What does this landscaping and irrigation final checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering irrigation coverage and control, plant material, soil and mulch, establishment handoff. 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 landscape and irrigation foremen, walking the site before the owner's walk.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After planting and the system is charged and programmed, before the establishment period starts and before turnover walks.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 16 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 landscaping and irrigation final inspection?

Heads throwing onto walks and walls instead of the bed, with dry gaps between arcs that don't overlap. Controller left on the installer's test program, zones and run times never set for the actual plant material and exposure. Plant substitutions or undersized stock accepted at delivery without checking species, size and spacing against the plan.

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

Landscaping and irrigation

Landscaping and irrigation final inspection checklist

Landscaping and irrigation final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against the project specifications, manufacturer's published instructions. 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.

Irrigation coverage and control

Head coverage, arcs and precipitation matched per zone
System run zone by zone, arcs adjusted to head-to-head coverage without spraying paving or walls, matched-precipitation nozzles within a zone, no misting from over-pressure.
Controller zones, run times and schedule programmed
Each station labeled to the zone it drives, run times and days set for the plant type and exposure rather than the test default, rain sensor or shutoff wired and responding.
Backflow assembly tested by a certified tester
Certified test performed and observed, the assembly holding, the test report captured; no substituting a visual check for the actual test.
Operating pressure read at the far end of the largest zone
Gauge reading photographed at the last head or drip outlet with the zone running, compared with the operating range on the manufacturer's nozzle or emitter chart.
Zone chart posted inside the controller enclosure
Color-coded zone map or station list mounted inside the controller door, station numbers matching the labels on the terminal strip.
Valve box lids fastened and marked with their station
Every lid seated in its box and bolted or locked where the spec calls for it, branded or tagged with the station number it serves.

Plant material

Species, size and spacing verified against the plan
Plant list walked against what's in the ground, container or caliper size and spacing checked, substitutions only where approved, healthy stock with no girdling roots.
Trees plumb and staked without girdling
Trunks plumb, staking loose enough to allow movement and set to be removed after establishment, ties broad and not cutting into the bark.
Root flare visible at the soil line on trees and shrubs
Plants set at the depth the planting detail shows, flare not buried by backfill or mulch, and burlap, wire and twine cut away from the top of the root ball.
Turf and groundcover areas uniform with tight seams
Where the plan shows sod, seed or groundcover, seams butted and rolled, no bare or yellowing patches, and edges held to the bed lines on the plan.
No photo

Soil and mulch

Soil prep, amendment and finish grade verified
Beds tilled and amended per the spec, finish grade draining away from structures and holding no low spots, subgrade not left compacted under the topsoil.
Mulch depth and clearance at trunks and crowns
Mulch at the specified depth across beds, pulled back off trunks and crowns rather than mounded, edges held off walks and drains.
Topsoil and amendment tickets on file against the spec
Delivery tickets and any soil test results for imported topsoil, compost and amendments matched to the mix and source the spec names.
No photo

Establishment handoff

Establishment watering and maintenance duties set in writing
Who waters, mows, weeds and adjusts the controller during establishment agreed with the owner, with the start date of the period recorded.
No photo
Irrigation record drawings and controller manual turned over
Record drawings with valve, sleeve and wire locations, the controller manual and the shutdown or winterization instructions in the turnover package.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Heads throwing onto walks and walls instead of the bed, with dry gaps between arcs that don't overlap.
Controller left on the installer's test program, zones and run times never set for the actual plant material and exposure.
Plant substitutions or undersized stock accepted at delivery without checking species, size and spacing against the plan.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this landscaping and irrigation final checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering irrigation coverage and control, plant material, soil and mulch, establishment handoff. 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 landscape and irrigation foremen, walking the site before the owner's walk.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After planting and the system is charged and programmed, before the establishment period starts and before turnover walks.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 11 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 16 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 landscaping and irrigation final inspection?: Heads throwing onto walks and walls instead of the bed, with dry gaps between arcs that don't overlap. Controller left on the installer's test program, zones and run times never set for the actual plant material and exposure. Plant substitutions or undersized stock accepted at delivery without checking species, size and spacing against the plan.
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

Landscaping and irrigation Rough-inLandscaping and irrigation rough-in inspection checklistBuried irrigation mainline, laterals, sleeves and control wiring verified before trenches are backfilled15 items16 photos Landscaping and irrigation PunchLandscaping and irrigation punch checklistCloseout walk for dead or struggling plants, dry spots, settled trenches and head alignment9 items9 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 16 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.