Form library · Construction and handover
Certificate of completion for construction
A contractor's certificate of completion, filled in on a phone at the end of a job and signed with the owner. Record the parties and contract, the work completed area by area with photos, the completion date against the scheduled date, each building department inspection and the final or certificate of occupancy reference, and the final walkthrough or punch list. List any items still to finish with who will do them, an agreed date and any money held back. Then the warranty start date as your contract states it, the lien waivers and documents handed over, the balance to pay, and both signatures. The form counts open items and does the payment arithmetic. It is not a certificate of occupancy and not AIA Document G704. For UK contracts use the practical completion certificate.
For general contractors, remodelers and home builders closing out residential and light commercial jobs, and for owners who want a signed record of what was finished and what is left.
In the UK, JCT and NEC contracts use a practical completion certificate; for a homeowner handover pack see the customer handover checklist.
- Work completed by area as spaces, each with a status and photos, plus days between the scheduled and actual completion dates
- Building department inspections with results, and the final approval or certificate of occupancy reference you were given
- Outstanding items with photo, who will finish them, an agreed date and any amount held back, counted for you
- Warranty start date as stated in the contract, lien waivers received and 10 handover documents ticked
- Contract sum, change orders, paid to date and balance worked out, then owner acceptance and two signatures
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What is a certificate of completion in construction?
A certificate of completion is useful when it leaves nothing to argue about later: the exact scope and change orders it covers, the date the work was completed, the final inspection reference, every item still to finish with a date and an amount held back, the warranty start date as the contract states it, and which lien waivers and documents the owner actually received.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 27 October 2026 against International Residential Code section R109.1.6, final inspection (as reproduced by Winnebago County, Illinois, building department), Minnesota Rules 1300.0220, certificate of occupancy (Minnesota State Building Code), AIA Contract Documents, summary of G704-2017, Certificate of Substantial Completion and AIA Contract Documents, instructions for G704-2017.
How to fill in a certificate of completion
Do it after the final walkthrough, once you know what is finished and what is left.
Enter the job and contract
Add the owner, contractor, contract or job number, contract date and permit number. The project and address fill in from SiteSurvey.
Record what was completed
Describe the scope and change orders, enter the scheduled and actual completion dates, and add each area with its status and photos. Film a Walk Cam walk-round if you want a record of the finished work.
Add inspections and the final
Enter each building department inspection from the permit card or online record, and the final approval or certificate of occupancy reference, with a copy.
List what is left
Record the walkthrough, then each outstanding item with a photo, who will finish it, an agreed date and any amount held back.
Hand over and settle the numbers
Enter the warranty start date and length from the contract, tick the documents handed over, record each lien waiver, and enter the contract sum, change orders and payments.
Sign with the owner
Choose the decision, add any other actions, and sign. Share the PDF report with the owner and update each item as it is finished.
What makes a certificate of completion useful
Outstanding items: who will finish each one, the agreed date and any amount held back
Kitchen, sink run: toe kick missing under the sink base. Photo taken, finish carpenter to fit by 30 Oct, $400 held back. Rear addition, northeast corner: downspout has no extension or splash block, gutter subcontractor by 6 Nov, $750 held back. Payable now $14,590 of a $15,740 balance.
Fictional example. Record the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job.
A common recording mistake
Signing a certificate that says the job is complete while items are still open and undated, so the owner has no written basis for holding money back and the contractor has no agreed end to the list.
What happens next
Finish each item by its date, photograph it, mark it finished once the owner has seen it, and release the held-back amount as agreed.
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Every question in the certificate of completion (construction) template
A contractor's certificate of completion for a construction job: parties and contract, the work completed by area with photos, completion date against the schedule, building department inspections and the final or certificate of occupancy reference, the final walkthrough, outstanding items with agreed dates, warranty start date as stated in the contract, lien waivers and documents handed over, the balance to pay, and owner acceptance with signatures. 6 sections and 97 questions. Follow-up questions and guidance appear only when an answer calls for them, so the person on site never sees the ones that do not apply.
Make it your own: every question is editable
This is a starting point, not a fixed form. Once it is in your SiteSurvey account you can reword any question, add or remove questions, sections and answer options, and add your own logo, so it fits the way your team works and the jobs you do.
Details you only enter once
Add this form to a project in SiteSurvey and it fills in what the project already knows, so nobody on site retypes it and every form on the job uses the same names. Anything filled in can still be changed.
- Project: the project name
- Job address: the site address, from the space or the project
- Owner: the project's customer
Job, parties and contract
- ProjectShort answer
Filled in from the project in SiteSurvey.
Fills in from the project name - Job addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- OwnerShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Location (GPS)Short answer
- Date of this certificate*Date
- Prepared by*Short answer
- Contractor*Short answer
- Contractor license or registration numberShort answer
If your state or city issues one.
- Owners named in the contractShort answer
- Contract or job numberShort answer
- Contract dateDate
- Building permit numberShort answer
- CheckThis certificate records that the contractor has finished the work under this contract and that the owner accepts it, with any items listed on page 4. It is not a certificate of occupancy or a final inspection approval: those come from the building department. It is not AIA Document G704. It does not certify that the work meets the code.
