Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
Connecticut does not sell a DCP trade card titled backflow tester. To test assemblies that count for a public water system, you need Department of Public Health tester certification from the Drinking Water Section. Install or repair work is separate plumbing licensing under Chapter 393. Course tuition is the big check. Confirm fees, accepted schools, and processing with DPH. No timing promises.
Do you need a license for backflow tester in Connecticut?
Yes, if the test has to count. Official tests that a public water system uses for its cross connection program have to be done by someone the Department of Public Health recognizes as a certified backflow prevention device tester. That is a public-health credential, not a Department of Consumer Protection trade license with the word tester on it.
People mix this up every year. They buy a national wallet card, print business cards, and then a water company rejects the report. The rejection is not personal. The utility is following the state drinking-water rules and its own written program.
Install, replace, or rebuild the assembly and you are in a different statute. Plumbing and piping work is licensed work in Connecticut. Chapter 393 of the General Statutes is the trade-license chapter, and section 20-334 is the line that says you do not practice that work without the license the chapter provides. [3][6]
Testing an existing device for a water company is usually treated as DPH certification work. Cutting the device out, putting a new one in, or doing repair that is plumbing work is DCP work. Some jobs are both. Ask both boards on the actual task, not on a slogan.
Skip the national myth that one weekend class in another state is a Connecticut license. It is not. Confirm the current tester application, the accepted course list, and whether your planned work also needs a P-license with the Drinking Water Section and with DCP Occupational Licensing. [10][11]
Local water companies still sit in the middle. MDC, Regional Water Authority, Aquarion, and small municipal systems can all demand their own form, their own due month, and their own proof that you are on the state list. The state credential gets you in the door. It does not write the utility’s paperwork for you.
Who issues the backflow tester credential in Connecticut?
The Connecticut Department of Public Health, through the Drinking Water Section’s Cross Connection Control program, is the agency that certifies testers for public-water-system work. [10] DPH’s authority over the purity and adequacy of public water supplies is in section 25-32 of the General Statutes. [3] The Public Health Code itself is adopted under section 19a-36. [4]
The code sections testers actually bump into are 19-13-B102, the drinking-water quality standards that include cross connection control, and 19-13-B38a, the plumbing and service-line rules that let a water company require a backflow preventer on a customer’s line. [1][2]
DPH also certifies cross connection survey inspectors. That is a different card. Survey work is about finding hazards. Tester work is about putting a differential gage on an assembly and recording pass or fail. Do not assume one certificate covers the other. Confirm both titles on the current DPH materials.
DCP does not issue a backflow tester license. DCP licenses plumbing and piping contractors and journeypersons. If you only test, you still talk to DPH. If you advertise repair, you talk to DCP too. [11]
Federal rules do not mail you a Connecticut card. They explain why the state bothers. National Primary Drinking Water Regulations appear at 40 CFR Part 141. [9] The U.S. EPA published Cross-Connection Control Manual EPA 816-R-03-002 in 2003. [7]
What is the difference between DPH tester certification and a plumbing license?
DPH tester certification lets you test specified backflow assemblies and sign a report a public water system can accept. A DCP plumbing and piping license lets you perform licensed plumbing work, which is how most install and repair jobs are classified. You can hold both. Plenty of testers never get the plumbing license and stay in test-only work. That is a business choice, not a loophole.
Section 20-330 of the General Statutes defines the licensed occupations. Section 20-334 is blunt. The statute says, "No person shall engage in, practice or offer to perform the work of any occupation listed in subsection (a) of section 20-330 unless such person has first obtained a license as provided in this chapter." [5][6]
Read that again before you advertise rebuilds. Offering the work is part of the violation, more than turning the wrench.
Here is the split I would use when someone asks what to get first.
| Credential | Agency | What it is for | Typical path |
|---|---|---|---|
| DPH backflow prevention device tester | Department of Public Health, Drinking Water Section | Official tests and reports for a public water system | DPH-accepted course, exam, application; confirm current term |
| DPH cross connection survey inspector | Same DPH section | Hazard surveys, not the annual gage test | Separate DPH course and certificate; confirm current rules |
| P-2 / P-1 plumbing and piping | Department of Consumer Protection | Install, replace, alter, or repair piping and assemblies | Apprenticeship plus DCP exam and license; years, not days |
| National ASSE 5110 (or similar) card | Private standard body | Training standard many schools teach to | Useful prep; not automatic Connecticut authorization |
If you want a shop that tests and repairs, budget time for both agencies. If you only want seasonal test routes, start with DPH and stay in your lane.
