Free SWPPP corrective action log template (PDF)
When a SWPPP inspection finds a failed control — a downed silt fence, a full concrete washout, an uncontrolled discharge — the permit doesn't just require a fix. It requires a documented, signed, time-stamped trail from identification to resolution, each step with its own deadline. This free log template captures that trail in the format EPA's 2022 Construction General Permit (Part 5) expects.
Keep it with the SWPPP and inspection records on site. When an auditor reviews your inspection reports and sees findings, the corrective action log is the very next thing they ask for.
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SWPPP Corrective Action Log
Log conditions within 24 hours of identification and within 24 hours of completion — CGP Part 5
Site Information
Corrective Actions
| Date / Time Identified | Condition & Location (be specific) | Corrective Action Required | Deadline | Date Completed | Completed By (signature) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Deadlines Reference
Review
Reviewed By / Date
The three clocks a corrective action starts
Under CGP Part 5, discovering a problem starts multiple deadlines at once:
| Clock | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Immediate response | Take all reasonable steps to address the condition as soon as it's found (e.g., stop the discharge, contain the spill) |
| Simple fixes (no new control or significant repair needed) | Complete by close of the next business day |
| New or replacement control, or significant repair | Complete within 7 calendar days; if genuinely infeasible, document why and record a completion schedule |
| Log the identification | Within 24 hours of finding the condition |
| Log the completion | Within 24 hours of finishing the work |
What triggers a corrective action
- A control measure needing significant repair or replacement (beyond routine maintenance)
- A control that was never installed, or installed contrary to the SWPPP
- A prohibited discharge — sediment plume, concrete washout water, fuel sheen leaving the site
- Evidence that discharges are causing or contributing to an exceedance of water quality standards
Routine maintenance (cleaning sediment from behind a functioning silt fence before it hits half-height) is generally maintenance, not a corrective action — but the line varies by state permit, and when in doubt, logging it costs nothing while failing to log it can cost plenty.
How to fill out each entry
- Condition & location: be specific enough that someone else could walk to it. "Silt fence breach, ~40 ft, east perimeter near station 4+50" — not "fence issue."
- Date/time identified: this starts the deadline math. It's usually the inspection date, but a condition can be identified any time.
- Deadline: apply the next-business-day or 7-calendar-day rule and write the actual date. Making the deadline explicit is what keeps it from slipping.
- Action taken: describe the fix, not just "done." Photos of the completed repair are worth attaching to the inspection file.
- Completed / signed: the person responsible signs and dates. Unsigned log entries read as unresolved in an audit.
Why this log matters more than it looks
EPA's homebuilder enforcement settlements put a price on documentation failures: the Toll Brothers consent decree set stipulated penalties of $2,500 per site for failing to perform or failing to document required work. A finding on an inspection report with no corresponding corrective action entry is exactly the kind of gap those penalties target. See SWPPP fines and enforcement for the full picture.
RainCheck automates the trail: every failed check on a mobile inspection automatically opens a corrective action with the permit's deadline attached, tracks it to resolution with photo proof, and keeps the identification and completion timestamps in a signed, immutable record.
Common questions
How quickly must a corrective action be completed under the EPA CGP?
Immediately take all reasonable steps to address the condition; complete simple fixes by close of the next business day; and complete fixes requiring a new or replacement control or significant repair within 7 calendar days. If 7 days is infeasible, the permit requires you to document why and set a schedule.
When do corrective actions have to be documented?
Twice, each within 24 hours: once when the condition is identified, and again when the corrective action is completed. Each entry must be signed, and the log retained for at least 3 years after permit coverage ends.
What's the difference between maintenance and a corrective action?
Maintenance keeps a functioning control working (routine sediment cleanout, minor stake resetting). A corrective action responds to a control that has failed, was never installed, was installed wrong, or to a prohibited discharge. Corrective actions carry the formal deadlines and logging requirements; maintenance is handled under the permit's general upkeep obligations.
Does one failed silt fence really need all this paperwork?
Under the federal permit, yes: the identification is logged within 24 hours, the fix is completed within its deadline, and the completion is logged within 24 hours — each entry signed. That single failure generates three documented, time-stamped events. It's exactly the kind of trail that software handles trivially and clipboards handle badly.