How to Use This Backflow Resource

Backflow Authority is a public-facing directory and reference platform covering the backflow prevention service sector across the United States. This page describes how content is organized, how topics can be located, how verification is handled, and how this resource fits alongside official regulatory and professional sources. The scope spans licensed testers, device types, local water authority programs, and the regulatory frameworks that govern cross-connection control at the federal, state, and municipal levels.

How to find specific topics

Content on Backflow Authority is organized around three functional layers: the directory of service providers and professionals, reference pages covering regulatory and technical topics, and jurisdictional content describing how programs operate at the state and local level.

The Backflow Listings section is the primary entry point for locating licensed backflow prevention testers, assembly repairers, and related service professionals by geography. Listings are categorized by service type and state, reflecting the fact that licensing requirements vary across all 50 states — some administered through state plumbing boards, others through health departments or water utility commissions.

For broader orientation on the scope and purpose of the directory infrastructure itself, the Backflow Directory Purpose and Scope page describes how the platform is structured, what categories of professionals and services are indexed, and what geographic coverage applies.

Reference pages covering device classifications, testing procedures, hazard classifications, and local water authority programs are linked contextually throughout the directory. The fastest path to a specific topic is direct navigation through the subject index rather than browsing by geography.

When searching for jurisdiction-specific requirements — such as a particular city's testing reporting deadlines or a state's approved device list — the most efficient approach is to identify the governing water authority first. Local water authority programs operate under delegation from state drinking water programs, which themselves operate under the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. §300f et seq.), so the regulatory chain determines which source holds enforceable authority.

How content is verified

Reference content on Backflow Authority is grounded in named public sources: federal statutes and agency guidelines, state administrative codes, model plumbing codes, and standards from recognized technical bodies.

The primary technical standards referenced across content include:

1. ASSE International standards — particularly ASSE 1013, ASSE 1015, ASSE 1020, and related device performance standards published by the American Society of Sanitary Engineering.
2. USC FCCCHR Manual of Cross-Connection Control — published by the University of Southern California Foundation for Cross-Connection Control and Hydraulic Research, widely adopted as a technical reference by water utilities.
3. AWWA Manual M14 — the American Water Works Association's cross-connection control guidance for public water suppliers.
4. EPA Cross-Connection Control Manual — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's foundational guidance document for water system operators.
5. State plumbing and administrative codes — cited by jurisdiction where content addresses state-specific requirements, such as those enforced by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) or the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).

No content on this platform constitutes legal interpretation, engineering certification, or professional advice. Where a regulatory requirement is described, the governing statute or code section is identified so that the reader can consult the primary source directly.

Listings for service professionals reflect publicly available licensing and certification data. Certification programs such as those administered by the American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA) and USC FCCCHR set the competency benchmarks against which testers are typically evaluated; listings do not independently verify current certification status.

How to use alongside other sources

Backflow Authority functions as a reference and directory layer — not as a replacement for official regulatory communications from water utilities, state agencies, or licensed professionals.

Two distinct source categories should be consulted in parallel:

Official regulatory sources include the local water authority with jurisdiction over a specific service connection, the state drinking water program (typically housed within a state health or environmental agency), and the applicable plumbing code adopted by the state or municipality. These sources hold enforceable authority. The Backflow Listings can help identify the service professionals required to operate within those frameworks, but the applicable rules are determined by those regulatory bodies, not by this platform.

Technical and standards sources — such as ASSE International, AWWA, and USC FCCCHR — publish the device performance standards and testing protocols that licensed testers use. Where a content page cites an ASSE device standard or an AWWA cross-connection control method, consulting the original published standard provides the complete technical specification.

The distinction between backpressure and backsiphonage as the 2 primary backflow mechanisms, the hazard classification system distinguishing high-hazard from low-hazard cross-connections, and the hierarchy of device types (from air gaps to reduced pressure zone assemblies) are covered in reference pages linked from the directory. Those pages are grounded in the standards above and are designed to provide orientation before a practitioner or researcher engages with the primary sources directly.

Feedback and updates

Regulatory requirements in the backflow prevention sector change at the state and local level on irregular schedules — municipal water authorities revise cross-connection control programs, states amend administrative codes, and ASSE publishes updated device standards through its standards development process. Content on this platform is updated when material changes are identified in authoritative primary sources.

Professionals, water utility staff, or researchers who identify outdated regulatory citations, incorrect device classifications, or listing inaccuracies can submit corrections through the Contact page. Submissions that include a reference to the governing source — such as a state administrative code section, an updated ASSE standard designation, or a water utility program document — are prioritized in the review process.

Listing additions for licensed backflow prevention testers and assembly repairers operating in the United States are also submitted through the same channel. Because licensing is administered at the state level across programs that differ in credential type, renewal cycle, and scope of practice, submitted listings are evaluated against the applicable state credentialing framework before publication.