Backflow Base / Tester certification / Arizona
Backflow tester certification in Arizona.
No state-issued certificate. The rule requires testing by a person currently certified as a general tester by CA-NV AWWA, the ASETT Center, or another authority ADEQ approves. Cities add their own lists and paperwork.
Last updated .
Who certifies
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (A.A.C. R18-4-215)
The state sets a minimum; a water system may ask for more.
What it takes
- Credential
- General tester certification from CA-NV AWWA, ASETT Center, or another ADEQ-approved authority.
- Before you start
- Phoenix: a contractor license is not needed if you only test and do no permitted work.
- Exam
- Given by the certifying authority.
- Test kit
- Phoenix: gauge must have passed a calibration test within 12 months of the test report date.
Certificates from elsewhere
- AWWA: accepted as it is. CA-NV AWWA is named in R18-4-215.
- other: accepted as it is. ASETT Center is named in R18-4-215.
- ABPA: up to each water system. Phoenix counts ABPA as a certified tester; the state rule only says other ADEQ-approved authority.
- ASSE 5110: up to each water system. Phoenix counts ASSE Series 5000 certification.
No other state's certificate is named as valid here. Ask the program before you rely on one.
Where to get certified
- CA-NV Section AWWARancho Cucamonga, CA · exam · in person. Runs the BPAT exam. Fall 2026 sessions listed in Sunnyvale, Rancho Cucamonga, Newbury Park, Lake Elsinore, Sacramento, Madera and Las Vegas. Exam $355 members, $385 non-members.
- American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA)exam. Phoenix accepts ABPA certification. Check its event list for Arizona exam sites.
Listed for convenience, not endorsed. Check that a course is on the state's approved list before you pay.
Free exam prep → Study questions, practice exams, device tests.
Test procedures for every assembly → The steps we recommend for the field exam.
Filing test reports
The water system sets the date results are due. Cities keep approved tester lists.
Deadline: Phoenix: within 10 days of each test. Tucson: within 5 days.
Largest water systems
City of Phoenix
- Contact
- 602-262-7811
- Reports
- Send the original test report to Planning and Development Cross-Connection Control within 10 days on a Phoenix-approved form. Fire-line tests also go to Phoenix Fire.
- Testers
- Testers must be on the city list. Provide competency certification, gauge calibration report, and a City of Phoenix Privilege License (contractor license only if doing permitted work).
City of Tucson (Tucson Water)
- Contact
- 520-791-2650
- Reports
- Submit test data online directly to Tucson Water within 5 days of the test.
- Testers
- Tester must be registered with Tucson Water and listed as approved, having passed a state-approved course.
City of Mesa
Town of Gilbert
City of Chandler
Sources
- A.A.C. R18-4-215 Backflow Prevention
- Phoenix backflow tester requirements (rev 7/2025)
- Tucson Water approved testers
- CA-NV AWWA BPAT certification
Checked 2026-10-19 against each state's own program pages and rules. Rules change; confirm with the program before you book an exam or a test. Spot something out of date? hello@backflowbase.com.
The software
- Bookings from a booking page, your own website, and an AI receptionist on your phone.
- Schedule board and route for each tester.
- Field app that scores every test, even with no signal.
- Test reports sent to the water system that serves each address.
- Card payments to your own Stripe account, and yearly renewals that charge after the test.
- Client portal for HOAs, property managers and contractors.
- $50/month flat: no per-test fee, no cut of payments.
- Every feature →What the app does, part by part.
- Compare →Next to other backflow and field-service software.
- Start free →No card. $50/month or $500/year once you go live, 45 days free.
- Free exam prep →Study questions, practice exams, device tests, a VR wet lab.