What is a pipeline leak survey?

A leak survey is a planned check of a pipeline segment for gas leaks, usually with leak detector equipment. Operators survey on a set schedule and record the result, including surveys that find no leaks.

How often are gas pipeline leak surveys required?

Under 49 CFR 192.706, transmission lines are surveyed at intervals not exceeding 15 months, at least once each calendar year. Lines carrying unodorized gas need surveys with leak detector equipment at least twice a year in Class 3 locations and four times a year in Class 4. Under 192.723, distribution systems are surveyed at least once each calendar year in business districts and at least once every 5 calendar years outside them. States can require more.

How long do you keep leak survey records?

For gas transmission lines, 49 CFR 192.709 requires survey records to be kept for at least 5 years or until the next survey is completed, whichever is longer. Check your state rules and procedures for distribution systems and other pipe.

Can the leak survey form work without cell signal?

Yes. In BasinCheck the surveyor fills out the form on a phone or tablet without signal. The survey syncs when the device is back in coverage, and any failed items become corrective actions.

Does this form replace our leak grading procedure?

No. The form records the grade your procedures assign and the due date that grade carries. Your company sets the grades and the repair timelines.

Field Checklist Template

Pipeline Leak Survey Form That Works Offline

Most leak surveys happen where the phone has no bars. This form saves on the phone anyway, records which segment you walked and with what instrument, and keeps every leak you find tied to its repair.

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Segment: line ID, start and end points, class location
Instrument: detector type, serial number, calibration date
Survey: method, conditions, areas you could not reach

Works offline in the field Audit-ready records

Pipeline Leak Survey

Synced

Segment, class location and surveyor recordedPass

Leak detector checked and serial number loggedPass

Valves, risers and above-ground pipingPass

Manholes, vaults and pavement cracks along the routePass

Road and creek crossingsPass

5 of 5 checks passedready to submit

Field status

Saved offline · syncs on reconnect

Interactive checklist

Work through the field-ready essentials

0 of 9 checked

Field workflow

How to use this form

Set it up per system

Add your segments and your leak grades to the template, so every surveyor records them the same way.

Survey the segment

Record the instrument before you start. The form saves on the phone without signal and syncs when you are back in coverage.

Log every leak on the spot

Mark each leak as a failed item with its reading, grade and photo. A hazardous leak still gets handled under your emergency procedures first.

Close each leak out

Every failed item becomes a corrective action with an owner and a due date. The repair, the recheck and the closeout stay with the survey.

Built for the job

What to include in a pipeline leak survey form

A leak survey record has to answer the same questions years later: which pipe, when, how it was checked, and what happened to each leak.

Segment and surveyor

Line or system ID, the start and end of the segment walked, class location or business district, surveyor name, and the date of the survey.

Instrument and method

Leak detector type and serial number, last calibration or bump test, and the method used, such as walking, mobile or a check at manholes and pavement cracks.

Conditions and coverage

Weather and ground conditions that affect readings, and any part of the segment you could not survey, with the reason.

Each leak found

Location or GPS point, reading, the leak grade your procedures use, a photo, and whether you made the area safe before leaving.

Repair record

Who owns the repair, the due date your procedures set for that grade, the date it was repaired, and any recheck after the repair.

Clean surveys too

A survey that found no leaks still gets a record with a date and a name. Without it, nothing shows the survey happened on time.

Compliance & proof

This form is a starting point

Federal rules for gas pipelines set minimum leak survey intervals in 49 CFR Part 192. Transmission lines are surveyed at intervals not exceeding 15 months, at least once each calendar year, with shorter intervals in Class 3 and 4 locations for lines carrying unodorized gas (192.706). Distribution systems are surveyed with leak detector equipment at least once each calendar year in business districts and at least once every 5 calendar years outside them (192.723). Hazardous leaks must be repaired promptly (192.703). State programs and your own procedures can require more.

It does not replace your operations and maintenance procedures or the rule text. Survey intervals, leak grading and repair deadlines depend on your system, your state and your procedures.

One record per segment surveyed, with date, surveyor and instrument
Each leak located, graded and photographed, with repair dates through to closeout
Surveys with no findings kept alongside the ones with leaks

Questions from the field

Pipeline leak survey form FAQ

When binders stop scaling

Run this survey on a phone

BasinCheck saves each leak survey with the surveyor, time and location, works without signal, and turns every leak into a corrective action with an owner and a due date.

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In BasinCheck

Inspection and JSA connected

Failed item assigned and tracked

Evidence retained for review

Pipeline Inspection Software AVO Inspection Checklist Offline Safety App Corrective Action Tracking