Updated May 2026 · 9 min read · Underground Utilities
Bottom Line Up Front
Most construction apps treat sewer documentation like any other field notes — photos and daily reports. Sewer contractors need more: MH-to-MH as-built format, invert elevation logging, pipe grade verification, and city-accepted PDF output. Only purpose-built field verification platforms cover all four. Sitemark is the only documentation software built specifically for sewer grade verification.
General construction documentation apps are designed for GCs who need to know that work happened. Sewer contractors need to prove that the work was done correctly — to a precise standard that the city engineer or inspecting agency will accept as a permanent record.
That requires four things most apps don't have:
MH-to-MH as-built format
The city doesn't want a spreadsheet. They want a specific document format showing each pipe run with the upstream and downstream manhole IDs, invert elevations, pipe slope, material, and diameter. Generic documentation apps don't produce this.
Invert elevation logging
Invert elevation is the elevation at the bottom of the pipe inside the manhole. It must be logged at every manhole — both the incoming and outgoing pipe — and referenced to the design benchmark. This is precision field measurement, not just a note.
Pipe grade verification
Grade must be verified before the trench is backfilled. Real-time pass/fail against the design grade spec prevents the nightmare scenario: discovering a grade failure when the inspector checks the as-built after backfill.
City-accepted PDF output
The as-built must be in a format the city engineer will stamp and accept. This typically means specific field labels, benchmark reference, contractor certification, and a PE stamp block. Format matters as much as data.
Fieldwire is excellent for GCs managing drawings, tasks, and inspection workflows. For a sewer crew, it lets you document that work happened — photos, daily logs, punch lists. It does not support invert elevation logging, MH-to-MH grade calculation, or as-built generation from field data. If your GC requires Fieldwire, you'll still need a separate tool for actual grade verification.
Verdict: Good for coordination, not for sewer grade verification.
Raken digitizes daily reports and photo documentation. It's faster than paper daily reports and the mobile app is clean. For a sewer contractor, it documents the crew was there and photos of the trench — but nothing about whether the grade was right. No invert elevation logging, no MH-to-MH as-built, no pipe grade verification.
Verdict: Useful as a daily log supplement, not as sewer documentation software.
Most sewer contractors use a spreadsheet template they built themselves or got from the city. It works — eventually — but requires manual data transfer from field notes, takes 2–3 hours per run to produce a clean PDF, and has no real-time verification. A transcription error or formula mistake won't be caught until the inspector rejects the submittal.
Verdict: Gets the job done but costs 2+ hours per run and has no real-time verification.
Sitemark is the only documentation platform built specifically for sewer grade verification. The MH-to-MH workflow guides you through each station — log invert elevations, calculate grade in real time, flag deviations before backfill, and generate the city-format as-built PDF in one tap. The pipe grade calculator, manhole invert logger, and sewer velocity calculator are built in. Calibration tracking keeps your pipe laser records current for inspector requirements.
Verdict: The only tool built for sewer grade verification from the field.
The most expensive sewer documentation failure is discovering a grade problem after backfill. Digging up an accepted trench to regraded pipe is a $15,000–50,000+ mistake depending on depth, material, and location. The only way to prevent it is real-time grade verification while the pipe is still accessible.
Spreadsheet documentation doesn't catch this — you don't know there's a problem until you're back in the office computing the numbers. Sitemark flags deviations in real time, while the pipe is still in the trench and before the inspector closes out the run.
Every Sitemark account includes access to 40+ free field calculators. The most-used by sewer contractors:
Pipe lasers and grade equipment
Spectra, Topcon, and Laserline pipe lasers for sewer installation.
Shop pipe lasers at Express Tools →MH-to-MH as-built format, invert elevation logging, real-time pipe grade verification, and city-accepted PDF output — from the field, in minutes.
Start Free Trial →No credit card required. Plans from $29/mo.