A SWPPP inspection report that keeps up with the site
Stormwater inspections fail in two ways: the report doesn't show what the permit asks for, or the problems it finds never get fixed on time. Regulators look at both. This free SWPPP inspection report template is built around the items the EPA 2022 Construction General Permit (CGP) asks inspectors to document, and it tracks every corrective action to a due date so nothing sits open. State permits differ — every frequency, threshold and deadline in the workbook is an input so you can match yours.
What the inspection report covers
- Site and permit. Project, address, permit or NPDES tracking number, permit type, operators, report number.
- Qualified inspector. Name, title and training or certification — required on every report.
- Inspection type and schedule. Routine 7-day, routine 14-day, storm event, reduced frequency, pre-construction or final. The report calculates days since the previous inspection and the next routine inspection due date from the schedule you pick.
- Rainfall. Rainfall since the last inspection compared with your storm threshold (0.25 in. under the EPA CGP), with a plain-English storm check.
- BMP / control checklist. Twenty common controls — silt fence and sediment barriers, fiber rolls, on-site and off-site inlet protection, construction entrance and track-out, temporary and final stabilization, slope protection, concrete washout, stockpiles, dewatering, sediment basins, check dams, outlet protection, material storage and fueling, spill kits, waste and portable toilets, buffers, and SWPPP/site-map/posting — plus blank rows for site-specific controls.
- Discharges. Each outfall or discharge point with the receiving water or MS4, what the discharge looked like (color, odor, sheen, turbidity, floating solids, foam) and whether sediment left the site.
- Certification and signatures. The 40 CFR 122.22(d) certification statement with signature lines for the qualified inspector and the operator's authorized signatory.
Automatic due dates and overdue flags
Pick a condition for each control — Good, Needs maintenance, Needs repair, Failed / replace, Not installed or N/A. Anything that needs work gets a due date:
- Maintenance or repair: inspection date + your business-day deadline (EPA CGP: close of the next business day).
- Failed / not installed: inspection date + your calendar-day deadline for new or replacement controls (EPA CGP: 7 calendar days).
Enter the completed date when the work is done. Status reads Open, OVERDUE (past due today), Closed, or Closed — late.
Corrective action log
An inspection report is a snapshot; the corrective action log is the running record across the whole job. Each row holds the date identified, report number, BMP and location, the condition found, action type, the action taken, the calculated due date, date completed, days to complete, status, days overdue, who is responsible and whether the SWPPP or site map was updated. The status block counts open, overdue, closed-late and closed-on-time items — the numbers an inspector or owner will ask about.
Rain & inspection log
Log rainfall every day. Any day at or above your storm threshold shows a storm-inspection due date and whether it was done on time, missed, or late. On a 14-day schedule, this is the record that shows you met the storm-event requirement.
SWPPP inspection tips from the field
- Walk the perimeter first, downhill side. That's where sediment leaves the site and where an inspector starts.
- Clean silt fence before it's half full. The EPA CGP requires removing sediment before it reaches half the above-ground height of perimeter controls.
- Check the street, not just the site. Track-out and off-site inlets are the most visible violations.
- Keep the site map current. Move a stockpile or add an inlet and the SWPPP map has to show it.
- Close the loop in writing. A corrective action without a completion date looks like it never happened.
Related tools
- Weather delay log — rain days that also drive storm inspections
- Excavation & trench inspection checklist
- Safety inspection checklist
- Daily field report template
- Software for civil contractors
- Browse all free construction templates
From spreadsheet to phone
Field PM runs inspections as mobile checklists with photos, turns every deficiency into a tracked item with a due date, and keeps the record with the job. See safety & inspections and the form library, or start a free 30-day trial — no credit card required.
This template reflects the EPA 2022 Construction General Permit in general terms. Most states issue their own construction stormwater permit with different requirements — verify your permit. This is a field record, not legal or regulatory advice.
