What does this sitework rough-in checklist cover?

15 items across 4 sections, covering site preparation, subgrade and grading, utility installation, backfill. 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 site foreman walking each utility run and lift, with the GC's superintendent and the geotechnical tech on compaction testing.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

Per utility run and per lift of fill. Every trench and lift is inspected before the next one covers it.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

13 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 19 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 rough-in inspection?

Compaction tests taken at the easy edge of a lift instead of across the fill area. Utility bedding photographed for the first run and assumed for the rest of the project. Trench backfilled before the utility's own depth, slope or joint inspection was recorded.

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 rough-in inspection checklist

Sitework rough-in is the last time the work is fully visible. Once the cover inspection passes and the walls, ceilings and slabs close, every defect left behind becomes a demolition bill. This checklist walks the rough-in in the order the work goes in, with the photo each item needs before it gets buried. 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.

Site preparation

Erosion and sediment controls in place before grading
Silt fence, inlet protection and the construction entrance installed per the erosion control plan, and repaired after each rain.
Topsoil and organics stripped from building and paving areas
Stripping carried to the depth the geotechnical report or drawings show, roots and organics gone, stockpile kept apart from fill material.

Subgrade and grading

Subgrade proof-rolled and approved before fill
No pumping, rutting or soft spots under a loaded truck; soft areas undercut and bridged per the geotech's direction.
Rough grades within tolerance of the grading plan
Spot elevations shot at grade breaks, swales and structure perimeters, compared against the plan.
Compaction results at spec for each lift
Test locations spread across the lift, results at or above the required density before the next lift.
Fill material matches the approved source and classification
Delivery tickets or stockpile tag photographed and checked against the approved fill submittal or the geotech's classification of on-site material.

Utility installation

Bedding material and depth per the utility spec
Trench bottom at the right depth and line, bedding placed and shaped before pipe is laid.
Pipe slope, joints and connections verified
Slope checked between structures, joints home and gasketed, connections to structures sealed.
Traced and marked before backfill
Tracer wire or tape in place where required, crossings and offsets photographed with a measurement reference.
One-call locate ticket current for the dig area
Ticket number, dig limits and expiration recorded; existing lines at crossings exposed by hand or vacuum before machine digging near them.
No photo
Trench protection and competent person check before entry
Trench box, sloping or benching in place for the depth and soil, and the competent person's daily inspection logged before anyone enters to lay or check pipe.
No photo
Pipe markings match the approved submittal
Printed marking on the pipe barrel photographed showing material, size and class, matched to the submittal and the utility drawing.

Backfill

Backfill placed and compacted in controlled lifts
Lift thickness within spec, compaction tests per lift over trenches that will carry pavement or structures.
No debris or oversize material in structural backfill
Trench backfill free of rubble, frozen clods and oversize rock against the pipe.
Haunches worked in by hand before machine compaction
Initial backfill shovel-sliced or tamped under the pipe haunches and carried to the cover shown on the utility detail before compactors run above it.

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Compaction tests taken at the easy edge of a lift instead of across the fill area.
Utility bedding photographed for the first run and assumed for the rest of the project.
Trench backfilled before the utility's own depth, slope or joint inspection was recorded.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this sitework rough-in checklist cover?: 15 items across 4 sections, covering site preparation, subgrade and grading, utility installation, backfill. 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 site foreman walking each utility run and lift, with the GC's superintendent and the geotechnical tech on compaction testing.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: Per utility run and per lift of fill. Every trench and lift is inspected before the next one covers it.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 13 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 19 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 rough-in inspection?: Compaction tests taken at the easy edge of a lift instead of across the fill area. Utility bedding photographed for the first run and assumed for the rest of the project. Trench backfilled before the utility's own depth, slope or joint inspection was recorded.
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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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 19 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.