Dirt ID™, Inc. Soil compliance & audit infrastructure Proof over paper · Certainty over risk
Compliance chain of custody for excavated soil

Every load of soil, proven. Every report, ready to file.

Dirt ID is the compliance record for excavated soil. Approvals, testing, hand-offs and receipts assemble into one append-only chain of custody per load — then export as the final compliance report your jurisdiction asks for at closeout.

Request a demo See the sample report
Owners · General contractors · Environmental consultants
Public agencies · Receiving facilities
Project audit status Sample project
Nearly audit ready
0%

2 items to ready: diversion projected below the permit target, and 10 documents outstanding — 6 of them lab results.

Every input named and traceable — no composite scoring.
1,046
Loads verified
63.4% / 75% req.
Diversion to date
13,300 of 22,000 CY
Authorized export moved
1
Permanent record per load
§ 01
The stakes

When you can’t prove a load, the risk doesn’t disappear.
It lands on you.

This is not a trucking problem. It’s a documentation problem with a legal tail — and it surfaces at closeout, under audit, or in a claim, long after the paperwork is gone.

01 · REGULATORY

The project can’t close out

Miss the required diversion and final sign-off stalls. Loads sent to a non-approved facility count as 100% disposal.

02 · FINANCIAL

The deposit is forfeited

Refundable C&D deposits and performance guarantees are held until compliance is proven — and forfeited on a miss.

03 · LIABILITY

Responsibility is cradle-to-grave

Under CERCLA, liability is strict and can follow the generator years later — even when a hauler made the decision to dump.

04 · AUDIT

“We’re looking for it” isn’t an answer

When the review lands and the ticket is missing or disputed, reconstructing months of hauling from memory is not a defense.

§ 02
What Dirt ID is

It runs like software. It behaves like a record.

Dirt ID connects testing, approvals, hauling, receipts and reporting into one record per load — built so that years from now, someone can ask where a specific cubic yard went and get an answer that holds up.

Proof, not pursuit

Verification, not surveillance

Dirt ID verifies the two moments that carry legal weight — departure from an approved source and acceptance at an approved facility — and records nothing in between. Haulers can be shown exactly what is and isn’t captured before they’re onboarded.

Append-only

Nothing is edited away

A passport is created once and never recreated. Corrections append as new events with an author and a time; the original stays visible.

Traceable

Every figure resolves to a document

Each number on screen traces to a load, and each load to its receipt, approval and lab result. Nothing is an estimate you can’t open.

Dirt ID field capture on a phone, showing a Soil Passport with QR code and system-captured event history

The phone is an input. The record is the product.

Field crews scan a QR code at the gate. That single scan writes the load ID, coordinates, timestamp and user straight to the permanent record — no forms, no typing. It works with no signal and syncs on reconnect.

1

Approve

Approved sources, facilities and material criteria.

2

Attach

Testing, geotech, permits linked to the source.

3

Create

A QR-coded passport per load, stamped on scan.

4

Receive

The facility confirms acceptance and quantity.

5

Report

Diversion reporting, final report, retention.

§ 03
The Compliance Center

The project, scored on whether it can be defended.

One screen answers the only question that matters before closeout: if the audit came tomorrow, what would it find — and what is still open?

Dirt ID Compliance Center for a sample Orange County project, showing audit readiness, loads verified, diversion against the required target, the chain-of-custody stages, open compliance actions, and where the soil went by receiving facility.
01

Readiness, itemized

Not a composite health score. 92% ready, with the two blockers named: diversion below target and 10 documents outstanding.

02

Actions, not alerts

Every open item names the load, its age, who it’s assigned to, and the recommended fix — redirect ~600 CY, request 6 lab results, reconcile a gate rejection within 48 hours.

03

Counts that reconcile

Stage totals have to add up, and they’re shown adding up: 1,046 = 1,018 + 10 + 1 + 11 + 6. An auditor can check the arithmetic on the page.

04

Where the soil actually went

Broken out by receiving facility with SWIS number, permit basis, receipts matched, and whether the tonnage counts as diverted.

§ 04
The record object

The Soil Passport™ — created once, never recreated.

Each load gets one QR-coded record. Below is a real one, opened: its identity, its verified hand-offs, and every document that qualifies it. This is what a scan resolves to, and what an auditor is handed.

