Backflow Tester List

State rules

New York

New York’s sanitary code, 10 NYCRR section 5-1.31, requires suppliers of water to have cross-connection control programs and to assure protective devices are inspected and tested by a certified backflow prevention device tester at installation, after each repair, and annually. The State Department of Health’s certification instructions say every person who tests backflow prevention assemblies shall be certified under that section. Since 2011, Department-approved training providers issue the certification of course completion. The Department’s FAQ says the Bureau of Water Supply Protection discontinued issuing the certifications. A tester’s certification is valid for three years. Initial certification is an approved initial course. Renewal is an approved renewal course before the expiration date.

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

Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
Drinking-water agency
The New York State Department of Health approves backflow-tester training providers under 10 NYCRR 5-1.31.
Who may test an assembly
A certified backflow prevention device tester who holds a current certification of course completion from a Department-approved training provider.
Official program page
Official page →

The regulation says initial and renewal certifications are issued by a Department-approved entity when the applicant proves satisfactory completion of a Department-approved training course. The Department may require a written, oral, or practical examination if it finds that reasonably necessary, and the result may be the sole basis for approval, disapproval, or suspension. Any installation, service, maintenance, testing, repair, or modification must also follow the relevant county, city, town, or village plumbing code. The state certification does not erase a local plumbing-code limit. Records of tests are reviewed and kept by the supplier of water.

The FAQ says a person whose certificate has been expired for less than one year takes a renewal course. A lapse of more than one year means the person must repeat the initial course. The person cannot test assemblies until recertified. The Department’s course page lists approved providers and says initial and renewal courses are also approved for renewal credits for certified water operators. That operator-credit note does not turn a water-operator certificate into a backflow-tester certificate. The tester still needs the backflow course completion from an approved provider.

A customer should ask for the current certification of course completion, the provider’s name, and the expiration date, and should confirm the supplier of water will accept that provider. The three-year term means an old card may not be enough. No single statewide test fee is stated in the certification instructions used here. Training providers set their own course charges, which are not copied here because they are not a state license fee.

Official resources in New York

Backflow tester certification instructions

States the three-year certification issued by a Department-approved training provider.

Backflow testing FAQ

Explains that training providers, not the Department, issue certifications after the 2011 change.

10 NYCRR 5-1.31

Requires annual testing by a certified backflow prevention device tester and sets the three-year certification.

Key facts for New York

What to do next

  1. Ask which Department-approved provider issued the current three-year certification.
  2. Check the expiration date before the appointment.
  3. Ask the water supplier to confirm it accepts that provider.
  4. Ask whether the city or village plumbing code adds a license on top of the state course certification.

Looking for your city or county in New York?

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

  1. General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across New York, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
  2. Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
    New York State Department of Health backflow tester 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 New York page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
  3. Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

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