How to Fill Out DSA Form 103: Materials, Tests, and Revisions

To fill out DSA Form 103, the design professional in general responsible charge logs into the DGS Forms Portal, opens the version of the form that matches the California Building Code edition the project was approved under, enters the project identifiers, checks every material category and sub-test the structural design calls for, saves each page as they go, and emails themselves the completed PDF for submission alongside the plans and specifications. The form is the project’s binding quality-assurance checklist once DSA stamps it, so the selections have to match what the drawings actually show.

Pick the Version That Matches Your Code Edition

Three active versions sit on the DSA forms page, and using the wrong one puts your testing list out of sync with the code DSA will enforce against you.¹

DSA 103-19 for projects approved under the 2019 California Building Code.
DSA 103-22 for projects approved under the 2022 California Building Code.
DSA 103-25 for projects approved under the 2025 California Building Code, revised December 2025.

All three are interactive web forms accessed through the DGS Forms Portal. There is no fillable PDF version to download and complete offline.

Getting Into the Web Form

You reach each version through its own URL, linked from the DSA forms page. You need a registered portal account. Once you log in, any forms you have submitted or that have been shared with you appear on the DSA Form Submissions page.²

The form runs as a sequence of pages: project information first, then a page for each material category you select, then a work-exempt page if it applies, then a recap page, and finally the email step that delivers your completed PDF. Save each page before advancing. The form does not auto-save between pages.

Filling In Project Information

The first screen ties the form to your DSA file. The fields, with their limits:

Application Number in the format XX-XXXXXX (two digits, dash, six digits).
Name of Design Professional in general responsible charge, up to 100 characters.
School Name, up to 55 characters.
District or project owner, up to 55 characters.
Email Address, which defaults to your portal account email but can be changed. Up to 100 characters.
Increment Number between 1 and 99, identifying the submission sequence.
DSA File Number, up to 10 characters.

Check the Application Number against your DSA 1 application before you move on. It is the key that links this testing plan to the correct set of approved construction documents, and an error here creates an administrative problem later.²

Selecting Material Categories and Tests

After the project page saves, the Test or Special Inspection page appears. Check every material category your structural design uses. Each category you select adds itself to the navigation pane on the left and generates a dedicated page of tests and inspections for that material.

The 103-22 groups the categories this way, and the 103-25 follows a similar structure:

Soils, items S1 through S6: site preparation, compaction and fill, driven deep foundations, cast-in-place deep foundations, retaining walls, and soil improvement.
Concrete, items C1 through C5: cast-in-place concrete (mix design, reinforcing steel, material testing, strength testing, batch plant inspection), prestressed concrete, precast concrete, shotcrete, and post-installed anchors.
Masonry, items M1 through M3: structural masonry (mortar proportions, grout placement, reinforcement, prisms, core tests), veneer or glass block partitions, and post-installed anchors.
Steel and Aluminum, items S/A1 through S/A5 and beyond: material identification, high-strength bolts, welding materials, shop welding, field welding, and nondestructive testing.
Wood: prefabricated structural elements and site-built assemblies.

Inside each category page, check the specific sub-items that apply. Checking a box often reveals additional required fields underneath. Structural masonry (M1), for instance, makes the f’m PSI value a required field once selected. Cast-in-place concrete (C1) and masonry batch plant inspections require a selection from a “Type” dropdown.²

If a material is not part of the project, leave that category unchecked. An all-wood building with no structural steel does not need the steel page. The form is meant to reflect what is actually being built, not to catalog every test in the code.

Adding Custom Tests Under “Other”

Several “Other” sections let you add tests the standard list does not already cover: Other Soils, Other Concrete, Other Masonry, Other Steel, Other Wood, and a general Other. Click “Insert New Entry” and complete four fields for each addition: the test or special inspection name (25 characters), a type from the dropdown, who performs it, and code references or notes (up to 300 characters). Each “Other” section takes up to eight entries. The exception is S/A6 Nondestructive Testing, which caps at three.²

Reviewing and Sending the Completed Form

When every selected category page is complete and the work-exempt page (if applicable) is filled out, open the recap page. It compiles a full list of the verified report documents the project will owe DSA at closeout. Use it as a final check: if a document type appears there that you did not expect, look back at your category selections.

Use the “Email Completed Form” button to send yourself the PDF.² Submit the completed 103 to DSA together with the final plans and specifications. Project documents move through DSAbox, DSA’s cloud-based file-sharing platform, which gives DSA field engineers and other stakeholders real-time access to what has been uploaded.³

DSA reviewers compare the testing plan on the form against the structural drawings. A mismatch, such as prestressed concrete elements in the drawings with no prestressed concrete inspection on the form, will come back as a request for revision. Once DSA stamps the form, it joins the project’s DSA-approved construction documents alongside the plans, specifications, addenda, and any future revisions.⁴

Revising the 103 After DSA Approval

Once the form is stamped, you cannot informally add or remove a test. Any change to testing or inspection requirements during construction has to go through the Construction Change Document process. Changes affecting structural safety, accessibility, or fire and life safety are CCD Category A, submitted on Form DSA 140 and approved before the affected work starts.⁵

The design professional preparing the CCD attaches the associated drawings, specifications, and calculations, all stamped, signed, and dated. If any revised drawing previously carried a DSA approval stamp, the image of that original stamp must be removed or crossed out before the changes are made. A revised DSA 103 goes with the package so DSA can see how the testing plan has shifted.⁵

What Happens If the Form Is Wrong or Ignored

Getting the 103 wrong is not a paperwork nuisance you can fix later. Under IR A-13, DSA can issue a stop work order when construction proceeds without approved documents or when non-compliant work would compromise structural integrity. DSA usually starts with a “Request for District/Owner to Stop Work,” but can go directly to a formal order if circumstances warrant.⁶

At closeout, every test on the approved 103 must be documented by a verified report. If reports are missing, DSA sends a 90-day letter to the project architect; if the documents do not arrive in that window, DSA closes the project without certification. An uncertified project blocks the district from getting DSA approval on new projects tied to the same construction.⁷ Every box checked on the 103 creates a document obligation that follows the project to the end, which is why the selections at the front of the process deserve the design professional’s full attention.

1
Division of the State Architect. Division of the State Architect Forms
2
Department of General Services. DSA 103 List of Required Structural Tests and Special Inspections User Guide
3
California Department of General Services. DSAbox File Sharing for School Construction Projects
4
Division of the State Architect. Procedure PR 13-01 Construction Oversight Process
5
Division of the State Architect. Construction Change Document Submittal and Approval Process IR A-6
6
Division of the State Architect. IR A-13 Stop Work and Order to Comply
7
California Department of General Services. Project Certification for Schools Essential Services Construction Projects