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.
- Items
- 5
- Photos required
- 7
- Built for
- Subcontractors
Who runs it
The electrician or maintenance tech on the quarterly electrical round.
When in the schedule
Every quarter, walked with the service and panel round since a compromised ground shows up as noise and nuisance trips there first.
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.
Connections and bonding
- 2 photos
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.
- 1 photo
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.
Corrosion and damage
- 2 photos
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.
- 1 photo
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.
Access
- 1 photo
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.
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.
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 7 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 grounding and bonding system quarterly checklist cover?
- 5 items across 3 sections, covering connections and bonding, corrosion and damage, access. 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 does every item ask for a photo?
- 7 of the 5 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 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.
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