Scope and completion date
- Work covered by this certificate*Notes
As described in the contract and approved change orders.
- Approved change orders includedNumber
- Change order numbersShort answer
- Scheduled completion date in the contract, as extended by change ordersDate
- Date the work was completed*Date
- Days between the scheduled and actual completion datesWorked out by the formShown when “Scheduled completion date in the contract, as extended by change orders” is answered and “Date the work was completed” is answered
- CompletedWorked out by the formShown when “Scheduled completion date in the contract, as extended by change orders” is answered and “Date the work was completed” is answered
- What is complete*Choose one
- All the work in the contract
- All the work except the outstanding items on page 4
- A phase or part of the work only
- Which phase or partNotesShown when “What is complete” is “A phase or part of the work only”
- Areas completedRepeat for each area. Each one asks:
- Area or part of the work*Short answer
For example Kitchen, Rear addition, Roof.
- TypeChoose one
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Addition or new room
- Basement
- Bedroom or living space
- Garage
- Roof
- Exterior and siding
- Deck, porch or patio
- Site and landscaping
- Mechanical, electrical or plumbing
- Whole building
- Other
- Work completed in this area*Notes
- Status*Choose one
- Complete
- Complete except the outstanding items listed
- Not complete
- Photos of the finished workPhotos
- area_f_doneWorked out by the form
- area_f_notWorked out by the form
- AreasWorked out by the form
- CompleteWorked out by the form
- Not completeWorked out by the form
- Walk Cam: finished workWalk Cam video with voice-to-text
Optional. Film a guided walk-round on the SiteSurvey app.
Permits and inspections
- GuidanceEnter each building department inspection from the permit card or the online record. The form only records what the department said.
- InspectionsRepeat for each inspection. Each one asks:
- Inspection*Choose one
- Footing or foundation
- Framing
- Plumbing rough-in
- Electrical rough-in
- Mechanical rough-in
- Insulation or energy
- Drywall or fire-rated assembly
- Final building
- Final electrical
- Final plumbing
- Final mechanical
- Other
- DateDate
- Result*Choose one
- Passed
- Failed: re-inspection needed
- Not yet done
- Not required for this work
- Inspector or record referenceShort answer
As written on the permit card or the online record.
- insp_f_openWorked out by the form
- Inspections listedWorked out by the form
- Failed or not yet doneWorked out by the form
- Building department final*Choose one
- Final inspection passed and certificate of occupancy issued
- Final inspection passed (no certificate of occupancy for this work)
- Final inspection not yet passed
- No permit was needed for this work
- Certificate of occupancy or final approval reference and dateShort answerShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Copy of the certificate of occupancy or final approvalPhotosShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckUnder the International Residential Code (section R109.1.6, as adopted locally), the final inspection is made after the permitted work is complete and before occupancy. Where a certificate of occupancy is required (for example, in Minnesota, Minnesota Rules 1300.0220), the building may not be used or occupied until the building official issues one. This certificate does not replace either.Shown when “Building department final” is “Final inspection not yet passed”
- Why no permit was needed, and who said soNotesShown when “Building department final” is “No permit was needed for this work”
Final walkthrough and outstanding items
- Final walkthrough done with the owner?*Yes or No
- Walkthrough dateDateShown when “Final walkthrough done with the owner?” is Yes
- Punch list or walkthrough record referenceShort answer
For example the SiteSurvey final walkthrough or punch list for this job.
Shown when “Final walkthrough done with the owner?” is Yes - Are there items still to finish?*Yes or No
- Outstanding itemsRepeat for each item. Each one asks:Shown when “Are there items still to finish?” is Yes
- Item*Short answer
For example Install pantry door hardware.
- WhereShort answer
- PhotoPhotos
- Who will finish it*Short answer
- Agreed completion dateDate
- Amount held back for this item ($)Number
Optional. Only if the owner and contractor agreed to hold money back for it.
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- Finished, owner accepted
- Date finishedDateShown when “Status” is “Finished, owner accepted”
- Photo when finishedPhotosShown when “Status” is “Finished, owner accepted”
- out_f_openWorked out by the form
- out_f_nodateWorked out by the form
- Outstanding items listedWorked out by the formShown when “Are there items still to finish?” is Yes
- Still openWorked out by the formShown when “Are there items still to finish?” is Yes
- With no agreed dateWorked out by the formShown when “Are there items still to finish?” is Yes
- Held back for outstanding items ($)Worked out by the formShown when “Are there items still to finish?” is Yes
- CheckSome outstanding items have no agreed completion date. Agree one for each before you sign.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
Warranty, documents and payment
- GuidanceEnter the warranty start date and length exactly as the contract or the warranty document states them. The form does not set either.
