POINT 01
Wall length and height
Walk the length from a safe position, showing the height and what the wall holds back.
A stone retaining wall holds back a raised garden beside a path.
Form library · Facilities and maintenance
Retaining wall inspection checklist
A visual condition inspection of a retaining wall. Record the wall, its construction, what it holds back, its height and length, the owner and whether it is near a street, which shows the Highways Act section 167 note. Check line and level, cracks and open joints, missing stones, voids, the base, water seeping through the face, drain outlets, the top of the wall and roots, with a detail box for each defect. Add each defect with its location, size, risk and photos, and record the result and next inspection. An optional Walk Cam route films the length, any bulge, cracks and missing stones, and the drainage. Every question is listed below, and you can fill the live form in on this page.
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What are the warning signs on a retaining wall?
Derbyshire County Council's examples of retaining wall failure include bulging and voids in the face, stones displaced, full height vertical cracks with water seeping through, and foundations undermined after heavy rainfall. Record each one with its location, size and photos. Where a wall within 4 yards of a street is more than 4 feet 6 inches high and could endanger people using the street, section 167 of the Highways Act 1980 lets the local authority require the owner or occupier to make it safe.
Last updated . Facts checked by the SiteSurvey team on 17 October 2026 against section 167 of the Highways Act 1980 (retaining walls near streets), Bradford Council: guidance for residents on private retaining walls near the highway and Derbyshire County Council: examples of retaining wall defects (DfT structures fund 2026, appendix 3).
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Open the completed example to see fictional readings, notes, photos and calculations. Choose Blank form to try entering your own answers.
Want to see one filled in? See a completed retaining wall inspection report (PDF), made by SiteSurvey from a fictional site visit.
Walk Cam route · four guided clips
Record the retaining wall inspection on video
Walk the wall from a safe path, then stop on bulging, leaning, cracks, missing stones and water coming through.
Record the location, wall length and height, what it holds back and who owns it if known. Film the face from the safe side only. The four AI-generated clips illustrate one route, not a real wall.
POINT 02
Bulging or leaning
Film along the face of the wall so any bulge or lean shows against a straight line.
Part of the wall face bulges outwards over a short length.
POINT 03
Cracks and missing stones
Stop on cracks, open joints and missing stones, keeping the location in frame.
A vertical crack and open mortar joints are visible in the wall.
POINT 04
Drainage and water
Film weep holes, the base of the wall and any wet patches or water running out of the face.
Water staining runs down from the wall face to a wet path.
See the footage in a report
A fictional six-page example with the four points, twelve stills from the clips, observations, follow-up actions and the limits of a visual record.
View the visual evidence (PDF) ↗ · Download the full sample report
Video records visible distress. It cannot say whether a wall is stable, measure lean or movement, or show foundations and drainage behind it. Example footage was generated in Google Flow and the observations are scripted; no real site is shown. Walk Cam works inside any form in the app. How Walk Cam works · All visual inspections
Every question in the retaining wall inspection template
A retaining wall inspection checklist: wall, construction, height and what it holds back, line and level, cracks, missing stones, voids, base, water and drainage, each defect with risk and photos, highway notes and actions. 3 sections and 73 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
- 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
Wall
- 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
- Wall reference or location*Short answer
- Wall position (GPS)Short answer
Optional. Mark the wall at its worst point or its west end, so it can be found again on a long road or estate. Tap Mark current location on site. It saves the coordinates, a grid reference and the accuracy.
- Wall constructionChoose one
- Stone, dry laid
- Stone, mortared
- Brick
- Concrete
- Gabion
- Timber sleepers
- Block
- Other
- What it holds backChoose one
- Garden or ground
- Road or footway
- Building
- Car park
- Other
- Highest retained height (m)Number
Measure with a staff or tape, or from a square-on photo with a door, a person or a marked staff against the wall as the reference. Measuring from a photo gives an estimate.
- Length inspected (m)Number
- Photos of the wallPhotos
The whole length, and any photo you measured the height from.
- Owner, if knownShort answer
- Is any part within 4 yards (about 3.6 m) of a street?Yes or No
- Height above the ground at the street boundary (m)Number
Section 167 of the Highways Act 1980 applies where the wall is more than 4 feet 6 inches (about 1.37 m) high above the ground at the street boundary. Measure it there, with a tape or from a square-on photo. Measuring from a photo gives an estimate.
Shown when “Is any part within 4 yards (about 3.6 m) of a street?” is Yes - Against section 167 (4 feet 6 inches, about 1.37 m)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckSection 167 of the Highways Act 1980 (England and Wales) covers a retaining wall within 4 yards of a street that is more than 4 feet 6 inches high above the ground at the street boundary. If it is liable to endanger people using the street, the local authority can serve notice on the owner or occupier to do the works needed. Bradford Council, for example, says the owner must maintain the wall and major works need the council's technical approval.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Weather captureAnswer
Record estimated current conditions and add what you observe on site.
