State rules
Illinois
Illinois EPA’s Field Operations Section coordinates the cross-connection control device inspector approval program as part of the public-water-supply program. The agency page says community public water supplies must maintain active cross-connection control programs. Industries or facilities that install or possess backflow prevention devices must have those devices inspected and tested at installation and at least annually, and verification must be submitted to community public water supply officials. The officials must ensure that appropriate inspections and maintenance have been performed. Registration and instruction are described as primarily conducted by the Environmental Resources Training Center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Drinking-water agency
- Illinois EPA Field Operations coordinates cross-connection control device inspector approval for community water supplies.
- Who may test an assembly
- Devices must be inspected and tested by an Agency-approved cross-connection control device inspector. A Board opinion says those inspectors must be licensed plumbers.
- Official program page
- Official page →
The Illinois Pollution Control Board’s public-water-supply rules, as described in a Board opinion, prohibit certain cross connections in community water supplies, including arrangements whereby an unsafe substance may enter a community water supply. The same opinion says cross-connection devices must be inspected annually by a person approved by the Agency or its designee as a cross-connection control device inspector. An inspector is described as a person capable of inspecting mechanical devices that prevent contamination from an unsafe substance or from water of unknown quality. Each tested device must have a tag listing the most recent test date and the inspector’s name.
The Board opinion says applicants initially obtain approval by completing a training course and passing written and performance examinations, then submitting an application. It says renewal of approval is required annually. It also says section 604.1510(b)(2) requires an eight-hour recertification course every three years that includes written and practical examinations. The Illinois EPA page points readers to 35 Illinois Administrative Code sections 604.1500, 604.1505, 604.1510, and 604.1515. A 2020 COVID deadline extension was an emergency rule for that year and is not the standing renewal rule.
The EPA page gives the field office address as 2520 W Iles Avenue, P.O. Box 19276, Springfield, IL 62794-9276, and the telephone number 217-782-3397. It does not, on that page, publish a public roster URL. The Board opinion states that CCCDIs must be licensed plumbers, which is why a plumber-license extension was discussed in 2020. A customer should confirm both the plumber license, if the water system requires it, and current CCCDI approval before accepting a test. The EPA page does not name ASSE, ABPA, or AWWA as the approval body.
Official resources in Illinois
States the annual test duty and points to the cross-connection sections of the Board’s public-water-supply rules.
Describes CCCDI training, annual approval, the three-year recertification course, and the plumber-license premise.
Federal context for state public-water-system programs. It is not an Illinois tester license.
Key facts for Illinois
- Community public water supplies must maintain active cross-connection control programs.
- Backflow prevention devices must be inspected and tested at installation and at least annually.
- Verification of inspection must be submitted to community public water supply officials.
- CCCDI approval is coordinated by Illinois EPA Field Operations, with training primarily through ERTC at SIUE.
- A Board opinion says CCCDI approval is renewed annually and that an eight-hour recertification course is required every three years.
- The Illinois EPA contact telephone on the program page is 217-782-3397.
What to do next
- Ask for current CCCDI approval, not only a plumbing business card.
- Ask the water system for the tag information it expects on the device after the test.
- Ignore 2020 emergency renewal dates; they were a temporary COVID rule.
- Submit questions about approval to the Field Operations contact on the EPA page.
Looking for your city or county in Illinois?
We haven't found official program-level pages for Illinois 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 Illinois, 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.Illinois EPA cross connection control
Website →Phone: (217) 782-3397 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Illinois 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
- What a backflow test is
- Who is allowed to test a backflow assembly
- Why utilities require annual backflow testing
- Tester and cross-connection specialist