Soil Passport MRD-26-001268
Accepted Append-only · never recreated
NO LOCATION RECORDED BETWEEN VERIFIED POINTS VERIFIED · ORIGIN Basement Excavation 08:05 · 33.6721, −117.8912 VERIFIED · RECEIPT Chandler’s Sand & Gravel 08:55 · 33.6638, −117.9047
Approved source · geofenced Approved receiving facility · geofenced Not tracked — verification, not surveillance
Chain of custody · 2026-08-14 · six verified events
Passport created · QR assigned Bound to source SP-MRD-26-001 and to grading permit GP-2026-0142.
07:52 PT33.6721, −117.8912
T. Bell · manual
Origin event logged Departure verified inside the approved source geofence.
08:05 PT33.6721, −117.8912
R. Ortega · QR + GPS
Destination event logged Arrival verified inside the approved facility geofence.
08:55 PT33.6638, −117.9047
Gate scan · QR + GPS
Facility acceptance recorded 10.00 CY accepted for engineered fill. Condition and quantity confirmed by the receiving facility.
09:00 PTSWIS 30-AB-0032
N. Payne · facility
Receipt uploaded & verified Gate ticket CH-88214 matched to the manifest — quantity and destination reconciled.
09:04 PTTicket CH-88214
Auto-matched
Chain of custody complete — audit ready All qualifying documents current. Load counts toward diversion and is locked to the record.
09:04 PTNo exceptions
Append-only
Linked qualification · 6 documents Versioned · expiry monitored
DocumentIssued byReference Ver.Valid toStatus
Certificate of analysisApex LaboratoriesCOA-2026-0417v22027-02-11Verified
Geotechnical reportSierra GeotechnicalGR-26-118v1—Verified
Environmental screeningDTSC clean fill protocolESA-26-004v1—Verified
Grading permitCounty of OrangeGP-2026-0142v12026-10-30Current
Facility acceptance approvalChandler’s Sand & GravelSWIS 30-AB-0032v32027-01-31Current
Hauler AB939 permitInland Haul Co.OC-4471v12026-12-31Renewal due
Audit reference MRD-26-001268 · sealed 2026-08-14 09:04:22 PT · retained past project closeout Dirt ID™ · every field above is system-captured unless marked manual
Written once

Nothing is edited away

Events append. A correction is a new event with an author, a time and a reason — the original stays visible underneath it, permanently.

Linked, not attached

Documents stay live

Lab results, geotech, permits and facility approvals are versioned and expiry-monitored. When one lapses, every load depending on it is flagged before closeout — not after.

Queryable

One database for every load

Query any load, prove any claim, quantify exposure — across an entire program or a single cubic yard, years after the project closed.

§ 05
The deliverable

The document that closes the project.

Dirt ID assembles the underlying records as the work happens, then generates the closeout document from them. Nothing is retyped into a template.

DIRT ID — Chain of custody Report RPT-26-000412 · Generated 2026-08-14 09:12 PT · Page 1 of 6
Final Excavated Soil Export Compliance Report
PRJ-26-0012 · Project Meridian — Orange County · Reporting period 2026-02-01 to 2026-08-14
1 · Project information
ProjectPRJ-26-0012 · Project Meridian
Grading permitGP-2026-0142
JurisdictionCounty of Orange, CA
Required diversion75% (per permit)
Owner / applicantMeridian Development
General contractorMeridian Builders, Inc.
Authorized export22,000 CY
Estimated closeout2026-11-14
3 · Compliance summary
13,300
Total CY exported
1,046
Total loads
63.4%
Beneficially reused vs 75% required
1,029
Loads with verified receipt
5 · Approved receiving sites
Approved receiving sites with quantities received
Receiving siteSite typeSWIS / permit LoadsCY receivedReceiptsDiverted
Chandler’s Sand & GravelEngineered fill (IDEFO)30-AB-00324025,200402 / 402Yes
OC Materials RecoveryInert processing30-AB-04171882,430188 / 188Yes
La Pata Reclamation PitSMARA backfillPermit 91-126280062 / 62Yes
Frank R. Bowerman LandfillClass III disposal30-AB-03603774,870376 / 377No
6 · Verified load register — representative extract; complete 1,046-load register in Appendix A
DateLoad IDHaulerTruck DestinationArrival GPSCYStatus
Aug 14 · 09:00MRD-26-001268Inland Haul Co.Super 10 · 7Y88990Chandler’s Sand & Gravel33.6638, −117.904710Verified
Aug 14 · 10:18MRD-26-001274Pacific Soils TransportBottom dump · 9W55124Chandler’s Sand & Gravel—14In transit
Aug 14 · 08:41MRD-26-001260Inland Haul Co.Super 10 · 7Y88993Frank R. Bowerman Landfill33.7284, −117.728410Rejected
9 · Certification

I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that this report and its attachments are true and correct; that the excavated soil exported from this project is accounted for herein; that loads were transported by a permitted hauler to the receiving sites identified above; and that the beneficial reuse reported was achieved as documented.

Signature of owner / authorized agent  ·  Date
Printed name and title  ·  Company
Audit reference RPT-26-000412 · append-only chain of custody Dirt ID™ · dirtid.com
Sample report · sections 2, 4, 7, 8 and Appendix A omitted for length
Final Compliance ReportThe closeout document, with certification block and full load register.
Daily Load RegisterEvery load that left the site that day, with receipts — the on-site log agencies require.
Diversion ReportReused, recycled and disposed totals against the required rate.
Audit PackageThe complete record with the access log, assembled and export-ready.
Individual Soil PassportThe full history of a single load, with every linked document.
Quantity ReconciliationAuthorized against moved against remaining, load by load.
Download the sample report (PDF) Download a sample load register (CSV) Every report exports as PDF or CSV, formatted for owners, agencies and auditors.
§ 06
Governance, retention & access

A record is only a defense if nobody could have quietly changed it.

