Free operator toolkit
Free bounce house inspection checklist (printable pre-use sheet)
A pre-use inspection sheet you can copy or save as a PDF. It covers the shop check before you load, the site walk on arrival, anchoring, blower and power, the walk-around before the first rider, what to watch during the rental, and teardown. It records what you looked at and what you found. It does not certify that anything is safe.
This template is general information, not legal advice. What a document like this can and cannot do varies by state, so have a local attorney review your final version before you use it.
Updated August 2026
Bounce House Pre-Use Inspection Record
Fill in the header, work down the sheet, and note anything you find in Section 9. Tick a box only for something you actually looked at. Bracketed fields are blanks, and the numbers come from the manufacturer’s label for that unit, not from this sheet.
1. What this record is
Attorney review recommended
This sheet records what you looked at and what you found. It does not certify that a unit is safe, and filling it in is not an inspection by a qualified inspector. If anything on it gives you pause, stop and resolve it before the unit is used. The judgment is yours, and this sheet only records that you made it.
HAVE YOUR ATTORNEY OR INSURER CONFIRM WHAT THIS SHEET DOES NOT COVER. Some states, some venues, and some insurance policies require a formal inspection by a trained or licensed inspector on their own schedule, and require records to be kept for a set period. A self-completed record does not satisfy that requirement where it applies.
Unit: [name / ID]. Manufacturer: [make]. Serial or asset number: [number].
Date: [date]. Time started: [time].
Recorded by: [name]. Booking reference: [number]. Site: [address].
2. Shop check: before it goes on the truck
[ ] Unit is dry and was stored dry. Note any smell of mildew: [note].
[ ] Seams and stitching walked end to end; no separation, no pulled thread lines.
[ ] Fabric checked for tears, thin spots, and abrasion, including the slide surface and the landing area.
[ ] Previous repairs and patches still sound and still bonded at the edges.
[ ] Netting and mesh intact; no holes a child could get a limb through.
[ ] Every anchor point and D-ring present, sound, and stitched flat. Count them: [count] of [count on the label].
[ ] Zippers, deflation flaps, and tie-off straps present and working.
[ ] Blower housing, impeller, and inlet clear of debris.
[ ] Blower cord and any extension cords checked along their whole length for nicks, exposed conductor, bent or missing ground pin, and heat damage at the plug.
[ ] Stakes, sandbags, and straps counted and loaded: [count] stakes, [count] bags.
[ ] Written safety rules sign packed.
3. Site walk: before anything comes off the truck
[ ] Access path walked; gate or doorway measured at [__] inches, wide enough for this unit.
[ ] Setup area measured against the unit’s footprint plus the clearance the manufacturer specifies: [dimensions].
[ ] Surface identified: [grass · concrete · asphalt · indoor · other]. Anchoring method for that surface confirmed: [stakes · sandbags · other].
[ ] Ground cleared of rocks, sticks, glass, pet waste, and sprinkler heads.
[ ] Slope assessed. Note the grade and whether it is acceptable for this unit: [note].
[ ] Ground condition noted. Saturated, soft, or frozen ground will not hold a stake: [note].
[ ] Overhead checked for branches, wires, eaves, and basketball hoops.
[ ] Clearance kept from fences, walls, pools, fire pits, grills, and parked cars: [note distances].
[ ] Underground utilities considered before staking; call the local locate service where required.
[ ] Weather for the rental window checked and noted: [forecast, and where it came from].
4. Anchoring
[ ] Anchoring follows the manufacturer’s instructions for THIS unit, for count, placement, and angle: [count] anchors required, [count] installed.
[ ] On soft ground: stakes driven to the depth the manufacturer specifies, [__] inches, at the angle specified, fully seated, with no exposed hazard above grade.
[ ] On hard surfaces: ballast used at the weight the manufacturer specifies, [__] per anchor point, secured so it cannot shift.
[ ] Every anchor point on the unit is tied off, none skipped because it was awkward to reach.
[ ] Straps tensioned evenly; unit sits square and is not pulled out of shape.
[ ] Anchor hardware and stake tops covered or marked so nobody trips on them.
5. Blower and power
[ ] Blower on firm, level ground, clear of the walkway, with its inlet unobstructed.