Condition
- Line and level: no bulging or leaningChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Line and level: no bulging or leaning” is “Defect”
- No cracks or open jointsChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “No cracks or open joints” is “Defect”
- No missing or displaced stones, bricks or blocksChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “No missing or displaced stones, bricks or blocks” is “Defect”
- No voids in the faceChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “No voids in the face” is “Defect”
- Base: no undermining or erosionChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Base: no undermining or erosion” is “Defect”
- No water seeping through the faceChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “No water seeping through the face” is “Defect”
- Drain holes and outlets clear, where fittedChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Drain holes and outlets clear, where fitted” is “Defect”
- Top of the wall: no new loads, ponding or tree growthChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “Top of the wall: no new loads, ponding or tree growth” is “Defect”
- No roots or plants damaging the wallChoose one
- OK
- Defect
- Not applicable
- What is wrong?Short answerShown when “No roots or plants damaging the wall” is “Defect”
- Checks OKWorked out by the form
- Checks with a defectWorked out by the form
- Not applicableWorked out by the form
- DefectsRepeat for each defect. Each one asks:
- Defect*Choose one
- Bulging
- Leaning
- Vertical crack
- Other crack
- Open joints
- Missing or displaced stones
- Voids
- Undermining
- Water seepage
- Partial collapse
- Other
- Location (distance along the wall, height)Short answer
- Size, in wordsShort answer
Optional, for anything the numbers below do not cover.
- Length along the wall (m)Number
Measure with a tape, or from a square-on photo with a door, a person or a staff in the same plane. Measuring from a photo gives an estimate.
- How far out of line (mm)Number
For a bulge or lean: the largest offset from a string line or straightedge, measured with a rule.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Offset at the last inspection (mm)Number
Optional. From the last record, measured at the same point.
Shown only when the answers above make it relevant - Change since the last inspection (mm)Worked out by the formShown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckThe bulge or lean has grown since the last inspection. Refer it to a structural engineer if it has not been already.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- RiskChoose one
- Danger: make safe now
- Refer to an engineer
- Monitor
- Made safe or cordoned off?Yes or NoShown when “Risk” is “Danger: make safe now”
- WarningThis defect needs making safe now and has not been made safe or cordoned off. Keep people away from the wall and the ground below it, and tell the owner today.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- PhotosPhotos
- d_f_dangerWorked out by the form
- d_f_engineerWorked out by the form
- d_f_monitorWorked out by the form
- d_f_unsafeWorked out by the form
- d_f_growingWorked out by the form
- Defects recordedWorked out by the form
- Make safe nowWorked out by the form
- Refer to an engineerWorked out by the form
- MonitorWorked out by the form
- Bulges or leans grownWorked out by the form
- Total length of defects measured (m)Worked out by the form
- WarningAt least one dangerous defect has not been made safe or cordoned off.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- GuidanceDerbyshire County Council's examples of retaining wall failure include bulging and voids in the face, stone displacement, full height vertical cracks with water seepage, and undermining of the foundations after heavy rainfall.
- Walk Cam: retaining wall inspectionWalk Cam video with voice-to-text
Optional. Film the four guided points on the SiteSurvey app; each clip keeps its spoken note.
Actions and sign-off
- Result*Choose one
- No significant defects
- Monitor
- Refer to a structural engineer
- Danger: make safe now
- CheckA dangerous defect has not been made safe, but the result is not danger: make safe now. Check the result.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- CheckThe result is no significant defects, but defects or failed checks are recorded. Check the result.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- Next inspectionDateShown when “Result” is “Monitor”
- Days to the next inspectionWorked out by the formShown when “Next inspection” is answered and “Inspection date” is answered
- CheckThe next inspection date is before this inspection. Check both dates.Shown only when the answers above make it relevant
- 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
- Who will do it?Short answer
- Due dateDate
- StatusChoose one
- Open
- In progress
- Completed
- 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.
Scope and responsibility
This is a visual condition record, not a structural assessment, a design approval or a highway authority notice.
What a useful entry looks like
Defect, location, size and risk
Give the distance along the wall and the height so the defect can be found again, and measure how far it is out of line where you can.
Bulge 6 to 9 m from the west end, about 3 m long and up to 40 mm out of line against a string line. Referred to a structural engineer.
Fictional example of record wording. Use the actual evidence and approved arrangements for your job; this is not a completed report or an instruction to carry out the work.
See it filled in
A completed retaining wall 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.
Retaining wall inspection FAQs
Who is responsible for a retaining wall next to a road?
Usually the owner of the land. Bradford Council's guidance says owners must maintain their walls so they do not pose a hazard, minor repairs can be done by a competent contractor, and major works need the council's technical approval. Under section 167 of the Highways Act 1980 the council can serve notice to make a dangerous wall safe.
Which walls does section 167 cover?
A length of retaining wall any part of which is within 4 yards of a street and which is more than 4 feet 6 inches high above the ground at the street boundary, in England and Wales. It does not apply to walls a highway authority maintains or to some transport undertakers' walls.
What if the wall looks dangerous?
Record the defect as danger: make safe now, say whether it was made safe or cordoned off, and refer it to a structural engineer. Bradford Council says that if a wall collapses or poses an immediate risk, it will clear debris and put in temporary safety measures, and may recover the cost from the landowner.
Is bulging serious?
It can be. Bulging is one of the failure modes in Derbyshire County Council's examples. Measure how far the face is out of line, for example against a string line, and refer it to an engineer if it is new or growing.
How often should a retaining wall be inspected?
This form does not set an interval. Set the next inspection date on the form from the wall's condition, and look again after heavy rain or if anything changes.
What does Walk Cam add?
On the SiteSurvey app, the optional Walk Cam route films four points from a safe position: the wall length and height, any bulge along the face, cracks and missing stones, and the drainage and water at the base, each with your spoken note.
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