Backflow Tester List

State rules

Texas

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality licenses Backflow Prevention Assembly Testers. A person who repairs or tests the installation or operation of a backflow prevention assembly must hold a TCEQ license. The license qualifies the person to test and repair assemblies on any domestic, commercial, industrial, or irrigation service. Testers may test and repair assemblies on fire lines only if they are permanently employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor. Applicants need a high school diploma or GED and two years of experience in an approved area, plus a 40-hour backflow prevention assembly tester course. The application fee stated on the page is 111 dollars. The license is valid for three years.

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 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality licenses Backflow Prevention Assembly Testers.
Who may test an assembly
A TCEQ-licensed Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester. Fire-line work is limited to permanent employees of an Approved Fireline Contractor.
Official program page
Official page →

Approved experience includes public drinking-water operation, drinking-water treatment equipment, lawn irrigation, master or journeyman plumbing work, fire-suppression systems, domestic wastewater operation, registered-sanitarian inspections, or duties the executive director approves. Up to one year may be replaced by 32 semester hours or by 20 extra hours of approved training. After approval, the written exam is at a TCEQ computer-based site and the practical exam is with the training provider.

Renewal requires 24 hours of continuing education before the license expires, of which 8 hours must be practical hands-on training, plus a renewal application, a criminal-history attestation, and the renewal fee. The page says to search the license-information page for current continuing-education hours. The statutes and rules cited are Texas Water Code chapter 37, Title 30 Texas Administrative Code chapter 30, subchapter B, and 30 TAC chapter 290. The 111-dollar figure is the application fee on the license page, not a customer test price, so the fee field in this record is left empty.

Ask for the current TCEQ Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester license. If the assembly is on a fire line, ask whether the tester is permanently employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor. Irrigation work is inside the ordinary scope the page describes. Questions on the license page go to licenses@tceq.texas.gov. The license runs three years. Renewal needs 24 hours of continuing education, and eight of those hours are hands-on.

Official resources in Texas

TCEQ Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester license

States who must hold the license, the education and experience rules, the 111-dollar application fee, and the three-year renewal.

EPA Cross-Connection Control Manual

Federal educational manual. It is not a Texas license.

EPA primacy page

Explains state public-water-system primacy.

Key facts for Texas

What to do next

  1. Ask to see the current TCEQ BPAT license.
  2. If the assembly is on a fire line, ask whether the tester is permanently employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor.
  3. Irrigation testing is within the license scope the page describes; fire-line work is the narrower case.
  4. Use the license-information search the page mentions to check continuing education before you rely on an old card.

Looking for your city or county in Texas?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Texas 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 Texas, 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.
    TCEQ Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester licensing
    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 Texas 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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