What is the SF 701 form?
Form SF 701, Activity Security Checklist, is a Standard Form maintained by the General Services Administration and used across federal agencies, the Department of Defense, intelligence community offices, and cleared contractor facilities. Office security managers post a fresh checklist every duty day, and the last person leaving a workspace that handles classified or sensitive information walks through the building, confirms each item is secure, and initials the entry for that day.
What is SF 701 used for?
SF 701 turns the end-of-day security walk-through into a written record that a security manager can audit. Offices use the checklist to:
- Confirm containers, vaults, and safes holding classified material are locked
- Check that classified documents and removable media are stored properly
- Verify doors, windows, alarm panels, and copiers are secured
- Capture an initial, time, and date so the office has a daily security log
How to fill out SF 701
- 1
Enter the office or activity name, building, room number, and month at the top.
- 2
List the security items the office must check each day, such as safes, vaults, and shred bins.
- 3
Initial each item once it is checked secure for the duty day.
- 4
Record the time of the check and the closing employee's printed name.
- 5
Note any deficiencies, alarms, or open items that need follow-up by the security manager.
- 6
Review the checklist before locking the workspace and sharing the completed form.
Who needs to file SF 701?
Federal agencies, Department of Defense components, intelligence community offices, and cleared contractor facilities that handle classified information must complete an SF 701 at the end of every duty day for each open storage area or workspace where classified material lives. The last person leaving the area walks through the checklist, confirms each item, and initials the entry for that day.
After the checklist is initialed, the office security manager and the facility security officer review the SF 701 during routine audits and inspections to confirm closing procedures stay consistent. Findings drive corrective training, updates to the office security plan, and follow-up with the people who close the area.
Who doesn't need to file SF 701?
Offices that do not handle, store, or process classified or sensitive information do not complete SF 701. Workspaces fully covered by another agency-specific end-of-day check, such as a continuous-operations security log, may follow that procedure instead. Routine combination changes for safes use SF 700, while a separate SF 702 tracks each container open and close, so those events are recorded on their own forms rather than this one.
When is SF 701 due?
The deadline for SF 701 is the end of every duty day, before the last person locks the workspace. Offices use one form per month, with a row for each calendar day, so the closing employee adds an initial and time to the matching day. A blank or missing entry is treated as a security incident and triggers follow-up from the office security manager.
How to get SF 701
The General Services Administration issues SF 701 through its Standard Forms library, and most office security managers keep a stack of fresh checklists on hand. Setting up a new month's checklist at your desk? Fill the blank in our editor with the room and item details, download it, print it, and post it in the workspace before the next duty day.
How to sign SF 701
SF 701 is a daily checklist, and each closing employee adds initials and a time entry by hand in ink to confirm the end-of-day check. After you set up the monthly form on our platform with the office details, download it, print a fresh copy each month, and post it inside the workspace where the closing employee can initial each day. Checking the latest agency security manual is a good idea.
Where to file SF 701
Once a month of SF 701 entries is complete, the office security manager pulls the checklist, files it with the office security records, and starts a fresh form for the new month. The completed checklist stays available for review by the facility security officer, command security inspectors, and any audit team checking end-of-day procedures.
