resting on grade.
- 2 photos
Dowels and corner bars in place at joints and edges
Dowel alignment and embedment checked, corner and edge reinforcement per the detail.
Embeds and penetrations
- 2 photos
Embeds, anchors and sleeves laid out from control lines
Each embed located by measurement, photographed with the layout reference or dimension visible.
- 1 photo
Blockouts and formed openings braced and dimensioned
Opening sizes and locations verified, forms braced against float during the pour.
Subgrade and release
- 2 photos
Vapor barrier lapped, taped and undamaged where specified
Seams lapped per the spec, every puncture and penetration sealed after the reinforcement went in.
- 3 photos
Pour area released with a full photographic record
Wide photos per pour section showing reinforcement, embeds and forms in place, tagged to the pour release.
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- Reinforcement walked in from the edge of the slab and assumed continuous through the middle.
- Embed locations scaled off a print in the field instead of laid out from control lines.
- Vapor barrier punctured by the rebar and chair work and never re-inspected.
Run it with the Photo Gate
A checklist nobody can submit half-finished
Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 15 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident record behind every line.
Submission state
The gate is enforced on the server, so it holds even if the phone is offline when the walk happens.
Verified against
Common questions
- What does this concrete pre-pour checklist cover?
- 7 items across 3 sections — reinforcement, embeds and penetrations, subgrade and release. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
- Who should run this inspection?
- The GC's superintendent with the concrete foreman, releasing each pour area — with the engineer of record or special inspector where the contract requires them.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- After reinforcement, embeds and forms are complete on a pour area, before the concrete trucks are released to site.
- Why does every item ask for a photo?
- 15 of the 7 items call for photo evidence. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
- What most often fails a concrete pre-pour inspection?
- Reinforcement walked in from the edge of the slab and assumed continuous through the middle. Embed locations scaled off a print in the field instead of laid out from control lines. Vapor barrier punctured by the rebar and chair work and never re-inspected.
- Can I use this checklist in RTI?
- Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper-evident audit trail.