Other states draw the line in other places. The California write-up is a useful contrast if you are moving: backflow tester license in California. So is backflow tester license in Arizona.
How much does backflow tester cost in Connecticut?
There is no honest single sticker price. The state does not publish one number that covers school, the DPH credential, a gage, calibration, and insurance. Anyone who quotes a fake "Connecticut license fee" as if it were tuition plus tools is selling a myth.
The largest check for most new testers is the accepted course. Schools and water-works associations set their own tuition. It moves. Call the provider on the current DPH accepted list and get the number in writing. Do not use a blog price from three years ago.
DPH’s own application or certificate fee, if any, is whatever the current form says. Confirm it on the Drinking Water Section Cross Connection Control materials before you write a check. [10] I am not going to invent a figure. Invented fees are how people bounce applications.
Then the business costs land. A usable differential-pressure gage kit is a capital buy, not a stationery pack. Annual gage calibration is a recurring bill. Vehicle, liability insurance, and whatever city or town registration your company needs are separate. None of that is the DPH card.
If you also need a plumbing license, stop thinking in hundreds of dollars. Apprenticeship wages, DCP exam fees, and contractor-level insurance are a different budget. Confirm every DCP fee on the current Occupational Licensing fee schedule. [11]
Waste of money: paying twice for two national weekend classes before you know which schools DPH will accept this year. Call DPH first. Then enroll.
How long does backflow tester take in Connecticut?
The tester course is measured in days, not years. Providers run multi-day classes with a written test and a hands-on gage practical at the end. The exact hours and calendar sit with the school. Ask for the current outline before you take leave from work.
DPH processing time after you pass is not something I will guess. Boards change staffing. Mail gets lost. Confirm the current intake steps and any posted timeline with the Drinking Water Section when you submit. There is no approval guarantee and no promised ship date in this article. [10]
If you already hold an out-of-state tester card, do not add a week in your head and call it reciprocity. Connecticut either accepts that path on current written policy or it does not. Get the answer from DPH, in writing if you can.
Add the plumbing license and the clock changes completely. Chapter 393 work is an apprenticeship-plus-exam path. That is measured in years of documented on-the-job hours. It is a real career track. It is not how you start testing next month. [6][11]
First season reality: even after the certificate arrives, water companies may want to see you on a list, may want a sample report, and may only hand you devices in their test cycle. That cycle is often spring. Plan the class so you are certified before the rush, not during it.
For a longer start-from-zero narrative in another state, see how to start as a backflow tester in California. The sequence is similar. The agencies are not.
What training and exam does Connecticut actually accept?
Only the courses and exams DPH currently accepts. That list can include in-state classes and regional water-works training. It can exclude a class that looks impressive on Instagram. The Drinking Water Section is the source of truth, not a trainer’s sales page. [10]
Expect a written exam and a practical exam on a real assembly. If you cannot pull a reliable test on a reduced-pressure principle assembly under a proctor, you are not ready. The U.S. EPA’s 2003 manual is still the federal reference trainers lean on for why the test matters. EPA 816-R-03-002 defines a cross-connection as "any temporary or permanent connection between a public water system or consumer's potable (i.e., drinking) water system and any source or system containing nonpotable water or other substances." [7]
ASSE 5110 is the common national professional-qualification outline schools teach to. It is a training standard. It is not a Connecticut statute. Treat it as prep unless DPH has said, in current writing, that a specific 5110 program substitutes for their process.
I would sit the class that DPH names, even if you already tested in another state. Field habits drift. Connecticut report fields are picky. A refresher that matches the local form saves you a season of bounced paperwork.
Skip any class that will not show you the practical setup before you pay. If they cannot tell you which assemblies you will test on site, keep shopping.