[ ] Blower tube secured to the unit and tied off; deflation flaps closed.
[ ] Outlet is grounded, and protected by a GFCI where one is required or available.
[ ] One dedicated circuit per blower; no daisy-chained extension cords and no household power strips.
[ ] Cord run routed away from foot traffic and secured or covered where it crosses a path.
[ ] Cord length within the manufacturer’s stated limit for this blower. A long, thin cord starves a blower.
[ ] Generator, if used: sited outdoors, well clear of the unit and of any doorway, fueled, and stable.
[ ] Unit inflated fully and holds pressure; walls firm, no soft corner, no audible leak.
6. Walk-around before the first rider
[ ] Interior walked; no tool, stake, stone, or packaging left inside.
[ ] Entry step and landing area firm and clear.
[ ] Netting closed and secured; no gap at the entrance.
[ ] Slide, if fitted: surface intact, landing clear, water off unless the unit is rated wet.
[ ] Safety rules sign posted where riders and supervising adults will actually read it.
[ ] Rider limit and weight limit from the manufacturer’s label written on the sign: [riders] riders, [weight].
[ ] Rules walked through with the responsible adult, and their name recorded: [name].
[ ] Emergency shutdown explained: what to do if the blower stops or the power goes out.
[ ] Operator contact number given to the responsible adult: [phone].
7. During the rental: what to watch and when to stop
Give this section to whoever is supervising, or keep it if your attendant stays on site.
[ ] Wind watched through the rental. Stop use and deflate at the manufacturer’s stated maximum operating wind speed for this unit. Many manufacturers commonly cite a limit in the range of roughly 15 to 25 mph, but the figure that governs is the one on YOUR unit’s label: [limit].
[ ] Stop use immediately for lightning, storms, or heavy rain. Do not wait for the wind.
[ ] Blower running continuously; anyone exits at once if it stops or the unit starts to soften.
[ ] Rider count and size sorting held to the posted limits.
[ ] Anchors and straps re-checked periodically, and after any gust: [times checked].
[ ] Any incident, near miss, or first aid recorded in Section 9 while it is fresh, not from memory that evening.
8. Teardown
[ ] Unit empty and confirmed empty before the blower is switched off.
[ ] Interior swept; any damage, stain, or wear found during the rental noted in Section 9.
[ ] Unit cleaned and disinfected per your process before it is rolled: [process used].
[ ] Unit dry before it is folded, or flagged to be opened and dried at the shop: [dry · needs drying].
[ ] Every stake, bag, strap, and cord recovered. Count them back: [count] stakes, [count] bags.
[ ] Site left as found; stake holes closed.
[ ] Photos taken of the unit at teardown: [count].
Time finished: [time].
9. Findings, and what you did about them
Write down what you found even when you fixed it on the spot. A finding with a resolution beside it is a record; a finding nobody wrote down is the one that repeats.
Finding: [what you saw]. Where: [unit / site]. Action taken: [what you did]. Unit used after? [yes · no]. Initials: [__]
Finding: [what you saw]. Where: [unit / site]. Action taken: [what you did]. Unit used after? [yes · no]. Initials: [__]
Finding: [what you saw]. Where: [unit / site]. Action taken: [what you did]. Unit used after? [yes · no]. Initials: [__]
Taken out of service: [unit] on [date], for [reason]. Returned to service on [date] by [name], after [what was done].
10. Recorded by
I completed the items ticked above and recorded what I found. This record does not certify that any unit is safe, and it is not an inspection by a qualified inspector.
Name (print): ______________________
Signature: ______________________ Date: __________ Time: __________
How to use this template
A pre-use checklist is the cheapest safety habit in this business and the easiest one to let slide on a five-delivery Saturday. It is worth doing properly, and it is worth being precise about what it is: a record of what you looked at, not a certificate that anything is safe. Here is how to use this sheet.
What this sheet is, and what it is not
This is a record. You walked the seams, you counted the stakes, you measured the gate, you noted that the back corner of the yard sloped. The value of writing it down is that six months later you can show what you did and what you found, instead of remembering.
