How to Fill Out a Chain of Custody Form: Order, Corrections, Transfers

To fill out a chain of custody form, complete the case identifiers, item description, unique ID, collection date, time, and location, then sign as the collector and have every subsequent handler sign and date the form each time the evidence changes hands or storage. Use permanent ink, match the ID on the form to the label on the container, and record every transfer at the moment it happens. The sections below walk through each field in order and cover corrections, sealing, transfers, and the mistakes that most often break the chain.

Gather This Information Before You Write Anything

Forms vary by agency and industry, but they capture the same core information. Have all of it in hand before you touch the form, because entries made from memory later are the first thing an opposing attorney will attack.

You need the case or project identifiers the form asks for. A law enforcement form typically wants a case number, offense description, victim name, and suspect name. An environmental sampling form may ask for a project name and sampling team leader instead.¹

You need a full physical description of each item: type, quantity, condition, and any distinguishing features such as model numbers, serial numbers, or visible marks. Each item receives a unique identification code, sometimes preprinted on the form or on a label you affix to the container.²

You need the exact date and time of collection, and a specific location. “The parking lot” invites challenges; an address, GPS coordinates, or comparable detail does not. If you are working under EPA procedures, note that one sample goes on one line, and no single sample is split across multiple lines.³

You need your own information as the collector: printed name, signature, official address, contact number, and, if the form requires it, badge or employee ID number. If witnesses are present, get their signatures too.¹

Finally, you need to know what analysis is being requested. Toxicology forms list drug panels; environmental forms specify chemical tests. Filling in this field lets the receiving laboratory work without having to call you.²

Complete the Form in This Order

Start at the top with the case or project identifiers. Write the case number, offense or project description, and any names the form asks for. Use permanent ink, never pencil, and print clearly. Illegible entries create the same problems as missing ones.

Move to the item description section. Describe each piece of evidence on its own line and record the quantity, physical characteristics, and condition. Write or affix the unique identification code, then check that it matches the label on the physical container. Do this twice. If the ID on the form reads “S-0042” and the label on the bag reads “S-0024,” the evidence is compromised before it leaves the scene.

Fill in the collection details next: date, time, and location. Use 24-hour time format if your agency requires it, and be specific about the location. Then sign and print your name as the collector, and have any witnesses sign in the spaces provided.²

Complete the analysis or reason-for-collection field, and note the method of delivery if the form asks for it. Before you move on, read every entry. If the form uses carbon copies or duplicate pages, confirm the information transferred legibly to each copy. Only now is the form ready for its first custody transfer.

How to Correct a Mistake Without Breaking the Chain

Never use correction fluid, erasers, or opaque tape. Anything that hides the original entry looks like tampering, which is the exact problem the form is designed to prevent.

Draw a single line through the incorrect entry so the original text stays readable. Write the correct information nearby, then initial and date the correction. Some agencies also want a brief explanation in a remarks field. The point is that the change is deliberate, documented, and attributable to a specific person.

Know which errors on your form are fixable and which are not. In federal workplace drug testing, a missing collector signature is a correctable flaw that the laboratory or Medical Review Officer can follow up on, but a missing form or mismatched specimen ID numbers are fatal flaws that cause the specimen to be rejected outright.⁴

Seal and Label the Evidence So It Matches the Form

Once the form is filled out, the evidence needs packaging that shows if anyone opens it. Use tamper-evident containers and seal them with tamper-evident tape.²

The seal only works if you initial across it, so that your writing spans the boundary between the tape and the packaging surface. Any removal will visibly disrupt the initials. Standard packing tape and transparent office tape do not qualify, because they can be lifted and reapplied without leaving traces. Heat seals and self-sealing evidence containers get the same cross-boundary initialing.

Label every sealed package with the unique identifier that matches the chain of custody form. Some agencies also require the date, collector’s initials, and case number on the outer label. If a custody seal is broken for any reason later in the evidence’s life, note it on the form and apply a new seal.³

Record Every Transfer as It Happens

Every time the evidence changes hands, both parties sign. The person releasing the evidence signs the “released by” field, and the person receiving it signs the “received by” field, along with the date and time.² Skip one signature and you have created a gap.