What paper do you file after you pass the Connecticut tester process?
Three piles. State credential paper. Utility test paper. Business paper. Mix them up and you will lose a week.
State pile: the DPH application, whatever ID and course completion proof the form lists, and the fee the form lists. Use the current Cross Connection Control packet, not a photocopy from a friend. [10] After you are certified, keep a copy of the certificate in the truck and a copy at the office. Water company clerks ask for it at the worst time.
Utility pile: each public water system has a report layout. Some still want carbon forms. Some want a portal. Some want both for a year. The regulation framework is 19-13-B102 and the system’s own written cross connection program. [1] You do not get to invent a prettier PDF and call it compliant.
Business pile: municipal tax registration if you are a company, insurance certificates a property manager will demand, and a written scope that says test-only if that is all you are licensed to do. Over-promising repair on a flyer is how Chapter 393 problems start. [6]
If you want a one-time paper pack aimed at ASSE 5110 and 5115 testers, ASSEPath sells a $149 Tester Kit. It is a study and forms aid, not a Connecticut credential, and this guide works if you never buy it.
Failed-device paper matters more than pass paper. Know who you notify, how fast the water company wants the fail, and whether you are allowed to discuss repair. If you are test-only, your next sentence is a referral to a licensed plumber, not a quote to rebuild the relief valve.
Can you test with only an ASSE 5110 card in Connecticut?
Not unless DPH currently says that specific credential meets their tester rule. A national card is proof you sat a recognized outline. It is not automatic authority to sign a Connecticut public-water-system test.
I have watched people learn this the expensive way. They mailed reports with an out-of-state number. The utility sent them back. The devices were still due. The customer was angry at the tester, not at the clerk.
Ask DPH two direct questions. Do you accept this named course and exam for initial certification? If I already hold this named credential, what extra form do you want? Get the answer against this year’s policy. [10]
ASSE 5115 is the repairer outline. That still does not replace a DCP plumbing license for install or repair in Connecticut. Two different governments. Two different statutes. [6][11]
If you test in more than one state, keep a folder per state. Colorado’s path is not Connecticut’s. Start with backflow tester license in Colorado if you also work west of here, then come back to DPH for the Connecticut folder.
What equipment do you need to test assemblies in Connecticut?
A calibrated differential-pressure gage kit that can test the assemblies you will actually see: reduced-pressure principle, double check, and the pressure-vacuum-breaker family if your customers have them. Cheap gages that will not hold calibration are a waste of money. Buy once, then budget the lab calibration every year.
Water companies can ask for the calibration certificate with your first report. Keep it with the DPH card. EPA’s shorter 2006 best-practices piece, EPA 816-F-06-035, is the federal plain-language companion to the 2003 manual if you need something you can hand a building owner. [8]
You also need fittings that match test cocks without destroying them, a way to drain without flooding a mechanical room, and personal gear for basements that are wet, dark, and loud. None of that is regulated like the certificate. All of it shows up on day one.
Do not test with a borrowed gage you cannot prove was calibrated. If the reading is challenged, you own the number on the form.
Leave fire-protection assemblies alone until you know the additional rules the fire marshal and the water company apply. Some of those tests sit with fire-protection contractors, not with a brand-new domestic tester.
How do you stay certified and keep Connecticut tests valid?
Follow the recertification cycle DPH publishes on the current tester materials. I am not going to invent a term of years. Boards change continuing-education rules. Confirm the expiration on your certificate and the refresher DPH wants before that date. [10]
Keep the gage in calibration. A current DPH card plus a stale gage is how a utility tosses a whole stack of spring tests.
File reports the way the water system wrote the program, including fails. Late pass reports are a customer problem. Late fail reports are a contamination-control problem. The code sections behind that urgency are still 19-13-B102 and 19-13-B38a. [1][2]
If you move, change your name, or change the company on the report, tell DPH and the utilities that list you. Clerks match names. They do not guess.
I would put a recurring calendar reminder 90 days before expiration. Sitting a refresher during the April rush is a rookie move.
What happens if you test without the right Connecticut credential?
