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Highway and car park safety inspection checklist
A safety inspection of roads, footways and car parks. Record the route or car park, its hierarchy category and whether it is a routine, reactive or night inspection. Add each defect: potholes, trip hazards, kerbs, ironwork, signs, markings, lighting, drainage, vegetation and barriers, with location, what is wrong, depth and width, the response category, whether it was made safe and photos. The form counts the defects needing action within 24 hours and 28 days. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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What does a highway safety inspection record?
A highway safety inspection records the route inspected, the date, the inspector and the method, then each defect found with its location, type and size, the response category (for example make safe within 24 hours or repair within 28 days), whether it was made safe on site, and photos. The UK Roads Liaison Group code of practice, Well-managed Highway Infrastructure, promotes a risk-based approach in which each authority sets its own levels of service. Its 2016 edition says records should be kept of all inspections, including the time and nature of any response.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against section 58 of the Highways Act 1980, UK Roads Liaison Group: Well-managed Highway Infrastructure code of practice and Well-managed Highway Infrastructure, 2016 edition, sections A.5.6 to A.5.8 (inspections, records and defects).
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Every question in the highway inspection template
A highway, footway and car park safety inspection: route, hierarchy and inspection type, each defect with its type, size, response category and photos, made safe, and actions. 3 sections and 50 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.
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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
- Client: the project's customer
- Site: the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site address: the site address, from the space or the project
Inspection
- ProjectShort answerFills in from the project name
- ClientShort answerFills in from the project's customer
- Site*Short answerFills in from the site, when the form is opened for a space or a product
- Site addressShort answerFills in from the site address, from the space or the project
- Inspection date*Date
- TimeTime
- Inspector*Short answer
- Route, street or car park*Short answer
- Network hierarchy or categoryShort answer
- InspectionChoose one
- Routine (cyclic) safety inspection
- Reactive, after a report
- Night inspection (lighting)
- MethodChoose one
- Walked
- Driven
- Your investigatory level: carriageway or car park depth (mm)Number
Optional. From your own inspection policy. The code of practice leaves these levels to each authority or owner.
- Footway trip height (mm)Number
Optional. From your own inspection policy.
- GuidanceFor public highways in England and Wales, section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 gives the highway authority a defence to a claim if it took the care reasonably required, and the court considers whether it knew, or could reasonably have known, of the danger. The UK Roads Liaison Group code of practice says inspection records are crucial to defending claims, and that nil returns should be recorded too.
- Weather captureAnswer
Record estimated current conditions and add what you observe on site.
Defects
- Were any defects found?Yes or No
- DefectsRepeat for each defect. Each one asks:Shown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- Defect*Choose one
- Pothole
- Trip hazard on footway
- Kerb damage
- Ironwork or cover
- Signs
- Road markings
- Lighting
- Gully or drainage
- Vegetation or sight lines
- Barrier or bollard
- Other
- Location (house number, bay, lamp column)*Short answer
- Where it is (GPS)Short answer
Optional. Mark the defect so the repair gang finds it.
- What is wrong?Short answer
- Depth or height (mm)Number
By a ruler or gauge at the deepest point or the highest edge.
- Width (mm)Number
Use a tape, or measure from a photo looking straight down, with a rule or a known bay line in the same plane.
- Length (mm)Number
- Area (m²)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Against your investigatory levelWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Response*Choose one
- Make safe within 24 hours
- Repair within 28 days
- Planned works
- Monitor at next inspection
- Made safe on site (coned or signed)?Yes or NoShown when “Response” is “Make safe within 24 hours”
- Photos (with a scale if possible)Photos
- is_overWorked out by the form
- is_unsafeWorked out by the form
- is_areaWorked out by the form
- WarningNot made safe on site. Cone or sign it now, or arrange the response within 24 hours, and record who was told.Shown when “Response” is “Make safe within 24 hours” and “Made safe on site (coned or signed)?” is No
- Defects needing action within 24 hoursWorked out by the formShown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- Defects to repair within 28 daysWorked out by the formShown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- Planned worksWorked out by the formShown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- Monitor at the next inspectionWorked out by the formShown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- At or over your investigatory levelWorked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- 24-hour defects not made safeWorked out by the formShown when “Were any defects found?” is Yes
- Area to repair (m²)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- WarningA defect needing action within 24 hours was not made safe on site. Arrange it now and record who was told.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceWell-managed Highway Infrastructure, the UK Roads Liaison Group code of practice, is not statutory. Its 2016 edition recommends a risk-based inspection regime, with each authority setting inspection frequencies by the network hierarchy and recording defects with a response based on risk. The response categories here are examples: use your own policy.
- Walk Cam: route inspectionWalk Cam video with voice-to-text
Optional. Film a guided walk-through on the SiteSurvey app; each clip keeps its spoken note.
Actions and sign-off
- Are further actions needed?Yes or No
- Further actionsRepeat for each action. Each one asks:Shown when “Are further actions needed?” is Yes
- What needs doing?*Notes
- PriorityChoose one
- Urgent
- High
- Medium
- Low
- Who will do it?Short answer
- Due dateDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- Actions open or in progressWorked out by the formShown when “Are further actions needed?” is Yes
- Next inspection dueDate
Set by the inspection frequency the authority or owner has set for this hierarchy category.
- Days to next dueWorked out by the formShown when “Inspection date” is answered and “Next inspection due” is answered
- CheckThe next inspection due date is before the inspection date. Check the date.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Inspector name*Short answer
- Position or companyShort answer
- Inspector signatureSignature
- CheckSigning records what was found on the day. It does not make unsafe equipment safe or replace a thorough examination, design check or service by a competent person.
See it filled in
A completed highway inspection 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.
Highway inspection FAQs
Why do inspection records matter?
Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 gives a highway authority a defence to a claim if it took the care reasonably required, and the court considers whether it knew, or could reasonably have known, of the danger. The code of practice says records are crucial to the defence of claims, including nil returns.
How often should roads and footways be inspected?
There is no fixed national frequency. The 2016 edition of the code says each authority should set inspection frequencies through a risk-based approach, taking account of the network hierarchy. Record the hierarchy category and inspection type on each inspection.
Are the response categories fixed?
No. The form's categories are examples. The code says the response to each defect should be based on risk, so use the response times in your own inspection policy.
Is the code of practice a legal requirement?
No. The UK Roads Liaison Group says the code is not statutory and adopting it is a matter for each highway authority. An updated edition was published in October 2026.
Can I photograph each defect?
Yes. Each defect has its own photos and a box to say what is wrong. Include a scale, such as a ruler, so the size is clear.
Who uses this?
Highway inspectors, councils, highway maintenance contractors, and car park and estate managers on retail parks, hospitals and business parks.
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Planned maintenance visit: records seen, asset by asset tasks, water temperatures, work done and next visit.
Build or update an asset register: each asset with its tag, make, model, serial, position (GPS outside), condition, life and photos, totals by condition and life, and changes to the register.
Inspection round for plant: asset condition, refrigerant and leak checks, pressure vessels, next due dates.
Job sheet for a reactive or planned job: safety before starting, work done, parts used, tests, outcome and customer sign-off.
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