The parts of Dirt ID that matter most in a claim are the parts you never see on a screen.

Write model

Append-only retention

Records are written once. Corrections append with an author and a timestamp — nothing is overwritten, nothing is deleted.

Accountability

Full audit log

Every view, edit, approval, override and export is logged with user and time, and exports alongside the record.

Access

Roles and permissions

Owner, contractor, consultant, hauler, facility and agency each see the scope they’re accountable for. Auditor access can be read-only.

Ownership

The record is yours

Retained past closeout so a load can be defended years later. Full export in open formats at any time.

§ 07
Why now

California is raising the bar on soil documentation.

It is no longer enough to say material was recycled. Agencies increasingly want a verifiable, transaction-level record of what moved, from where, to where — and who certified it.

LA

Los Angeles County

C&D Recycle & Reuse Ordinance · 2024
  • Mixed C&D recycling raised 50% → 70%
  • 100% of excavated soil must be accounted for on every project
  • Facilities need third-party certification; refundable deposit held until compliance is proven
OC

Orange County

OC C&D program + city ordinances
  • Projects cannot be finalized until the required diversion is proven
  • Irvine, Placentia, Brea require a waste management plan before permit
  • Receipts and a final compliance report required at closeout
SD

San Diego

City deposit ordinance + county C&D
  • City: refundable C&D deposit to divert debris from landfill
  • County grading must reuse 100% of excavated soils, rock and vegetation
  • A daily log of every load leaving the site — with receipts — kept on site
One number, three places it comes from. CALGreen sets a statewide floor of 65% diversion. Counties can go higher — Los Angeles County requires 70% for mixed C&D. And a specific grading permit or contract can require more still: the sample project on this page carries a 75% target written into permit GP-2026-0142. Dirt ID measures against the number that actually applies to your permit, not a generic default.

Sources: CalRecycle · LA County Public Works · OC Waste & Recycling · City and County of San Diego · CA DTSC. Confirm current thresholds with each jurisdiction.

§ 09
Who it’s built for

Built for the ground with the most at stake.

One compliance method — owners, contractors, consultants, haulers, receiving facilities and the agencies that audit them, on every kind of high-scrutiny site.

K–12 campus modernizationDSA projects where children’s-health scrutiny demands airtight soil records.
Airport & runway reconstructionMassive earthwork under federal and environmental oversight.
Aerospace & defense campusesLegacy contamination and strict chain-of-custody expectations.
Remediation & brownfieldsDTSC-overseen soil tracked cradle-to-grave.
Public works & civil infrastructureLarge public works with deposit and diversion mandates.
Mixed-use & commercial excavationGrading and export where diversion deposits are on the line.
FAQ
Common questions

Answers before the first call.

Is this GPS tracking of my drivers?
No. Dirt ID records location at the hand-offs that carry legal weight — departure from an approved source and arrival at an approved facility — and nothing in between. There is no continuous vehicle trace, and haulers can be shown exactly what is and isn’t captured before they’re onboarded.
Can a record be changed after the fact?
No. Events are append-only. A correction is written as a new event carrying the author, the time and the reason, and the original stays visible underneath it. An auditor can see not just what the record says, but everything it has ever said.
What happens if a receiving facility won’t use it?
The facility scan is the strongest form of receipt, but not the only one. A load can be closed with an uploaded gate ticket matched to the manifest, recording who uploaded it and when. Those loads are marked receipt-verified rather than facility-verified, so the difference is visible in the report instead of quietly averaged in.
What does an auditor actually receive?
An audit package: the final compliance report with its certification block, the complete load register, every receipt and linked document, the exception log with resolutions, and the access log. It exports as PDF and CSV. Nothing has to be assembled by hand.
Who can see what?
Access is scoped by role. An owner sees the whole program; a contractor sees their project; a hauler sees only their own loads; a facility sees inbound loads and its own acceptance record. Agencies and auditors can be given read-only access without an account being created for them.
How long does it take to stand up on an active project?
A project can be configured and hauling under Dirt ID inside a week. It can be started mid-project; loads already hauled are carried in as documented history rather than verified events, and the report distinguishes between them.
Tim Bell, founder of Dirt ID
The founder

Built by someone who lived the problem.

Dirt ID was founded by Tim Bell, who spent years in excavation and grading before building it. He didn’t come from software. He came from the job trailer, the grading site, and the closeout meetings where the documentation was incomplete, the tickets were missing, and everyone was trying to reconstruct what happened months earlier.

That is why Dirt ID exists: so the industry can prove where every load of soil came from and where it went, long after the project closes.

“I didn’t come from software. I came from construction. This is the tool I always needed.”
Book a compliance review

Twenty minutes on your project’s exposure.

We’ll look at your current documentation and show you exactly where the record breaks — no obligation.

  • Review your current documentation
  • Map your jurisdiction’s requirements and your permit threshold
  • Walk your existing hauling and closeout workflow
  • Pinpoint your audit exposure
  • See Dirt ID on a real load, and the report it produces
Prefer to reach us directly?
info@dirtid.com · (888) 344-3743
We’ll only use this to contact you about Dirt ID.