Before signing as the receiver, inspect the packaging. Check that seals are intact, that labels match the form, and that the item description is consistent with what you are actually holding. If anything looks wrong, note it in the comments or remarks field before accepting custody. Signing without inspecting means vouching for a condition you have not verified.

Shipping evidence by common carrier works a little differently. EPA procedures recognize that a delivery driver will not sign the form. The shipper documents the transfer to the carrier, and the receiving party signs on delivery, noting the condition of the package.³ Keep the shipping receipt as supplemental documentation.

Mistakes That Void the Form

The damaging errors are rarely dramatic. They are the mundane oversights that accumulate until someone finds them during litigation or a lab review.

Blank fields. An unsigned transfer line, a missing date, or an empty location field creates an unexplained gap, and courts treat undocumented periods as opportunities for tampering.
Mismatched identifiers. If the specimen ID on the form does not match the label on the container, the link between the documentation and the physical item is broken. In drug testing, this is a fatal flaw that results in specimen rejection.
Delayed documentation. Writing down transfer details hours or days after they occurred invites challenges about accuracy. Record every transfer the moment it happens.
Improper packaging. Non-tamper-evident tape, missing cross-boundary initials, or an unsealed container gives opposing counsel an easy argument that the evidence could have been altered.
Unauthorized access. If someone handles the evidence without signing the form, the chain has an undocumented link. Every person who touches the item appears on the form.²
Bad corrections. Scribbling over entries, using white-out, or changing entries without initialing and dating raises more suspicion than the original error would have.

A defense attorney who spots a gap does not need to prove the evidence was actually tampered with. They only need to show it could have been.

If You Are Using a Specialized Form

The steps above apply broadly, but a few forms carry extra requirements worth checking before you start writing.

DOT Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form

Regulated workplace testing requires the specific Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form. The collector must verify that the specimen ID at the top of the form matches the ID on the bottle labels and seals, check the boxes indicating the testing authority, reason for the test, and drug panels to be performed, and record whether the collection is urine or oral fluid.⁴ The contact phone number in Step 1 must connect directly to the collector or their supervisor, not a general call center. If the collector switches from one collection method to another mid-process, they must start over with a new form and document the reason in the remarks section.

EPA Environmental Sampling

The EPA requires chain of custody documentation for samples collected during investigations and compliance actions. The sampling team leader signs in the designated block, one sample takes one line, and the total number of containers for each sample must be listed. When documents rather than physical specimens are the evidence, place them in sealed envelopes with custody seals and maintain a separate chain of custody record for the envelope.³

Electronic Chain of Custody Systems

Federal regulations treat electronic records and electronic signatures as equivalent to paper records and handwritten signatures only when the system meets specific controls: validated systems that detect invalid or altered records, secure time-stamped audit trails recording every creation, modification, or deletion, and access limited to authorized individuals.⁵ The system must also produce complete, human-readable copies of records and maintain them through the required retention period. A digital tool that cannot generate a printout suitable for court inspection has not actually replaced the paper form.

Close the Form at Final Disposition

The form does not end when the case closes. The NIST sample form includes a final disposal section where an authorizing officer checks whether evidence should be returned to its owner, auctioned, or destroyed. Destruction requires a witness, and a release to the lawful owner requires the recipient’s identification and signature.¹ However the evidence leaves your custody for the last time, the form should reflect it. An item that simply disappears from the record after trial creates the same kind of unexplained gap that undermines the whole document.

1
National Institute of Standards and Technology. The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook – Sample Evidence Chain of Custody Tracking Form
2
National Center for Biotechnology Information. Chain of Custody – StatPearls
3
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sample and Evidence Management
4
U.S. Department of Transportation. Notice – Federal Drug Testing Custody and Control Form (CCF)
5
eCFR. 21 CFR Part 11 – Electronic Records; Electronic Signatures