Backflow Tester List

State rules

Virginia

The Virginia Department of Health Office of Drinking Water says the 2021 Waterworks Regulations changed cross-connection control for every waterworks. Owners document the program in a plan, submit it for approval, name at least one trained person to run it, and review the plan at least every five years. The Uniform Statewide Building Code governs the controls. The amendments added a requirement that testing and repairs be done by a certified backflow prevention device worker. The Board for Contractors certifies that worker. An applicant needs four years of water-distribution experience and at least 32 hours of board-approved vocational training, or seven years of experience and 16 hours. The Board accepts ASSE standards for testing procedures and requires a wet lab.

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 Virginia Department of Health Office of Drinking Water approves waterworks cross-connection plans, and the Board for Contractors certifies backflow prevention device workers.
Who may test an assembly
A certified backflow prevention device worker under the Board for Contractors performs the testing and repairs the waterworks regulations require.
Official program page
Official page →

The waterworks rule says the program prevents contamination from entering through cross-connections and backflow. The owner ensures testing, maintenance, and repairs. The property-maintenance code, as incorporated into the Uniform Statewide Building Code, requires tests of reduced-pressure, double-check, detector, and pressure-vacuum-breaker assemblies after installation, after repair or relocation, and annually. Plan approvals do not expire, but a revision still returns to the field office. The templates are for the waterworks, not a homeowner test.

The Board’s regulation, 18VAC50-30-42, is the examination qualification. The Board’s acceptance of ASSE standards is about testing procedures used in training. Other programs can be approved after Board review. A local card issued before July 1, 1998, had a one-time exchange path described on older application forms. Current applicants use the Board’s experience-and-training path. The Department of Health does not, on its cross-connection page, replace the Board for Contractors as the certifying body.

Ask for the Board for Contractors backflow prevention device worker certification and confirm the waterworks plan requires that worker. Containment decisions and the five-year review sit with the waterworks owner. Application charges differ by form revision, so no test fee is stated here. The qualification paths and the wet-lab requirement are in 18VAC50-30-42. Annual retesting follows the property-maintenance code cited by the waterworks regulations. Do not skip the first test after a repair.

Official resources in Virginia

VDH cross connection control

Explains the 2021 waterworks amendments, including testing and repairs by a certified backflow prevention device worker.

12VAC5-590 cross-connection text

Requires a written program and testing consistent with the Uniform Statewide Building Code.

18VAC50-30-42

Sets experience, training hours, ASSE testing-procedure acceptance, and the wet-lab requirement.

Key facts for Virginia

What to do next

  1. Ask for the Virginia backflow prevention device worker certification from the Board for Contractors.
  2. Ask the waterworks for its approved cross-connection plan if you need to know why the assembly is required.
  3. Do not treat ASSE procedure standards as a substitute for the Board certification.
  4. Expect an annual test after the first test at installation.

Looking for your city or county in Virginia?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Virginia 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 Virginia, 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.
    Virginia Office of Drinking Water cross connection control
    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 Virginia 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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