The water company can refuse the report. The property can miss a compliance deadline. The public water system still has to run its cross connection program under the Public Health Code. [1][10]
If the work you did was actually plumbing work, DCP can treat it as unlicensed practice under Chapter 393. Section 20-334 is the license-required rule. [6] That is a trade-enforcement problem, not a slap on the wrist from a blog comment.
Customers can also refuse to pay for a report nobody will accept. You have almost no bargaining power when the official list does not have your name.
Do the boring thing. Get the DPH tester certificate before you sell tests. Get the DCP license before you sell repairs. If a general contractor pushes you to "just tag it," walk.
Alabama and Alaska draw different agency maps, but the same trap exists. Skim backflow tester license in Alabama or backflow tester license in Alaska if you are comparing states before you move a truck.
How does Connecticut compare with other states for backflow testers?
Connecticut is a two-agency state for most people who want to test and repair. DPH owns tester certification for public-water-system reports. DCP owns plumbing licenses for pipe work. Some states fold tester approval into the water utility or into a single plumbing board. That is why a California or Arizona card does not answer the Connecticut question. [10][11]
The federal backdrop is the same everywhere. 40 CFR Part 141 is the national primary drinking-water rule set. [9] EPA 816-R-03-002 is still the manual health departments point to when they explain backflow. [7] The paper on your visor is still state paper.
What I would actually do if I were entering this trade in Connecticut next month: call the Drinking Water Section, get the accepted course list, enroll in one named class, and ask DCP in writing whether my planned repair ads need a plumbing license. I would not order embroidered shirts until both answers are in hand.
If you like side-by-side state reading, use how to start as a backflow tester in Arizona next, then come back and re-read the DPH steps. Different desert. Same need to confirm with the board.
What should you do in week one on the Connecticut paper path?
Call DPH Drinking Water Section and ask for the current backflow prevention device tester application, the accepted training list, and the recertification rule that applies to new certificates. Write down the person’s name and the date. [10]
Call DCP Occupational Licensing and describe the work you plan to sell, word for word from your draft flyer. Ask if that language requires a plumbing and piping license. [11]
Pick one accepted school. Pay that tuition. Do not pay a second national class until DPH says you need it.
Read 19-13-B102 and 19-13-B38a so the code citations on utility letters are not a foreign language. [1][2] Read section 25-32 if you want the statute behind DPH’s water-supply authority. [3] Connecticut plumbing and piping occupations are licensed under Chapter 393 of the Connecticut General Statutes. [5]
ASSEPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. If you want the kit after you read the state path, the start page is /start.
Then wait for written board answers before you promise a customer a test date. No article can approve you. This one will not pretend to.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for backflow tester in Connecticut?
You need DPH Drinking Water Section certification to test assemblies for a public water system’s cross connection program. That is not a DCP tester license. Install or repair work generally needs a separate plumbing and piping license under Chapter 393. Confirm both with DPH and DCP before you advertise. Utility report rules still apply after you are certified.
How much does backflow tester cost in Connecticut?
There is no single state sticker price. Course tuition is usually the largest cost and is set by the school on DPH’s accepted list. Confirm any DPH application fee on the current form. Add a gage kit, yearly calibration, insurance, and business registration. Plumbing licensure is a separate budget. Do not trust recycled fee posts.
How long does backflow tester take in Connecticut?
The accepted tester class is a multi-day course with written and practical exams. DPH processing after you apply is not a promised interval. Confirm intake steps with the Drinking Water Section. A plumbing license, if you need one, is an apprenticeship path measured in years. Plan the class before the spring test rush.
Does Connecticut accept an ASSE 5110 card by itself?
Only if DPH currently says that named credential meets tester certification rules. ASSE 5110 is a national training outline, not a Connecticut statute. Ask the Drinking Water Section about this year’s accepted courses and any extra form for out-of-state holders. Do not mail utility reports on a national number unless DPH and the utility agree.
Do I need a plumbing license to test a backflow preventer in Connecticut?
Test-only work that a public water system accepts is built around DPH tester certification. Cutting in a new assembly or repairing one is usually licensed plumbing under Chapter 393 and section 20-334. Describe the exact job to DCP Occupational Licensing. If your flyer offers rebuilds, get the plumbing answer in writing first.
