If you are here for an SBA RSRA Template download, you can only be an environmental consultant — or a freelance environmental consultant — looking to do one of these reports for the first time. Fear not: they are pretty easy, and your pals here at A3 Environmental Consultants are here to help. First, let’s get you what you came for.
SBA RSRA Template Download.ZIP
SBA RSRA Template Download.PDF
SBA RSRA Template Download.DOCX
The files above are the same thing three different times. Your IT administrator may have blocked downloading certain file types, especially .docx (Microsoft Word), for security reasons. The Zip file is the Word file zipped. The PDF is self-explanatory, but it is really hard to edit.
How to Use the SBA RSRA Template
We currently use Quire, a report-writing tool for our industry that is fast and wonderful to use. However, back in the day when we used MS Word, this is the way we did it.
RED TEXT — This is the part that changes on every report depending on the results of the ERIS or EDR Data Reports. We switched the red to black when we were done, then passed it off for QA/QC. This let us have multiple writers on a report without people tripping over each other.
When the SBA RSRA Template Is the Right Tool
Still operating on the assumption that you’ve never done one of these before, you’ll need to know when an RSRA is appropriate and when it is not. The RSRA is not always appropriate in lieu of a Phase I ESA — for the full picture of when to use which, read our pillar guide on whether the RSRA is the new Phase 1 ESA.
SBA RSRA Environmental Questionnaire
Assets Not Liabilities
The whole RSRA process is kicked off by an environmental questionnaire, almost always administered by the lending institution. It screens your property type up front and decides whether an RSRA is even allowed. Lenders also frequently want an SBA environmental reliance letter so they can rely on the finished report, so it is worth understanding both before you start.
SBA SOP 50 10 8
The work itself follows the SBA Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 50 10, the standard that governs SBA environmental due diligence. The current version is SOP 50 10 8, which the SBA put into effect June 1, 2025, with further technical updates effective March 1, 2026. The environmental framework — the questionnaire, the eligibility screen, and the record search with risk assessment itself — carries forward from prior versions, so an RSRA written today satisfies the latest SBA requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an SBA RSRA template?
It is the report shell environmental consultants use to write a Record Search with Risk Assessment — the database-search-plus-risk-opinion product the SBA accepts in lieu of a full Phase 1 ESA on lower-risk, SBA-backed loans. The free template above gives you the structure; you fill in the property-specific findings from your ERIS or EDR data report.
Is the SBA RSRA template current under SOP 50 10 8?
Yes. The environmental due-diligence framework carries forward from earlier SOP versions into SOP 50 10 8, so the template structure still applies. Just confirm the version your lender is using and write the report to it.
Do I need anything besides the template to deliver an RSRA?
You will need an environmental database report (we use ERIS), one historical-records source, and a Professional Geologist or equivalent environmental professional to render the risk opinion. The template organizes those findings into a lender-ready format.
Order Your RSRA
Need an RSRA, research, or testing on a property you own or want to buy? The fastest place to start is our $850 Record Search with Risk Assessment — a 5-business-day, flat-fee, SBA-approved screen delivered nationwide, with 48-hour rush available. We meet or exceed SBA Standard Operating Procedure 50 10 8 (effective June 1, 2025) on any commercial or industrial property, and our assessments satisfy all commercial lenders and government agencies, including the SBA, HUD, and USDA. Call A3 Environmental Consultants at (888) 405-1742 or email Info@A3E.com.
We Fix Gnarly Environmental Problems
Reviewed by Alisa Allen, P.G., founder of A3 Environmental Consultants.
