Backflow Tester List

State rules

Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s cross-connection annual-report form, published by the Department of Health, says that under Rhode Island General Law 46-13-22 and regulation 216-RICR-50-05-1, all community and non-transient non-community public water systems shall require backflow preventers at all service connections constructed after June 27, 2007, and at all commercial and industrial service connections. Surveying those connections, determining the hazard, and selecting the preventer is done by a certified cross-connection surveyor. Any individual who surveys or tests a backflow preventer must hold a current certification from a program recognized by the Department of Health, appropriate to the skill required. The form counts testable preventers tested, passed, and failed during the year.

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 Rhode Island Department of Health requires public water systems to use surveyors and testers certified by a Department-recognized program.
Who may test an assembly
A person with a current certification from a backflow-preventer testing program recognized by the Rhode Island Department of Health.
Official program page
Official page →

The Department of Health annual-report form says community and non-transient non-community systems shall require backflow preventers on connections built after June 27, 2007, and on all commercial and industrial connections, under General Law 46-13-22 and 216-RICR-50-05-1. A certified cross-connection surveyor surveys the connection, judges the hazard, and selects the preventer. Anyone who surveys or tests must hold a current certification from a program the Department recognizes. The form counts preventers tested, passed, and failed.

A municipal bid from Westerly states the Department’s annual-test expectation for commercial and industrial devices in plain language: testable commercial and industrial backflow prevention devices are tested annually by a certified tester. That sentence is consistent with the state form. It is a local restatement, not a second licensing agency. Rhode Island’s drinking-water operator license is a different credential for treatment and distribution operators and is not the backflow-tester sentence on the cross-connection form.

No fee and no roster URL appear on the form. Check the card from a Department-recognized program and ask the water system to accept it. Residential connections built on or before June 27, 2007, are outside the new-connection clause unless they are commercial or industrial. A failed preventer is expected to be repaired or replaced so the system can count that corrected result on its annual report to the Department.

Official resources in Rhode Island

RIDOH cross-connection annual report form

Cites the statute and rule and requires surveyors and testers to hold certification from a Department-recognized program.

Westerly backflow testing request

A municipal document stating that RIDOH requires annual tests of commercial and industrial devices by a certified tester.

EPA primacy page

Federal context for the state drinking-water program.

Key facts for Rhode Island

What to do next

  1. Ask which program the Department of Health recognizes for the tester you plan to hire.
  2. Ask whether your connection is commercial, industrial, or a post-June 27, 2007, service.
  3. If a test fails, ask when the repair will be retested so the system can report it.
  4. Do not substitute a drinking-water operator license for the recognized tester certification.

Looking for your city or county in Rhode Island?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island, 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.
    Rhode Island Department of Health cross-connection reporting
    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 Rhode Island 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.

Helpful guides

Backflow tester planner →

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