What does this sitework pre-pour checklist cover?

14 items across 4 sections, covering base and forms, reinforcement and embeds, joints and placement, 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 flatwork foreman, releasing each pour area for concrete.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After base, forms, reinforcement and embeds are complete on a pour area, the day the trucks are scheduled.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 17 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 sitework pre-pour inspection?

Base saturated or rutted overnight and poured anyway because the truck was already booked. Reinforcement chaired on the subgrade instead of at the correct depth in the slab. Sleeves and embeds set from memory instead of against the layout drawing.

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

Sitework

Sitework pre-pour inspection checklist

A sitework 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 the project geotechnical report, 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.

Base and forms

Base compacted, trimmed and at the correct elevation
Base density test passed for the pour area, surface trimmed to tolerance, no soft or saturated spots.
Forms straight, braced and at the right line and grade
Form line checked against the layout, stakes and braces solid, top-of-form elevations shot.
Base aggregate matches the approved material
Delivery ticket or stockpile label photographed and checked against the approved base submittal, with base thickness probed at several spots.
Form cross slope falls away from buildings and toward inlets
Slope across walks, pads and curbs set in the forms to the grades on the drawings, with no flat or back-pitched spots that would hold water.
Accessible route slopes measured in the forms
Where walks are part of an accessible route, running and cross slopes at ramps, landings and curb ramps checked against the drawings before concrete fixes them.
No photo

Reinforcement and embeds

Reinforcement size, spacing and chair height per the drawing
Bar or mesh supported at the specified depth, laps tied, no reinforcement resting on the base.
Sleeves, embeds and blockouts set against the layout
Each penetration and embed located from control lines, photographed with the layout reference visible.
Vapor barrier lapped, sealed and undamaged where specified
Seams lapped and taped, penetrations sealed, no punctures from the reinforcement work.
Castings and boxes in the pour set to finished grade
Inlet frames, cleanouts, valve boxes and pull boxes inside the pour area set to the finished surface elevation and slope, blocked so the pour can't shift them.
No photo

Joints and placement

Isolation joint filler at every building, curb and fixed object
Joint filler set full depth where the flatwork meets walls, curbs, poles, structures and existing slabs, top held down for the sealant shown.
Control joint layout marked on the forms
Joint spacing from the jointing plan or drawings marked on the form boards, lined up with adjoining panels and placed at re-entrant corners.
Finish, broom direction and edging agreed with the finisher
Finish texture, broom direction, tooled edge and any color or exposed aggregate confirmed against the approved sample before the trucks arrive.
No photo
Mix design, truck route and washout set for the pour
Approved site-concrete mix on hand for checking tickets, trucks routed off the finished base and a washout set up per the stormwater plan.
No photo

Release

Pour area walked end to end and released
One wide photo per pour section showing base, forms and reinforcement in place, tagged to the pour release.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Base saturated or rutted overnight and poured anyway because the truck was already booked.
Reinforcement chaired on the subgrade instead of at the correct depth in the slab.
Sleeves and embeds set from memory instead of against the layout drawing.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this sitework pre-pour checklist cover?: 14 items across 4 sections, covering base and forms, reinforcement and embeds, joints and placement, 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 flatwork foreman, releasing each pour area for concrete.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After base, forms, reinforcement and embeds are complete on a pour area, the day the trucks are scheduled.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 10 of the 14 items call for photo evidence, 17 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 sitework pre-pour inspection?: Base saturated or rutted overnight and poured anyway because the truck was already booked. Reinforcement chaired on the subgrade instead of at the correct depth in the slab. Sleeves and embeds set from memory instead of against the layout drawing.
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

Sitework Rough-inSitework rough-in inspection checklistSubgrade, utilities and compaction verified before anything is buried or paved15 items19 photos Sitework FinalSitework final inspection checklistFinal grading, drainage and flatwork walked before landscaping and turnover15 items14 photos Sitework PunchSitework punch checklistCloseout walk for settlement, ponding and damaged flatwork9 items8 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 17 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.