Footing Placement

Reviewed by a working tradesman with 17+ years in the field.

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The footing is the first concrete poured and the one every other part depends on. Place it evenly, keep the steel where it was set, and leave the surface level and clean.

I am a:

Tap your level and the boxes below open to the advice for you. Remembered on this device.

What it isPlacing, consolidating and protecting the footing concrete.

Your jobPlace evenly, keep steel and dowels where they were set, and finish level.

The hard ruleNever pour on frozen, flooded or disturbed ground, or before the inspection is passed.

The checkElevation at several points, dowels plumb and in place, no voids.

By the end you can

Run the footing checks that sit on top of the delivery checklist.
Place and consolidate a footing without moving the steel.
Screed to level and check dowels before the concrete sets.
Protect the footing from cold, heat and loads while it gains strength.

Stop and read

Never enter an excavation 1.2 m (4 ft) or deeper unless it has been sloped, shored or boxed by a qualified person. Place from the edge or from the form tops whenever you can. Wet concrete burns skin, so wear gloves, long sleeves, tall waterproof boots and eye protection. Keep clear of the truck, chute and pump hose.

The big idea

The footing is the first concrete poured, and everything else sits on it. Place it evenly, keep the steel where it was set, and leave the surface level and clean. A footing needs to be level and correct, not pretty. Fixing one after it sets means chipping concrete.

Before you pour

Run the checklist on the Concrete Delivery & Preparation page, plus these footing checks.

Width, depth and elevation match the drawings.
Rebar, where required, is on supports with cover, and dowels are positioned.
The bottom is undisturbed or compacted granular fill, level and free of organic material (Part 9: 9.15.3.2 and 9.12.1.1).
No standing water (9.12.1.2) and nothing frozen (9.12.1.3). Never pour into mud, onto ice or onto frozen ground, because it thaws and settles.
The required inspection is done and recorded.

Placing

Start at the far end and work back toward the truck, or as the drawings direct.
Place in even lifts. Do not dump in one spot and rake it along the form.
Use shovels and rakes to move concrete, not the vibrator.
Keep the rebar on its supports. Do not walk on it.
Tap the forms lightly to release trapped air.

Example quantity. A strip footing 12 m (39 ft 4 in) long, 400 mm (15 3/4 in) wide and 200 mm (7 7/8 in) thick holds 12 × 0.4 × 0.2 = 0.96 m³ (1.26 yd³). The sizes are made up. Use the drawing, then add an allowance as on the Concrete Math page.

Consolidating

Use an internal vibrator for deep or wide footings, or rod by hand for small residential ones.
Insert the vibrator vertically and let its weight sink it to the bottom. Pull it out gradually with up-and-down motions so air can rise.
Keep insertions evenly spaced, no more than about 1.5 times the vibrator's radius of action. Example: if the head works out to 300 mm (12 in), spacing is no more than 450 mm (18 in). Take the radius from the manufacturer.
If you place in lifts, a trade article gives about 500 mm (20 in) as a maximum lift and about 150 mm (6 in) of penetration into the layer below. Follow the drawings and your engineer.
Do not use the vibrator to push concrete sideways.
Take care near dowels and anchor bolts so they do not shift.

Source note

The lift depth, penetration and spacing figures come from a trade article on using internal vibrators, not from a code. Treat them as practice and follow your engineer. Over-vibration is rare in practice, and under-vibration, which leaves voids, is the more common fault.

Screeding and finishing

Screed off the form tops to level.
Float lightly. The surface needs to be level, not smooth.
Check dowel height and plumb, and anchor bolt templates, before the concrete sets.
Check the elevation at several points before you leave.

Curing and protection

Keep the concrete from drying out and from freezing.
Protect the footing from loads and traffic until it has gained strength.
Do not strip forms until the concrete is strong enough. The engineer or the drawings decide, because Part 9 does not set a stripping time that I could find.

Cold weather

When the air is below 5°C (41°F), Part 9 requires the concrete to be kept between 10°C and 25°C (50°F and 77°F) while mixed and placed, and at no less than 10°C (50°F) for 72 hours after placing, with no frozen material or ice in the mix (9.3.1.9). Some BC municipalities ask for a cold-weather proposal or written approval before you pour in these conditions. Check with your inspector.

Common mistakes

Wrong elevation
Rebar pushed to the bottom
Voids from poor consolidation
Segregation from moving concrete with the vibrator
Forms moving
Dowels or bolts shifting
Placing on frozen or flooded ground

Pro note

Check elevation at several points before you leave. Fixing a footing after it sets means chipping concrete.

Weather note

Wet ground can make the base slump, cold ground can freeze the footing before it sets, and hot sun dries the top. Plan for the conditions before the truck is called.

What the inspector looks at

Inspection usually happens before the pour (see Footing Forms), but the stages are set locally. Some municipalities inspect after the pour and stripping, before rock goes against the pads. After the pour, expect checks on elevation and that dowels are in position. Confirm the milestones with your building department.

✅ Check yourselfTap a question

A strip footing is 12 m long, 400 mm wide and 200 mm thick. How much concrete is that?

