Tower climbing and inspection contractors
Tower inspection checklist, deficiencies and repairs, one record per tower
TowerPunch is a tower inspection checklist and deficiency tracker for small climbing crews that follows every item found on a tower until a climber fixes it and a crew lead signs it off, and shows the tower owner where each one stands.
Page 14, paragraph 6
The report goes out, and the open items go quiet
Inspections find the work. The trouble starts after: the findings sit in the narrative of a PDF, the repair happens weeks later with a different crew, and the tower owner keeps emailing to ask what is still open.
6.3 The structure was observed to be in generally fair condition consistent with its age. Coating loss was noted on the north face between 180 and 220 ft with light surface rust.
One (1) bolt was found missing at the leg B diagonal connection at approximately 140 ft and should be replaced. Guy tensions at the 100 ft level were within tolerance. The safety climb was inspected and found serviceable.
Missing bolt, leg B diagonal
Bolts and hardware · 140 ft · Site 4471
Found Oct 2 on the periodic condition inspection. Approved by the tower owner Oct 4. On Dani's list for the Oct 18 climb.
TIA-222 Annex J order
A tower inspection checklist your crew lead fills on site
Eleven condition items on every inspection, from the foundation to the lighting. Mark each one OK, deficient or N/A and add a note with the elevation and leg. Anything deficient becomes a deficiency with its own photo, priority and status, so it can be assigned and closed on its own.
- Cell tower inspection checklist or broadcast mast: the same list fits self-supporting, guyed, monopole, rooftop and water tank sites; guy items default to N/A when there are no guys.
- Plumb and tension, post-storm, lighting, closeout: pick the inspection type so the history shows why the crew climbed.
- The tower inspection report: print the checklist, condition, summary and every deficiency with photos, or attach your signed PDF.
Sample checklist
Site 4471 · 300 ft guyed mast
- Structural members: legs, bracing, weldsOK
- Bolts and hardware: missing, loose or damagedDeficient
- Corrosion, coating and paintOK
- Guy wires, tension and anchors (guyed towers)Deficient
- Foundations and anchor boltsOK
- Grounding and lightning protectionOK
- Obstruction lighting and markingOK
- Antenna mounts and appurtenancesOK
- Transmission lines, cables and ice bridgeOK
- Climbing facility and safety climbOK
- Site compound, fence, gate and signageOK
A made-up site, for illustration.
Per crew, per month
Three plans, set by who climbs and who watches
Try it free for 14 days, no card. The checklist, deficiency tracking, photos, printed reports and CSV export come with each plan; yearly billing costs ten months.
For crews that send climbers back to fix things
Crew
$79 a month · $790 a year
- Up to 750 towers
- 5 crew leads
- 25 climbers, each with their own list
- 25 GB of photos and reports
Solo
$39/mo
The owner plus 2 crew leads, up to 150 towers and 5 GB. Crew leads log repairs themselves. $390 a year.
Firm
$149/mo
Unlimited towers, crew leads and climbers, 100 GB, and logins for the people at your clients to see their own towers and approve repairs. $1,490 a year.
Deficiency tracking
Found at 140 ft in October, closed out by November
- 1
Open
Found on the October condition inspection: missing bolt on leg B diagonal, 140 ft, photo attached. Priority high.
- 2
Approved by owner
The tower company's contact signs in, sees the photo and approves the repair. No email chain.
- 3
Assigned
The crew lead puts it on a climber's list, next to the gate code and the access notes for the site.
- 4
Repaired
The climber replaces the bolt, notes the part and the hours, and uploads the after photo from the ground.
- 5
Verified
The crew lead checks the photo and closes it. The tower history now shows found, fixed and verified.
Per-tower history
Climb a tower again in 2029 knowing what 2026 found
Every inspection, deficiency and repair for a tower on one page, with the FCC ASR number, coordinates, gate code and landowner notes for the next crew. Print the tower history for the owner's file.
Re-inspection due dates
Missed re-inspections are missed revenue
Change either for your company, or set a shorter interval on a coastal tower. The dashboard lists every tower coming due in the next 90 days, so you can quote the work before the owner asks.
Who signs in
The climber sees their list. The tower owner sees their towers.
Owner
Every tower, client and item; approves inspections; team, billing and deleting records
All plans
Crew lead
Their assigned towers: runs the checklist, logs deficiencies, assigns and verifies repairs
All plans
Climber
Only the items assigned to them and those towers' access notes; logs repairs with after photos
Crew and Firm
Tower owner contact
Their own company's towers, approved inspections, open items and repair photos; approves items for repair
Firm
From tower contractors
Tower inspection questions we get asked
- 1
What goes on a cell tower inspection checklist?
A condition inspection walks the structure from the foundation to the top: structural members and welds, bolts and hardware, corrosion and coating, guy wires, tension and anchors on guyed towers, foundations and anchor bolts, grounding, obstruction lighting and marking, antenna mounts, transmission lines and the ice bridge, the climbing facility and safety climb, and the compound, fence and signage. TowerPunch puts those eleven items on every inspection, each marked OK, deficient or N/A with a note.
- 2
How often should a tower be inspected?
TIA-222 Annex J suggests a condition inspection at least every 3 years for guyed masts and every 5 years for self-supporting towers, and sooner after a severe storm, in coastal or corrosive areas, or for critical structures. Set your own default per structure type, or an interval on a single tower, and TowerPunch moves the next due date when a periodic inspection is submitted.
- 3
What should a tower inspection report include?
The tower and its owner's site ID, the date and crew, the checklist results, the overall condition, every deficiency with its location on the tower, priority and photo, and a summary. TowerPunch prints that as one page per inspection, and you can attach your signed PDF so the official report and the open items sit together.
- 4
Is this a tower inspection form we fill out on paper first?
It doesn't have to be. Crew leads fill the checklist on a phone or tablet at the site; the form keeps what you typed until you tap save, so with no signal at the base of the tower, finish it from the truck once you have one. The printed form is there for the tower owner's file.
- 5
Can tower owners see their own towers?
On the Firm plan, invite people at your client. They see only that company's towers, the inspections you've approved, the open items and the repair photos, and they can approve an item for repair. They never see another client or your draft reports.
- 6
Do we have to replace our engineering or drone software?
No. TowerPunch is the contractor's own record of what was found and what was fixed. Structural analysis, mapping and drone photogrammetry stay where they are; attach their output to an inspection as the signed report.
Before the next climb, set up the towers you're due on
Add a client, import your tower list from Excel, and fill the checklist on site.
Start your free trialUpdated October 11, 2026