For testers
How to become a certified backflow tester
Two things decide where you can work: the certification your state (or the utility) accepts, and each utility's own rules for sending in reports. Both come from the agencies' own pages, with the date we checked them.
What utilities ask of testers
- 20 of the 29 utilities on this site make testers register before accepting reports: Aurora, Colorado Springs, Meridian, Nampa, Eugene, Hillsboro, Salem, Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen, San Antonio, Bellevue, Renton, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver.
- 19 publish their own list of approved testers, which is how customers find you.
- Reports go through online systems at several of them: SpryBackflow, SwiftComply, Backflow Prevention Portal, VEPO CrossConnex, EcosConnect, Envirotrax, WEIRS, Vepo (Envirotrax), BSI Online, Backflow Assembly Testing Portal, iBackflow, SAMS Tester Portal and SAMS.
- 23 ask for proof that your test gauge has been checked for accuracy.
- Each utility page has a "For testers" section with its exact rules.
Colorado
Colorado does not give its own tester exam. Under Regulation 11, a tester counts as certified when he or she holds a valid Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester certification from ASSE or ABPA. An expired certificate does not count. Since 2025 a plumbing license is not needed to test, inspect or repair an assembly, but it is still needed to install or remove one. Tag each assembly you test or repair. To work on fire sprinkler assemblies, your company must also register with the state fire division. Each utility may add its own rules.
- Certified by
- ASSE or ABPA, named in Regulation 11 (the state issues no tester license); fire sprinkler contractors register with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
- Credential
- Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester certification from ASSE or ABPA
- Renewal
- Fire contractor registrations expire every December 31. Renewals are not accepted before December 1. A tester certificate that has expired is not valid under Regulation 11.
- Valid Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester certification from ASSE or ABPA; an expired certificate is not valid
- Tag each assembly you test or repair with your business name and contact details, the date, the service done and your ASSE or ABPA certificate number (since July 1, 2025)
- For fire sprinkler assemblies: register the company as a Fire Suppression System Contractor - Backflow with the Division of Fire Prevention and Control
- Fire contractor registration needs the online application, a notarized affidavit from the principal signed within 30 days, a Colorado Secretary of State certificate of good standing, the principal's photo ID, and proof of at least $1 million general liability insurance
- Fire contractor registration also needs a named employee with an ASSE, ABPA or ABC certification, with a copy of the certificate
Fees: Fire contractor registration, new $100 · Fire contractor renewal, through 30 January $100 · Fire contractor renewal, 30 January to 1 March (additional fee due) $125 · Fire contractor renewal after 1 March (out of good standing) $125
Utility rules for testers: Aurora, Colorado Springs and Denver
Source: dfpc.colorado.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Idaho
To test backflow assemblies in Idaho you need a Backflow Assembly Tester license from the state. Take a Board-approved 32-hour course, pass the exams and apply to DOPL. Testing without a license is a misdemeanor. Send each passing report to the customer and the water system within 15 business days, and each failed report within 2 business days. Renew every two years with an 8-hour in-person refresher course.
- Certified by
- Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses (DOPL), Board of Drinking Water and Wastewater Professionals
- Credential
- Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT) license
- Renewal
- DOPL began moving licenses from one year to two years on October 14, 2025, and the license fee doubles to cover both years. Renew up to 60 days before the license expires. Each renewal needs an 8-hour in-person, Board-approved refresher course every two years. A license that lapsed less than five years ago can be reinstated with renewal fees, a reinstatement fee and proof of the refresher course. After five years you must apply again and retake the exam.
- Gauge
- State rule requires calibrated test equipment and the USC Foundation test procedures. It gives no calibration schedule or accuracy figure, so check with the water system you test for.
- Board-approved 32-hour backflow assembly tester course before licensing
- Pass the practical exam using the University of Southern California (USC) test procedures, and the written exam (70% or higher to pass)
- High school diploma or GED (copy, unless DOPL already has it)
- Disclose any felony conviction or any license denied, surrendered, suspended or revoked in another state
- Already licensed as a tester in another state: apply by endorsement, with a license verification from that state (its requirements must not be lower than Idaho's)
- The license is personal and cannot be transferred to an employer or another person
- To test an assembly on a single-service integrated fire sprinkler system you also need a fire sprinkler contractor license, per a State Fire Marshal memo from 2011
- Use calibrated test equipment and the USC Foundation test procedures
- Send a passing test report to the customer and the water system within 15 business days of the test
- Send a failed-test report to the customer and the water system within 2 business days of the test
- Renewal: 8-hour in-person refresher course every two years, from a Board-approved provider
Fees: Application (state rule maximum) $25 · License (state rule maximum) $30 annually (DOPL says the license fee doubles when you renew for the new two-year period) · Reinstatement (state rule maximum) $35 · Application fee shown on the Board's BAT application form (Aug 2024) $55.00 · Exam Set by the exam provider (the state may collect a fee up to the provider's charge)
Utility rules for testers: Boise, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Nampa and Twin Falls
Source: adminrules.idaho.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Oregon
To test backflow assemblies in Oregon you need an Oregon Health Authority tester certification. Licensed journeyman and apprentice plumbers who finished an approved tester course may also test. Take an approved 5-day course, then apply to OHA within 12 months. If you test for a fee, you also need a Construction Contractors Board or Landscape Contractors Board license. Many water systems will not take your reports without the OHA card. The public tester list is voluntary and only lists testers who hold one of those licenses.
