A CCTV maintenance checklist is the record of a preventive service visit on a camera system that is already installed: each camera looked at, cleaned and judged on its picture, the recorder proved to be recording and keeping footage as long as it should, and the faults that could not be fixed on the day written down for the client. This one gives every camera its own line, asks for retention in days rather than a tick, and scores the visit. Fill it in here and download the PDF without an account, or speak while you walk from camera to camera, and the document writes itself.
Why systems fail quietly
A CCTV system almost never fails all at once. A camera gets nudged by a ladder and now watches a wall. A spider builds a web across a dome and every night picture is a blur. A hard drive starts throwing errors and the recorder silently drops from thirty days of footage to six. Nobody notices until there is an incident, someone asks for the footage, and it is not there.
Preventive maintenance is how those quiet failures get found while they are still cheap. Most sites schedule a visit every three, six or twelve months depending on how exposed the cameras are and how much depends on the footage.
One line per camera
The cameras section is a list, and each camera gets its own entry: the number or channel it shows on the recorder, where it is, what kind of camera it is, and the same set of checks. That way the report can say "camera 7, rear loading dock — night picture unusable" instead of "some cameras need attention".
Take a snapshot of each view after cleaning and adjusting. Next visit, compare it against today's. A tree that has grown into the frame, a stack of pallets in front of a door, a sign put up across a parking lot — all obvious side by side, all easy to miss on a live screen.
Prove the recorder, do not assume it
The recorder is where footage is lost. This form asks for two numbers: how many days of footage the site needs to keep, and how far back the oldest footage on the recorder actually goes today. If the second is shorter, something has changed — a drive has failed, a camera was switched to a higher resolution, motion recording was turned off.
It also asks for a test export played on a different computer, because a clip that cannot be handed to someone else is not much use after an incident. Check the clock while you are there: footage with the wrong time on it is harder to rely on.
Signage, privacy and passwords
Camera systems carry obligations as well as hardware. Signs that tell people cameras are in use, masks over the parts of a view that take in a neighbor's window or a restroom door, audio recording left off unless it is lawful where the site is — these drift out of place as cameras are moved and replaced, and a maintenance visit is the natural time to check them.
So are passwords. A recorder still on its factory login, or a former employee's account still active, is a security fault in a security system. This form records that defaults are gone; it never asks for a password.
Faults the client can act on
Anything put right during the visit is marked Corrected on visit, which counts as passing and leaves a record of what was done. Anything that could not be fixed — a failed camera, a drive that needs replacing, a cable that needs a new run — goes in the faults list with a priority and the next step, so the client knows what to approve and how urgent it is.
Common questions
How often should CCTV be maintained?
Commonly every six months for an ordinary site, every three months for busy, exposed or high-security sites, and at least once a year for anything else. Check your insurer's conditions and any monitoring contract — they sometimes set the interval.
What is checked on a CCTV maintenance visit?
Each camera's view, focus, lens, housing and night picture; the recorder's recording, retention, drives, clock, exports, firmware and logins; power supplies and any UPS; cabling and network connections; the viewing monitor; signage; and privacy masks.
How long should CCTV footage be kept?
There is no single US rule. Many businesses keep 30 days; some industries, insurers or local regulations ask for longer, and some sites keep less. Decide the figure with the client, write it in the recorder section, and check the system actually holds that much.
Does this replace the installation handover?
No. A handover records that a new system was built as agreed and handed to the client. This form is for every visit after that, on a system that is already in service.
Should I record the recorder password on the form?
No. The form records that default passwords were changed and that old accounts were removed, not the passwords themselves. Hand credentials over through whatever secure route your company uses.