- Warranty start date, as stated in the contractDate
- Warranty length and what it covers, as statedShort answer
- Warranty document referenceShort answer
- Documents handed overTick all that apply
- Final lien waiver from the contractor
- Lien waivers from subcontractors and suppliers
- Contractor warranty document
- Manufacturer warranties
- Appliance and equipment manuals
- As-built drawings or marked-up plans
- Permit card and inspection records
- Certificate of occupancy or final approval copy
- Paint colors and finish schedule
- Keys, remotes and access codes
- Documents handed over (of 10)Worked out by the form
- Documents still to come, who will send them and whenNotes
- GuidanceLien waiver rules and forms differ from state to state. The form records which waivers were handed over; it does not say which you need. Check your state's law and your contract.
- Lien waivers receivedRepeat for each waiver. Each one asks:
- From*Short answer
Contractor, subcontractor or supplier.
- Type, as written on the waiverShort answer
- Amount covered ($)Number
- Covers work throughDate
- Copy of the signed waiverPhotos
- Lien waivers recordedWorked out by the form
- Photo of the documents handed overPhotos
- Original contract sum ($)Number
- Approved change orders, net ($)Number
Enter a negative number for a net credit.
- Adjusted contract sum ($)Worked out by the form
- Paid to date ($)Number
- Balance still to pay ($)Worked out by the form
- Payable now, less amounts held back for outstanding items ($)Worked out by the form
Owner acceptance and sign-off
- Items needing actionWorked out by the form
- ResultWorked out by the form
- Other actionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:
- Action*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Safety: fix now
- Before final payment
- By the agreed date
- Under warranty
- Who will do it*Short answer
- Due byDate
- Status*Choose one
- Open
- In progress
- Done, checked
- Photo when donePhotosShown when “Status” is “Done, checked”
- Actions still openWorked out by the form
- Decision*Choose one
- Accepted as complete
- Accepted as complete except the outstanding items listed
- Not accepted: work not complete
- What is not completeNotesShown when “Decision” is “Not accepted: work not complete”
- Notes for the ownerNotes
- Contractor nameShort answer
- Contractor signature*Signature
- Owner nameShort answer
- Owner signatureSignature
- CheckBy signing, the contractor states that the work described is complete, apart from any outstanding items listed, and the owner accepts it on that basis. It does not change the contract, the warranty or any lien rights, and it is not a building department approval.
See it filled in
A completed certificate of completion (construction) report, made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit: every answer, the photos, the guidance that applied and the sign-off, ready to send as a PDF.
Certificate of completion (construction) FAQs
Is a certificate of completion the same as a certificate of occupancy?
No. A certificate of occupancy comes from the building department. In Minnesota, for example, no building may be used or occupied until the building official has issued one, after inspecting and finding no violations. Rules differ by state and city. This form only records the reference the department gave you; it does not issue or replace one.
Source: Minnesota Rules 1300.0220, certificate of occupancy (Minnesota State Building Code).
When is the final inspection done?
Under the International Residential Code (section R109.1.6, as adopted locally), the final inspection is made after the permitted work is complete and before occupancy. The form records each inspection and its result, and shows a warning if the final has not yet passed.
Is this the same as AIA G704?
No. AIA Document G704 is a copyrighted form for recording the date of substantial completion, with a list of items to complete or correct that the architect verifies. If your contract uses AIA documents, use G704 as the contract requires. This form is a separate record for jobs without an architect administering the contract, and it reproduces no AIA text.
Sources: AIA Contract Documents, summary of G704-2017, Certificate of Substantial Completion and AIA Contract Documents, instructions for G704-2017.
When does the warranty start?
When your contract or warranty document says it does. The form asks you to enter the start date and length exactly as stated, and sets neither. AIA's instructions for G704, for example, say warranties required by the contract documents start on the date of substantial completion unless the parties name other dates.
Which lien waivers do I need at completion?
That depends on your state's law and your contract, and the rules and wording differ from state to state. The form does not tell you which waivers you need. It records each waiver received, who it is from, the type as written on it, the amount and the date it covers, with a copy attached.
Can the owner accept the job with items still open?
Yes, if both sides agree. The decision includes accepted as complete except the outstanding items listed. Each item gets a photo, who will finish it, an agreed date and any amount held back, and the form subtracts the held-back total from the balance. Update each item when it is finished and the owner has seen it.
Related
Related templates
Templates that go with the certificate of completion (construction) form
A new home final walkthrough with the buyer, the blue tape walk: room by room, each taped item with its location, trade, photo, whether both sides agree and whether it is fixed, then the systems shown working, documents, keys and utilities handed over, open and closed counts, a re-walk date and signatures.
A commercial construction punch list near substantial completion: area by area, each item with its trade and subcontractor, room or GPS location, photo, priority, due date and status (open, ready for back-check, closed), the back-check and a back-charge flag, with counts per trade and overall and two signatures.
A practical completion certificate: the contract, works and date of practical completion, outstanding minor items, the rectification period, retention, handover documents and signatures.
A customer handover pack record: completion and handover dates, certificates in the pack and to follow, manuals, warranties and keys, each system demonstrated, where the controls and shut-offs are, outstanding items, aftercare and the customer's signature.
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