12 × 0.4 × 0.2 = 0.96 m³ (1.26 yd³). Dimensions are an example. Use the drawing, then add an allowance as on the Concrete Math page. In feet and inches: 39 ft 4 in long, 15 3/4 in wide, 7 7/8 in thick.

The ground in the trench bottom is frozen on pour morning. Do you pour?

No. Part 9 requires excavations to be kept from freezing for the whole construction period (9.12.1.3). Concrete poured on frozen ground can settle when it thaws. Call the building department and the engineer.

You place in lifts. What lift depth does one trade article give as a maximum?

About 500 mm (20 in), kept as level as you can. That is a guide, so follow the drawings and your engineer.

Your vibrator's radius of action is 300 mm (12 in). What spacing between insertions?

No more than about 1.5 times that, so 450 mm (18 in). Radius of action depends on the head, so use the manufacturer's figure.

Why not use the vibrator to move concrete sideways?

It can separate the stone from the paste. Move concrete with shovels and rakes, and use the vibrator only to consolidate.

The air is 3°C (37°F) on pour day. What does Part 9 require?

Concrete kept between 10°C and 25°C (50°F and 77°F) while mixed and placed, and held at 10°C (50°F) or warmer for 72 hours after placing, with no frozen material or ice in the mix (9.3.1.9).

🧰 Gear for this stepMust-haveRent itNice to have

Must-haveLayout and checking:
Must-havePlacing by hand:
Rent itPlacing by machine: a chute or pump hose
Rent itConsolidating: a small internal vibrator
Must-haveConsolidating small footings: a rod
Must-haveScreeding:
Must-haveConsumables:
Must-havePPE:

👷 Who can do thisTap your level

Home DIY

Footings for a house are structural, need a permit and an inspection before the pour, and usually a design for the soil. A capable owner can help with forming and finishing under a permit, but should not choose the footing size or pour without the permit, the inspection and an experienced crew.

Laborer or helper

Help rake, shovel and move material under direction. Never enter an excavation 1.2 m (4 ft) or deeper unless a qualified person or engineer has sloped, shored or boxed it, and never decide a hole is safe. If the base looks soft, wet or frozen, say so and stop.

1st-year apprentice

You can place, rake and screed under supervision, and set dowels and anchor templates. Learn to check elevation at several points before the truck leaves.

Apprentice, 2nd to 4th year

Place, rake and screed under a journeyperson, and set dowels and anchor templates to the marked layout. Check elevation at several points before the truck leaves. You cannot pass the base or the inspection. Say stop if the soil looks disturbed.

Journeyperson

You own elevation, dowel position, consolidation and readiness for the inspection. Stop-work triggers: soil that is not undisturbed or firm, a frozen or flooded base, or an inspection not passed.

Lead hand or foreman

Confirm the inspection is passed before the truck is called. Enforce the stop-work triggers: soil not undisturbed or firm, a frozen or flooded base, or no inspection pass. Check elevations and dowels before the pour and photograph the base. Do not override the engineer.

Contractor or business owner

Price the pump, inspection delays and weather protection. Keep inspection records and tickets, and photograph the base and elevations before the pour. Ask your lawyer or insurer who carries the cost of a wrong footing elevation or a soft base.

Starting a new business

Learn how your building department books footing inspections and how long it takes. Subcontract excavation and any engineered design. Confirm inspection stages with the building department, and ask your insurer and lawyer about coverage for a wrong elevation or a soft base.

By Province:

NBC Part 9 puts footings on undisturbed soil, rock or compacted granular fill (9.15.3.2) and sets the cold-weather rule (9.3.1.9). Provinces adopt the code with changes, so check your edition. Frost depth (9.12.2.2) and inspection stages are set locally.

BC: the Vancouver Building Bylaw 2014 prints the Part 9 text used above. The City of Vancouver inspects after formwork and before the pour. Confirm locally.
SK: Saskatoon inspects footings after the pour and stripping, before rock goes against the pads. A city example from earlier research that I did not re-check.
ON: notify the municipality when footings are ready to construct and at substantial completion of footings, before backfilling (OBC Division C 1.3.5.1). Confirm.
Atlantic (NB, NS, PE, NL): NB, NS and PE require footing and foundation inspections before backfilling. Confirm frost depth and stages with your authority.
AB, MB, QC, territories: frost depth and inspection stages are set locally. In permafrost areas get an engineer. Confirm with your local authority.

See Canada by Province for the full comparison.

Sources:

Vancouver Building Bylaw 2014, Division B, Section 9.3 (9.3.1.9 cold weather)
Vancouver Building Bylaw 2014, Division B, Section 9.12 and Section 9.15 (excavation, frost and footings, as on the Footing Forms page)
KB Engineering, How to use an internal concrete vibrator (trade article: lift depth, spacing, penetration)
District of Mission, Cold weather construction requirements (BC municipal guide citing 9.3.1.9)
CSA A23.1 is a paid standard and was not read directly. Provincial inspection items are carried over from earlier research.
Quantity example is calculated and re-checked.

Last reviewed October 2026. General information, not engineering or legal advice.