Free checklist
Grounding and bonding system quarterly maintenance checklist
A quarterly grounding system round is short on purpose: it catches the wear items that fail between annual services. This checklist is sized for a tech with a phone. Every item says what to look at and the photo that proves the round happened. Work is commonly verified against NEC (NFPA 70), NETA maintenance testing standards. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.
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.
Before the round
Plumbing, gas and electrical work since the last round reviewed
Work orders for piping, meter, service or panel work since the last round listed, so the bonds near that work get a closer look on the walk.
No photoNo ground or bond disconnected on the live system
Nothing lifted, unbolted or loosened to check it; a loose or damaged connection is tagged and reported for repair under an outage, not remade live.
No photoPanel covers opened only under the energized-work procedure
Any cover taken off to reach a ground bar removed only as the site's energized-work procedure allows, PPE from its arc-flash risk assessment, and refastened before moving on.
No photo
Connections and bonding
Visible ground connections and bonding jumpers checked
Grounding electrode conductor, main bonding jumper and equipment bonds present and connected, jumpers across meters and dielectric unions in place where required.
Ground bar terminations inspected
Each lug tight and single-conductor unless rated otherwise, no loose or corroded connections on the ground/neutral bar in accessible panels.
Grounding electrode conductor traced from service to electrode
Conductor continuous along its visible run, any splice made by exothermic weld or irreversible connector, no bolted splice or break along the way.
Gas piping bond checked where gas is piped in
Bonding conductor and clamp on the metal gas piping present and tight, not removed or left hanging after a meter, appliance or piping change.
No photoWall ground bar checked where the room has one
Bar fastened firmly, each conductor on its own lug and identified, no bare stray ends or empty lugs where a conductor belongs.
No photoTelecom grounding busbar noted in passing
Primary or secondary bonding busbar (TMGB or TGB) seen where the round passes it, its bond to the electrical ground present; its own inspection belongs to the telecom contractor.
No photo
Corrosion and damage
Clamps and exposed conductors checked for corrosion
Ground clamps at rods, water main and steel free of heavy corrosion, conductor bright and sound at the connection, not eaten away under the clamp.
No conductors damaged, cut or removed
Exposed grounding and bonding runs intact, none cut for other work, pulled loose, or missing where a connection was clearly meant to be.
Conductor supports and physical protection checked
Exposed runs fastened along their length and sleeved or guarded where traffic, carts or mowers could strike them, with no guard broken or missing.
Access
Ground test wells and access points located and clear
Test wells and inspection points found, lids removable, connections inside reachable so the ground can actually be tested when the testing firm comes.
No photo
Findings and records
Defects reported to the owner with their locations
Each missing bond, loose lug or corroded clamp reported with its room or electrode and the photo, so repair is scheduled under an outage.
No photoRound logged for the annual test comparison
Condition at each electrode, bond and ground bar logged by location, so the testing firm's visit starts from this quarter's record.
No photo
What usually sends this back
The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work
- A bonding jumper on a water main or gas line found removed after a plumbing repair and never reinstalled, so a bonded metal path is now floating.
- Corrosion building at an exterior ground clamp until the connection is more rust than metal, while the conductor above it still looks fine.
- A ground bar with lugs backed off or double-lugged past what the terminal allows, so several equipment grounds share a connection that isn't solid.
Verified against
Common questions
6 answers
- What does this grounding and bonding system quarterly checklist cover?
- 15 items across 5 sections, covering before the round, connections and bonding, corrosion and damage, access, and more. 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 electrician or maintenance tech on the quarterly electrical round.
- When in the schedule should this walk happen?
- Every quarter, walked with the service and panel round since a compromised ground shows up as noise and nuisance trips there first.
- Why do these items ask for a photo?
- 6 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 8 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 grounding and bonding system quarterly inspection?
- A bonding jumper on a water main or gas line found removed after a plumbing repair and never reinstalled, so a bonded metal path is now floating. Corrosion building at an exterior ground clamp until the connection is more rust than metal, while the conductor above it still looks fine. A ground bar with lugs backed off or double-lugged past what the terminal allows, so several equipment grounds share a connection that isn't solid.
- 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.
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 8 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.
See all 508 checklists · 6741 items and 5984 photo requirements in total.