It is not a certificate. Ticking every box does not make a unit safe, and it does not make you a qualified inspector. Some states and many venues require an inspection by someone licensed or trained to do it, which is a different thing entirely and is not what this page is. If something on the sheet gives you pause, the sheet does not decide anything: you do. Stop, resolve it, and write down what you resolved.
The numbers come from the label, not from a checklist
You will notice this sheet does not tell you how many stakes to use, how deep to drive them, how many riders a unit takes, or the wind speed at which to shut down. Those are all blanks, and they are blanks on purpose: they are different for every unit, and a checklist that guesses them is worse than one that asks.
Fill them in from the manufacturer’s label and manual for each unit, once, and keep a filled copy per unit. Wind is the one to be most careful with. Manufacturers commonly cite an operating maximum somewhere in the range of roughly 15 to 25 mph, but the only number that matters is the one printed for the unit in front of you. Write that number on the sheet before you need it, because nobody looks up a manual in a rising wind.
Split it across the day the way the work actually splits
The sheet is in the order the day happens: shop, site walk, anchoring, power, the walk-around before the first rider, the rental itself, teardown. That order is deliberate: the site walk sits before anything comes off the truck, because the point of a site walk is to find the problem while turning around is still cheap.
The section during the rental is the one to hand over. If you leave the unit with the customer, give them that page along with the rules sign; if you staff the event, your attendant keeps it. Either way somebody is watching the wind, and it should be clear before you drive away who that is.
Write findings down even when you fixed them
Section 9 is the part operators skip, and it is the part that pays. A seam you re-glued in March and a soft corner you noticed in June are two data points about one unit; written down they tell you the unit is aging, and unwritten they are two forgotten afternoons.
Record the finding, what you did, and whether the unit went into service afterward. When a unit comes out of service, write the date, the reason, and what had to happen before it went back. That short line is the difference between a retirement decision made on evidence and one made on a feeling.
Photograph the setup, and keep the photo with the sheet
A completed sheet and a photo of the anchored unit taken at the same moment are far stronger together than either alone. The sheet says what you checked; the photo shows the stakes in the ground, the clearance from the fence, and the sign on the netting.
Take the same few shots every time: the whole unit from a corner, one anchor point close up, the blower and cord run, and the posted rules. File them with that booking rather than in a camera roll. A consistent set is searchable; an inconsistent one is a shoebox.
Make it the same sheet every time
A checklist works because it is boring and identical. The moment there are three versions in circulation, two crews are doing different jobs and neither knows it. Print one, use it until you learn something, then change it once for everybody.
That habit is what BounceDay is built around on the safety side: your checklists are your own templates, the app records that you completed them and stamps the photos to the booking, and the standards in them stay yours. We record completion; we never certify safety, and we never make a safety claim on your behalf. Whether you run this on paper or in an app, the record is only worth what your consistency makes it worth.
Keep your paperwork in one signed place
On Solo and up, BounceDay builds your own contract, waiver and weather policy into one document your customer e-signs, then takes the deposit at signature by card or bank transfer, or on your own payment links. Your templates stay yours. Adapt them, send them, and keep every signed copy on the booking it belongs to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this bounce house inspection checklist free to use?
Yes. The full checklist is on this page and you can copy it or open a printable version to save as a PDF. No email required. Fill in the bracketed numbers from each unit’s manufacturer label before you use it.
Does completing this checklist certify that a unit is safe?
No, and it is written so it cannot be read that way. The sheet records what you looked at and what you found. It is not an inspection by a qualified inspector, and it makes no finding about whether a unit is safe to use. That judgment is the operator’s, on the day, with the unit in front of them.
How often should a bounce house be inspected?
The habit most operators settle on is a walk-over before every setup and a longer look in the shop between rentals, plus a full check at the start and end of the season. Manufacturers publish their own intervals for the unit and the blower, and some venues and jurisdictions require a formal inspection by a trained or licensed inspector on their own schedule, so check what applies where you operate.
What wind speed should I shut down at?
The number on your unit’s label. Manufacturers commonly cite an operating maximum somewhere in the range of roughly 15 to 25 mph, but it varies by unit and the manufacturer’s figure is the one that governs. Write it on the sheet before the event, and shut down immediately for lightning or storms regardless of the wind.