What does this vegetated (green) roof punch checklist cover?

10 items across 4 sections, covering perimeter walk, drainage and media, access and planting, edges and closeout. 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 green-roof installer on a callback, or the GC's superintendent closing green-roof punch items.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

During closeout and after the first heavy rains, when ponding and dead patches first show and drain access gets tested for real.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

4 of the 10 items call for photo evidence, 4 photos in all. 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 vegetated (green) roof punch inspection?

Standing water written off as normal instead of tracing it to a choked drainage layer or a media-blocked drain. Dead plugs replaced without adding media, so the same thin, dry spot kills the replacements too.

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.

Free checklist

Vegetated (green) roof

Vegetated (green) roof punch checklist

Vegetated (green) roof punch is where small misses become callbacks after the crew has demobilized. This checklist walks the finished work the way the owner and the next trade will see it, with the photo that closes each item instead of a note that reopens it. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Perimeter walk

Fall protection in place before the punch walk
Warning lines, guardrails or tie-off anchors checked in place before anyone crosses the planted field, and anyone working outside them tied off per the site's fall protection plan.
No photo
Corners and parapet runs checked for scour and shifted ballast
Windward corners and parapet runs walked from inside the guardrail or warning line, or tied off per the site's fall protection plan; scoured media and moved ballast re-set.

Drainage and media

Ponding areas traced and cleared
Any standing water located, drainage path and drain inlet checked and cleared, area confirmed draining after.
No photo
Thin media topped up to depth
Low or bare spots probed and brought up to the specified depth before replanting, not just seeded over.
No photo

Access and planting

Drain-access ports cleared and confirmed reachable
Every inspection port and drain cover freed of media and growth, opened and confirmed the drain below is reachable.
Failed plants replaced
Dead or missing plants replaced with the specified species at the right spacing, watered in, coverage restored.
No photo
Planted field weeded of seedlings and unplanned species
Field walked for weeds, tree seedlings and species not on the plant list, pulled by the root, including any rooting in the gravel borders.
Irrigation run for leaks and disturbed emitters after planting
Where irrigated, each zone run with the installer, lines or emitters kicked loose during planting repaired, dry patches matched to a cause.
No photo

Edges and closeout

Membrane terminations clear of media and roots
Base flashings, termination bars and penetration boots checked for media banked against them or roots reaching them; media pulled back, any damage reported to the roofer.
Open items and next establishment visit logged for the owner
Remaining green-roof items, replacement plants owed and the date of the next establishment visit written into the closeout log with the installer's name.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Standing water written off as normal instead of tracing it to a choked drainage layer or a media-blocked drain.
Dead plugs replaced without adding media, so the same thin, dry spot kills the replacements too.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this vegetated (green) roof punch checklist cover?: 10 items across 4 sections, covering perimeter walk, drainage and media, access and planting, edges and closeout. 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 green-roof installer on a callback, or the GC's superintendent closing green-roof punch items.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: During closeout and after the first heavy rains, when ponding and dead patches first show and drain access gets tested for real.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 4 of the 10 items call for photo evidence, 4 photos in all. 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 vegetated (green) roof punch inspection?: Standing water written off as normal instead of tracing it to a choked drainage layer or a media-blocked drain. Dead plugs replaced without adding media, so the same thin, dry spot kills the replacements too.
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.

Related checklists

Vegetated (green) roof Rough-inVegetated (green) roof rough-in inspection checklistRoot barrier, drainage layers, drain access and edging verified over the tested membrane, with the flood test witnessed before any growing media goes down15 items17 photos Vegetated (green) roof FinalVegetated (green) roof final inspection checklistGrowing media depth, drainage continuity, planting and establishment, and edge ballast checked on the finished vegetated roof15 items13 photos

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 4 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.