Backflow Prevention Testing in New York: Annual Requirements
New York City requires backflow prevention devices on properties that pose a risk to the public water supply to be tested every 12 months by a New York State certified tester, with results filed within 30 days.
Verified against primary sources on 22 September 2026. Regulations change — confirm against the linked agency pages before relying on a deadline.
A backflow preventer stops contaminated water being drawn backwards out of your building and into the public water main. Because the risk is to everyone on the same main, New York treats the testing requirement as non-negotiable: every 12 months, by a New York State certified tester.
Whether your building needs one
DEP requires devices on properties identified as posing a risk to the public water supply. In commercial buildings the usual triggers are:
- Commercial kitchens and food processing
- Medical and dental offices
- Cooling towers
- Chemically treated boiler systems
- Irrigation systems
- Swimming pools
- Roof tanks
- Multiple water service lines
- Commercial car washes
A single building can trigger the requirement several times over. A restaurant with a rooftop cooling tower and an irrigation line has more than one cross-connection to control.
Who tests it, and who signs
The test must be performed by a New York State certified backflow tester. For the annual test, the form needs the signature of the certified tester and a Licensed Master Plumber. For an initial installation test the bar is higher still: certified tester, LMP, and the Professional Engineer or Registered Architect who designed the system.
This is a licensed speciality. Relion does not perform or certify backflow tests.
The filing deadline
Results must be submitted to DEP within 30 days. Building owners are sent a notification letter when a device is coming due, but the obligation sits with the owner whether or not the letter arrives or reaches the right person — worth knowing if your mail goes to a managing agent rather than the site.
What happens if you miss it
DEP can issue fines, and can disconnect the building's water service. For a restaurant or a medical office that is not a fine, it is a closure.
Where Relion fits
The test is a licensed speciality. The repair is not. When a device fails its test — a fouled check valve, a weeping relief port, corroded internals, a unit that has frozen over winter because nobody insulated it — that becomes commercial plumbing work, and it is work that has to happen before the device can pass a retest.
We also handle the conditions that cause repeat failures: freeze protection on exterior installations, access and clearance problems that make testing difficult, and the drainage that a discharging relief valve needs. See our commercial plumbing services or call (516) 716-0989.
Sources
Every regulatory figure on this page is taken from the issuing agency, not from secondary summaries.
Questions We Get Asked
How often does a backflow prevention device have to be tested in New York?
Every 12 months, by a New York State certified tester. Results must be submitted to DEP within 30 days of the test.
Who has to sign the annual backflow test report?
The New York State certified tester who performed the test, and a Licensed Master Plumber. An initial installation test additionally requires the signature of the Professional Engineer or Registered Architect who designed the system.
What triggers a backflow prevention requirement in a commercial building?
Commercial kitchens, medical and dental offices, cooling towers, chemically treated boilers, irrigation systems, swimming pools, roof tanks, multiple water service lines and commercial car washes are common triggers. DEP applies the requirement to any property identified as posing a risk to the public water supply.
What happens if the annual backflow test is not done?
DEP can issue fines and can disconnect the building's water service. For a food service or medical tenant, losing water supply effectively closes the site.
My backflow device failed its test. What now?
The device has to be repaired or replaced and then retested before it can pass. That repair is standard commercial plumbing work. Common failures are fouled or worn check valves, a continuously discharging relief valve, corroded internals, and freeze damage on exterior installations.
Need This Work Done?
Relion self-performs across New York State, with 24/7 dispatch.