Backflow Base / Tester certification / South Carolina
Backflow tester certification in South Carolina.
Regulation R.61-58.7(F) requires testing by a state-certified tester. SC DES must be the certifying agency for all testers in South Carolina. Tester types are General, Limited, Inspector and Manufacturer's Agent.
Last updated .
Who certifies
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SC DES), Bureau of Water, Cross Connection Control
803-898-4426 · Steve.Fox@des.sc.gov
The state issues the certificate testers need.
What it takes
- Credential
- SC DES Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester certification (General Tester)
- Before you start
- None required; water industry experience is encouraged.
- Training
- Four-day SC DES certification workshop with classroom and wet lab. The SC DES page says four days; Grand Strand's page says three.
- Exam
- Proctored practical exam and written exam at the end of the workshop.
- Renewal
- License expires every 3 years. Recertify by passing a 25-question written exam and testing a DC, a PVB and an RP in the wet lab, at a recertification center, or retake the workshop. No reciprocity recertifications.
- Test kit
- Differential gauge must be accurate within 2% of full scale or +/- 0.3 psi differential.
- Fees
- Grand Strand lists $250 per person for the 3-day state workshop (its page, not SC DES). SC DES page lists no fee.
Certificates from elsewhere
- other: not accepted. SC DES says there is no direct reciprocation with any training provider; outside-trained testers must pass a one-day SC DES event.
South Carolina does not accept other states' tester certificates.
Where to get certified
- SC DES certification workshopsWest Columbia, SC · course and exam · in person. State-run 4-day workshops at the Civil Air Patrol building, 3901 CAP Wing Drive. All 2026 classes listed were full; there is a waiting list.
- SC DES workshops in Charleston and Seneca (labelled PAI Class)North Charleston, SC · course and exam · in person. Listed on the SC DES schedule (Nov 3-6, 2026 in North Charleston; Sept 22-25 in Seneca). Full when checked.
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
Test reports go to the water system serving the property. SC DES publishes a Backflow Assembly Test Report Form.
Largest water systems
Greenville Water
- Contact
- 864-241-6000 · bfp@greenvillewater.com
- Reports
- Certified testers upload results to the Backflow Test Result Portal linked on the page. New testers email a photo of their certification to bfp@greenvillewater.com.
- Testers
- Greenville Water does not install or test devices. Certification photo required for new testers.
City of Columbia (Utilities and Engineering)
Charleston Water System
- Contact
- 843-727-7148
- Reports
- Annual test by a third-party tester from the Approved Tester List; filing method not stated on the page.
- Testers
- Certifies third-party testers and keeps an Approved Tester List. Customers must use a tester from that list.
Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority
- Contact
- 843-443-8200
- Reports
- Testers use the GSWSA Backflow Device Test Report Form.
- Testers
- Runs a backflow recertification schedule and application. Tester must be SC DES certified.
Spartanburg Water System
Sources
- SC DES Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention
- Greenville Water Backflow Prevention
- Charleston Water System Backflow
- GSWSA Backflow Prevention
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.