How do you prove maintenance or a job was done on a given date?

General information, not legal advice.

The short answer

We found no general federal rule that says how to prove that maintenance or a job was done on a given date. Our reading of the official rules on 2026-10-08 found no federal records rule for completed service work, site visits, equipment problems, property damage or service requests.

So the proof is up to you. It rests on three things:

• Photos taken on the day, saved into a record that day.
• A sign-off by someone other than the worker: a manager or the customer.
• Records nobody can quietly change afterwards.

Where a federal rule does apply

What the rule says

A few kinds of work have their own rules. These are the ones we read.

• Trucks (DOT, 49 CFR 396.3). Record the vehicle's identification, a schedule of inspections and maintenance, and each repair with its date and nature. Keep for 1 year, plus 6 months after the vehicle leaves the carrier.
• Forklifts (OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.178(q)). Examine each forklift before use and at least daily, or after each shift if it runs around the clock. The rule states no retention period.
• Lockout/tagout (OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.147). Inspect each energy-control procedure at least once a year and certify it: machine, date, employees and inspector. The certification is kept; the text read states no number of years.
• Oil storage (EPA SPCC, 40 CFR 112.7). Keep inspection and test records with the plan for 3 years.

FDA's rule for food plants (21 CFR 117.305) asks that records be accurate, indelible and legible, made at the time of the activity, with the date and time and an initial or signature. It applies to food plants only.

Outside these, we found no federal rule for general job records. A contract, lease, insurer, or state or local code may ask for more. We did not research those.

Good habits (ours, not a rule)

Record it on the day

• Take a before and an after photo from the same spot and angle, with a unit number, equipment tag or meter reading in the frame.
• Do not rely on the date inside the photo file; it can be edited. Save the photo into a record the same day, so the record's own time stands behind it.
• One record per job: where, what was done, who did it, date and time, parts used, anything still open.
• Borrow the food-plant standard above as a model, even if it does not apply to you: made at the time, dated and timed, initialled or signed.

Get a sign-off

• Have someone other than the worker confirm the job: a manager who checked it, or the customer or tenant.
• The sign-off should name the person and the date. A "looks good" in a text thread is hard to find later. If the customer disagrees, record that too.

Keep records nobody can quietly change

• Never edit an old record. If something was wrong, add a new, dated record that corrects it.
• Keep the original photos and files, not only screenshots.
• Put repeat work on a schedule and track whether each visit was on time.

How long to keep job records

We found no federal rule that sets a period for general job records. Our suggestion, not a rule: keep them at least as long as any warranty, contract, lease or insurance claim they could matter to.

Checklist

• Rule (trucks): record each repair with its date and nature
• Rule (forklifts): examine each forklift before use and at least daily
• Rule (lockout/tagout): inspect each procedure at least yearly and certify it
• Rule (SPCC plan): keep inspection and test records with the plan for 3 years
• Habit: before and after photos, with a unit number or tag in view, saved into a record the same day
• Habit: one record per job, written at the time
• Habit: a sign-off by a manager or the customer, with name and date
• Habit: correct with a new, dated record, never by changing the old one
• Habit: keep job records as long as any warranty, contract or claim they could matter to

How Cibotti helps

Cibotti does not decide whether you meet a rule. It helps you keep these records and prove, later, what they said on the day they were saved.

• Sealed when saved. Each entry, with its photo or file, gets a fingerprint and is chained to the entry before it. Every 10 minutes the newest fingerprint is sent for a Bitcoin timestamp, which Bitcoin confirms some hours later. Once an entry is covered, any change to it shows when the chain is checked. There is no edit button: a correction is a new entry.
• Projects with proof and sign-off. A task can require photos before it can be marked done, and a manager's sign-off. Nobody can verify their own work.
• The customer confirms. Send an entry to a customer or tenant by a one-time link. They confirm or dispute it without an account, and the answer is added to the ledger.
• Routines for repeat work. Every so many days, weeks or months, or every weekday, with on-time tracking and email reminders to the assignee (once they confirm an address). The Lens and the printable Bird's-Eye Summary show what was kept on time.
• Quick on site, ready to show. Speak instead of typing. Filter All entries, export to CSV or JSON, or print a report. The Oversight box says what federal rules say about a record type, or that none was found.

Sources

The rule details in this guide come from the official text, read on 2026-10-08. Each link opens the current official text in a new tab; check it there before you rely on a detail.

• 49 CFR 396.3 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): truck inspection, repair and maintenance records.
• 29 CFR 1910.178 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): forklifts; paragraph (q), daily examination.
• 29 CFR 1910.147 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): lockout/tagout.
• 40 CFR 112.7 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): SPCC inspection and test records.
• 21 CFR 117.305 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): food plant records.

Try it

Open the live demo at https://cibotti.app ("Open the live demo"). Log a finished job with a sample photo, then look for a way to change it. There is none; a correction is a new entry. If you save anything there, use made-up details: the demo company is shared, and entries in it are permanent.

John, Cibotti