Rule 11.4:  "Before construction begins, all of the following items, and nothing else, are in the staging yard: members, fasteners, tools, and temporary piers. Every member, tool, temporary pier, and fastener must be in contact with the ground. Members must not be connected or touching one another. Tools and fasteners must not be in contact with members. Tools must not be in contact with fasteners. Temporary piers must not be in contact with one another or with members, tools, or fasteners."

Common Error:  As shown in the accompanying image, some teams forget to separate all the various tools and parts.  The judges must have them abide by this rule before the start of timed construction.  The “illegal” image shows errors in that all the nuts are in contact as are all the bolts. Also, some of the nuts and bolts are not in contact with the ground.