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Roof inspection checklist
A roof inspection checklist for spring and fall, covering the membrane, flashing, edges, drainage, penetrations, and signs of leaks inside the building.
Semiannual
| Task | Required | Photo required |
|---|---|---|
| Before | ||
| Review past reports and photographs. | Not required | No photo required |
| Before walking the roof, set up fall protection at any low-slope edge: a guardrail, net, restraint, or arrest system. | Required | No photo required |
| General | ||
| Remove debris and trash from the roof. | Required | No photo required |
| Check for ponding and poor drainage. Photograph any ponding, so later inspections can compare. | Required | No photo required |
| Note any new additions, changes, or equipment on the roof. Photograph any new addition. | Not required | No photo required |
| Membrane | ||
| Check the membrane for damage, punctures, bare spots in the coating or gravel, and granule loss. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Check for blisters, fishmouths, alligatoring, splits, ridging, loose laps, slippage, detachment, and fastener problems. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Sloped roof | ||
| On sloped roofs, check shingles for buckling, curling, missing tabs, and granule loss. Check metal for corrosion and fasteners. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Flashing | ||
| Check metal flashing for rust, open laps, attachment to the wall or curb, and popped fasteners. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Check non-metal flashing for open laps, sagging or separation, blistering, and wrinkling. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Edges | ||
| Check roof edges for rust, splits at metal joints, and fascia or gravel stops that are not secure. Check that the soffit is sound. | Required | No photo required |
| Parapets | ||
| Check parapet mortar joints, cracks, spalling, coping, and caulking. Photograph each defect. | Required | No photo required |
| Expansion joints | ||
| Check that expansion-joint covers are secure, with no open laps or deteriorated membrane. | Required | No photo required |
| Drainage | ||
| Check that drains are free of clogging and damming, clamping rings are secure, and gutters, scuppers, and downspouts are clean and undamaged. | Required | No photo required |
| Penetrations | ||
| Check that pitch pans, soil stacks, chimneys, and vents are sound. | Required | No photo required |
| Equipment | ||
| Check rooftop equipment, its supports and curb, and any equipment that affects watertightness. | Required | No photo required |
| Check that skylights, smoke hatches, and roof hatches are sound. | Required | No photo required |
| Check walkway treads for wear from foot traffic. Check for contaminants discharged onto the roof. | Not required | No photo required |
| Safety equipment | ||
| Check that fall-arrest anchors and control-zone access are in place. | Required | No photo required |
| Insulation | ||
| Check for soft or spongy areas in the insulation. | Required | No photo required |
| Interior | ||
| Check ceilings and walls for water stains or leaks, and the underside of the deck for rust, rot, sagging, or water entry. Photograph any stain. | Required | No photo required |
| Site | ||
| Trim overhanging branches. | Not required | No photo required |
| Close-out | ||
| Record the conditions in writing with photographs, and mark leaks and ponding on a roof plan. | Required | Photo required |
| Send repairs beyond routine upkeep to a roofing contractor. Send warranted roofs to the installing contractor. | Required | No photo required |
This checklist covers a roof’s membrane, flashing, edges, drainage, penetrations, and signs of leaks inside the building. Run it in spring and fall, and after severe weather, with the same tasks. Local rules govern where they set more than this list.
Sources
- NRCA, M. S. Graham, “Tech Today,” Professional Roofing
- Virginia Department of General Services, DGS-30-348, Semi-Annual Roof Inspection Maintenance Checklist
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Public Works and Services, Roof Inspection Checklist, MMS-427
- US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR 1910.28, fall protection
Import it into FixAhead
Upload this file in FixAhead's maintenance procedure import, as a signed-in owner or manager. Each frequency loads as its own procedure, with its sections, tasks, and each task's Required and Photo required marks. If your account already has a procedure with the same name, this one is skipped and the existing one stays as it is.
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