Backflow Base / Tester certification / Hawaii
Backflow tester certification in Hawaii.
Hawaii Administrative Rules 11-21-8 say backflow devices must be inspected and tested by a certified tester approved by the DOH director. The rule sets no tester course or exam; in practice the county water departments (Honolulu BWS, Hawaii County DWS) keep tester lists based on PAMCAH or ABPA certification.
Last updated .
Who certifies
There is no state tester certificate. Each water system decides which certificates it accepts.
What it takes
- Credential
- Certified general tester certificate. Honolulu BWS says testers get a Certificate of Competence from PAMCA(H), USC-FCCCHR or the Cal-Nevada Section of AWWA, and may recertify through ABPA. Hawaii County's list shows PAMCAH and ABPA certificates.
- Training
- Honolulu BWS stopped teaching its own tester course. It sends people to a 5-day class at the PAMCAH Training Workshop.
- Exam
- Given by the certifying body (PAMCAH or ABPA). Details not found.
- Renewal
- Honolulu BWS describes certification as good for three years, with recertification through PAMCAH or ABPA.
Certificates from elsewhere
- ABPA: up to each water system. Honolulu BWS and Hawaii County list ABPA-certified testers. Acceptance is decided by each county water department.
- other: up to each water system. PAMCAH certificates are the other credential on county tester lists (Honolulu BWS refers to the Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association, PAMCA, Local 675).
No other state's certificate is named as valid here. Ask the program before you rely on one.
Where to get certified
- PAMCAH Training WorkshopHonolulu, HI · course and exam · in person. Honolulu BWS refers new testers to its 5-day class and recertification: 808-456-0585. No PAMCAH website was opened.
- American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA)National · exam. Honolulu BWS says testers can recertify through ABPA. Hawaii exam sites not confirmed.
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
Honolulu BWS: the certified tester fills out the Backflow Prevention Installation and Test form; the owner signs and mails, faxes or emails it to the BWS Cross-Connection Control Section. Other counties set their own method.
Largest water systems
Honolulu Board of Water Supply (serves the Honolulu-Windward-Pearl Harbor and Waipahu-Ewa-Waianae systems)
- Contact
- 808-748-5470 · cccs@hbws.org
- Reports
- Mail, fax or email the completed, owner-signed test form to BWS Cross-Connection Control Section, 630 South Beretania Street, Honolulu HI 96843; fax 808-550-5550; cccs@hbws.org.
- Testers
- Testers hold a certificate from PAMCAH, USC-FCCCHR or Cal-Nevada AWWA, or recertify through ABPA. BWS publishes a list of certified testers (dated 03/14/2024). Annual testing program; BWS no longer runs its own tester course.
Maui County Department of Water Supply (Wailuku system)
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system
- Reports
- Military system; no public tester program found.
Mililani water system
Sources
- HAR Title 11 Chapter 21, Cross-Connection and Backflow Control (11-21-8)
- Honolulu BWS: Cross-Connection Control
- Honolulu BWS: Cross-Connection Control Testing Program
- Hawaii County DWS: Certified General Tester List (April 2026)
Little of this could be confirmed from an official source. Call the program or the water system before you rely on it.
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.