A Phase 1 environmental site assessment is the due-diligence study done before a commercial property is bought, lent against or developed, to find out whether past or present use may have contaminated it. The site visit — the reconnaissance — is the part where someone walks the property and looks: at tanks and fill pipes, drums and stains, drains and sumps, wells, transformers, dead patches of grass, and what the neighbors do. This is the field checklist for that walk. It is not the Phase 1 report: the formal report, with the records review, the conclusions and the professional's declaration, is prepared by an environmental professional. What this form does is make sure the walk misses nothing and every observation arrives with its location and a photo. You can fill it in here and download a finished PDF without creating an account.
Where the site visit fits in a Phase 1
In the US, Phase 1 assessments are usually carried out to ASTM E1527-21, the industry practice used to meet the federal All Appropriate Inquiries rule. It has four working parts: a review of records (government databases, historical maps, aerial photos, directories), the site reconnaissance, interviews with owners, occupants and local officials, and the report that pulls them together. The site visit is the only part that cannot be done from a desk.
The reconnaissance is often done by a field scientist or technician working for the environmental professional, who then writes the report and signs the declaration. This checklist is built for that handover: it records what was seen, where, and what the person on the ground thought it might mean — and leaves the final call to the professional.
What to look for, and what counts
The goal is to find recognized environmental conditions, or RECs: signs that hazardous substances or petroleum products are, or may have been, released on the property. Some signs are obvious — a leaking drum, an oily sheen on a puddle. Most are not: a vent pipe against a wall with no tank in sight, a floor drain in an old auto shop that runs to who knows where, a rectangle of patched asphalt, a patch of ground where nothing grows.
Every question on this form that points to a possible REC is flagged, so it reaches the summary at the top of the report. The last section lists each condition you noted with a suspected classification — possible REC, controlled REC, historical REC, or likely de minimis — and the follow-up you would suggest. Those are field observations; the environmental professional decides what goes in the report as a finding.
Tanks, drums and drains: one entry each
Storage tanks, drains and transformers are lists on this form, because properties rarely have just one. For each tank, record where it is, whether it is above or below ground, what it holds, how big it is, whether it is still in use and what condition it is in. A fill port or vent pipe with no visible tank gets its own entry as a suspected underground tank — that is how most forgotten tanks are found.
For drains and sumps, the question that matters is where they go. A floor drain to the sanitary sewer is ordinary; one to a dry well, a septic system or nowhere anyone can tell you is a possible pathway into the ground, and the form flags it.
The neighbors, the interviews, and what you could not see
Contamination does not stop at the property line. Walk or drive the boundary and note what each adjoining property is used for — a gas station, dry cleaner, plating shop or old landfill next door is worth recording even if this property looks clean.
Talk to the people who know the site: the owner, the key site manager, long-standing tenants. Ask about tanks, spills, past uses, earlier environmental reports and any notices from regulators, and write down who said what. Then record the limits of the visit honestly — locked rooms, snow cover, a tenant who would not allow access, heavy vegetation. An area not seen is a data gap the report has to address, so the form flags it.
Speak while you walk, and the document writes itself: describe the fill pipe by the loading dock as you photograph it, and it lands as a tank entry with its location.
Common questions
Is this a Phase 1 environmental site assessment report?
No. This is the field checklist for the site reconnaissance — one of the four parts of a Phase 1. The formal report, including the records review, conclusions and the environmental professional's declaration, is prepared and signed by an environmental professional. This form records what the site visit found so that report can be written.
Who can perform a Phase 1 environmental site assessment?
In the US the assessment must be overseen by an environmental professional, as defined by the All Appropriate Inquiries rule — a person with a specific mix of education, licensing and experience. The site visit itself is often done by a trained member of their team working under their direction.
What is a recognized environmental condition (REC)?
The presence or likely presence of hazardous substances or petroleum products on a property because of a release, a likely release, or conditions that pose a material threat of one. A controlled REC is a past release addressed to a regulator's satisfaction but with controls still in place; a historical REC is a past release that was resolved without controls. Minor conditions that would not warrant action are de minimis.
How long is a Phase 1 good for?
Under ASTM E1527-21 a Phase 1 is generally viable for one year, but several parts — including the site visit and the interviews — must have been done within 180 days before the date the property is acquired, or updated.
What is the difference between a Phase 1 and a Phase 2?
A Phase 1 looks, reads and asks; it involves no sampling. If it identifies RECs, a Phase 2 may follow, collecting soil, groundwater, soil gas or building material samples to find out whether contamination is actually present and how much.
Does a Phase 1 cover asbestos, radon, lead paint or mold?
Not as part of the standard scope. They are often added on request as non-scope items. This checklist has a place to note any you noticed, so the environmental professional can decide whether to mention them.