Connecticut: State rules

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health, Drinking Water Section, certifies backflow prevention device testers. The section’s page says regulations require certain backflow prevention devices to be tested by a person who has completed and passed a course on testing backflow preventers that is administered or approved by the Department. After the course, the person must return the certification application to the Department within one year after the date of the most recent exam results. The approved course named on the page is the New England Water Works Association training and certification course for backflow prevention device testers. Verification is through the state eLicense site.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

The application instructions for the CT DPH Backflow Prevention Device Tester credential say the certification is issued because the applicant completed and passed a Department-approved training course under Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies section 25-32-11(e). The instructions name the NEWWA course “Training and Certification of Backflow Prevention Device Inspectors,” listed at 2.0 CEUs. The applicant must have attended the one-hour presentation on Connecticut cross-connection control regulations given by the Department during the course. The student must pass both the written exam, at 70 percent or higher, and the performance exam, at 80 percent or higher, as documented by NEWWA certification.

People who completed the NEWWA course outside Connecticut and want a Connecticut certificate must still attend the Connecticut regulations presentation given during an approved course in Connecticut, and they must register with NEWWA to attend that presentation. The Drinking Water Section keeps a list of testers and cross-connection survey inspectors who asked to be listed as available for contract work. The page says that list is not an endorsement and that the people on it are not the only backflow personnel in the state. To verify a certification, the page says to use the Connecticut eLicense lookup.

Survey-report instructions say a device test must be done by someone actively certified as a CT DPH Backflow Prevention Device Tester, and that the purpose of the test is to determine whether the testable device is properly operating. The same instructions say a malfunctioning device shall be promptly restored to proper operating condition by the customer of the public water system. Only a certified cross-connection survey inspector may perform the inspections the form assigns to that credential. Tester and surveyor are different roles on the Department’s pages.

Official resources in Connecticut

DPH backflow prevention and cross connection control

Explains the approved course, the one-year application window, and eLicense verification.

DWBT initial application instructions

States the NEWWA course, the Connecticut regulations presentation, and the written and practical exam scores.

Connecticut eLicense lookup

The lookup the Drinking Water Section tells the public to use to verify a certification.

Key facts for Connecticut

Certain backflow prevention devices must be tested by a person who completed and passed a Department-approved or Department-administered testing course.
The application must be returned within one year after the most recent exam results.
The instructions require a written exam score of at least 70 percent and a practical exam score of at least 80 percent.
Applicants must attend the Department’s one-hour Connecticut regulations presentation.
The Drinking Water Section says its hire list is not an endorsement.
Device-test information on the cross-connection survey report must come from an actively certified CT DPH tester.

What to do next

Look up the tester on the Connecticut eLicense site rather than relying only on a course completion card.
Ask whether the person is a tester, a cross-connection survey inspector, or both.
If the tester trained outside Connecticut, ask whether they attended the in-state regulations presentation.
If a device fails, the survey instructions say the public-water-system customer must promptly restore it.

Looking for your city or county in Connecticut?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Connecticut we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:

General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Connecticut, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
CT DPH Drinking Water Section backflow certification
Website →
Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.
Your city or county office: Local governments →
Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Connecticut page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

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