- Certified by
- Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division, Drinking Water Services
- Credential
- Backflow Assembly Tester certification (OHA)
- Renewal
- Certification ends December 31 every two years. Last names A to K expire in even years and L to Z in odd years. OHA mails a renewal form in October. It is not online. Send it back with the fee, a certificate from a 1- or 2-day tester refresher course taken in the past two years (your first renewal is exempt), and your last two gauge calibration reports. You can renew without the $50 reinstatement fee until January 31. If you stay lapsed for a full year, you apply again as a new tester.
- Gauge
- Have your test gauge calibrated every 12 months, in the same month each year. You must always be using a calibrated gauge. Send copies of your last two calibration certificates with each renewal.
- Proof of a high school diploma, GED or college degree
- Finish an approved 5-day Backflow Assembly Tester course: at least 70% on the written exam and 90% on the hands-on exam
- Apply within 12 months of finishing the course, or retake it
- Construction Contractors Board or Landscape Contractors Board license to test for a fee (the tester or the company can hold it)
- Social Security number and signature on the application
Fees: Initial certification (2 years) $195 · Initial certification, second year of your 2-year cycle (prorated) $97.50 · Renewal (2 years) $195 · Reciprocity review (testers certified in another state) $35 · Reinstatement after the January 31 grace period $50 · Tester and cross connection specialist renewal together (2 years) $305
Utility rules for testers: Beaverton, Bend, Eugene, Gresham, Hillsboro, Portland and Salem
Source: oregon.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Texas
Texas testers hold a TCEQ license. You need a high school diploma or GED and two years of approved work experience. You take a TCEQ-approved 40-hour course, then pass a written exam at a computer-based testing site and a hands-on exam given by your training provider. The license lasts three years. Renewal takes 24 hours of continuing education. A BPAT license covers home, business, industrial and irrigation service, but fire lines only if you work for an approved fire-line contractor.
- Certified by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Occupational Licensing
- Credential
- Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT) license
- Renewal
- The license is valid for three years. Finish 24 hours of TCEQ-approved continuing education (8 of them hands-on) before it expires, then renew online or on paper with the renewal fee and a criminal history attestation. TCEQ mails a reminder at least 60 days before expiration and emails one 90 days before if it has your email. You have up to 180 days after expiration to file, at a higher fee. If you filed within 90 days after expiration you may keep testing until TCEQ decides; if you have not filed by day 90 you must stop. After 180 days you must apply again and retake the exam.
- Gauge
- Test gauges must be checked for accuracy when bought and at least once a year, using the University of Southern California manual or AWWA Manual M14. Put each gauge's serial number on the test report (TCEQ Form 20700, or a form TCEQ has approved). Water systems must see that testers use checked gauges.
- High school diploma or GED
- Two years of approved work experience, such as water system work, plumbing, lawn irrigation or fire sprinkler work
- Up to one year of the experience can be replaced by 32 college semester hours or 20 hours of approved training, on top of the 40-hour course
- TCEQ-approved 40-hour Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester course
- Pass the written exam at a TCEQ-approved computer-based testing site
- Pass the practical skills exam given by the training provider
- Fire lines: only if permanently employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor
- Every 3 years: 24 hours of approved continuing education, 8 of them hands-on, plus a criminal history attestation
Fees: New license application $111 · Renewal, filed on or before the expiration date $111 · Renewal, filed 1 to 90 days after expiration $166.50 · Renewal, filed 91 to 180 days after expiration $222 · Computer-based exam site fee Set by each testing center, in addition to the application fee
Utility rules for testers: Arlington, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen and San Antonio
Source: tceq.texas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Washington
To test assemblies that protect a Washington water system, you need a Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT) certificate from the Department of Health. You pass a hands-on exam, then a computer exam, and renew every year. Washington Certification Services (WCS) runs the program for the state.
- Certified by
- Washington State Department of Health (exams and records run by Washington Certification Services)
- Credential
- Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT)
- Renewal
- Every year. WCS emails a renewal notice each November. Pay online by credit or debit card (no checks). A final notice with a late fee follows by mail; the last day to pay is the end of February. A lapsed certificate is inactive.
- Gauge
- The test kit and its parts must be pressure-tested and checked for accuracy by an independent lab at least once in the 12 months before the test date. A kit that fails must be recalibrated, repaired or replaced. Give each water system the lab paperwork and a copy of your BAT validation card.
- High school diploma or GED (12 years of education); contact WCS about substitutions
- No training course or experience required to apply (a course is recommended)
- Pass the 1-hour hands-on exam: test a PVBA, SVBA, DCVA and RPBA
- Pass the 100-question computer exam (70% to pass) within 3 months of the hands-on exam
- Test kit checked for accuracy by an independent lab within the 12 months before each test
- Give each water system the lab paperwork and a copy of your BAT validation card
- Renew every year
- Pass a professional growth exam in each reporting period (at least 3 years)
- Repairs or installs inside buildings also need Labor and Industries plumber certification and plumbing contractor registration
Fees: Hands-on (practical) exam, paid to WCS $257 · Computer exam, paid to PSI $108 · Professional growth exam, paid to WCS $170 · 2026 renewal if paid by Nov. 30, 2025 $42 · 2026 renewal if paid from Dec. 1, 2025 $68 · 2026 renewal with late fee, from Jan. 22, 2026 $125
Utility rules for testers: Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver
Source: wcs.greenriver.edu · checked Oct 18, 2026