Who do I call if the Connecticut course list is unclear?
Call the Department of Public Health Drinking Water Section Cross Connection Control program and ask for the current accepted training list and tester application. That program page is the right starting point, not a trainer’s ad. If repair is in scope, call DCP Occupational Licensing next and read them your proposed services line by line.
How often do I recertify as a Connecticut backflow tester?
Use the expiration and refresher rule printed on your DPH certificate and the current tester packet. Recertification cycles are set by the department and can change. Confirm the term when you apply and again the year you lapse. Keep gage calibration current at the same time or utilities may reject otherwise valid reports.
Can I test fire-line backflow assemblies with the same Connecticut credential?
Not automatically. Fire-protection assemblies can sit under fire-marshal rules, water-company rules, and sometimes a different contractor license. Ask the water purveyor and DPH whether your tester certificate covers that device class. If the work includes piping changes, ask DCP as well. Do not guess on a sprinkler riser.
What test reports does Connecticut require?
DPH sets the tester credential. Each public water system sets the report layout, due dates, and fail-notification steps inside its cross connection program under the Public Health Code, including 19-13-B102. Use the utility’s form. A custom PDF that omits their fields will bounce. Keep copies of passes and fails.
Can out-of-state testers work in Connecticut?
Only after you satisfy current DPH tester rules. There is no reliable walk-in reciprocity you should count on. Send DPH your existing credential and ask what application, course, or exam they still want. Do not schedule paying customers until you are on the list the water company checks. Confirm every step. No timing guarantee.
Is a business license required to hire out as a tester in Connecticut?
State tester certification is not a city business license. If you operate a company, you still handle municipal registration, tax accounts, and insurance that building owners request. Those are local and tax rules, not DPH exam rules. Confirm with the town where the business sits and with your insurer before you invoice.
What is the difference between a tester and a survey inspector in Connecticut?
A certified tester gages assemblies and signs test reports. A certified cross connection survey inspector looks for hazards and cross connections. DPH runs both credentials through the Drinking Water Section. They are not interchangeable. Confirm which certificate a water company wants for the contract you are bidding.
Do I need my gage calibrated to test in Connecticut?
Plan on it. Water companies commonly ask for a current calibration certificate with your DPH credentials. A stale gage puts every report at risk. Use a lab that documents the date and keep the paper with the kit. Replace a gage that will not hold calibration. Cheap tools that drift are a waste of money.
Where do I find the current DPH backflow tester application?
Use the Connecticut DPH Drinking Water Section Cross Connection Control program materials and the application they post or mail for this year. Do not reuse a friend’s old PDF. Pair that with the accepted course list from the same office. If the page is being reorganized, call the section and ask them to email the current packet.
Sources
- Connecticut eRegulations, RCSA 19-13-B102 Standards for Quality of Public Drinking Water: Connecticut’s public drinking-water code, including cross connection control provisions public water systems follow
- Connecticut eRegulations, RCSA 19-13-B38a: Public Health Code rules on water-company service lines and customer plumbing, including backflow-preventer requirements
- Connecticut General Assembly, CGS § 25-32 (Chapter 474): Department of Public Health jurisdiction over purity and adequacy of public water supply sources
- Connecticut General Assembly, CGS § 19a-36 Public Health Code (Chapter 368a): Statutory authority for adoption of the Connecticut Public Health Code
- Connecticut General Assembly, CGS § 20-330 (Chapter 393): Definitions of licensed occupations including plumbing and piping work
- Connecticut General Assembly, CGS § 20-334 (Chapter 393): License required to engage in, practice, or offer licensed trade work under Chapter 393
- U.S. EPA, Cross-Connection Control Manual EPA 816-R-03-002 (2003): Federal definition of a cross-connection and the national technical manual states still cite
- U.S. EPA, Cross-Connection Control: A Best Practices Guide EPA 816-F-06-035 (2006): Federal plain-language companion guidance on preventing backflow into potable systems
- eCFR, 40 CFR Part 141 National Primary Drinking Water Regulations: Federal primary drinking-water regulations that sit behind state public-water-system programs
- Connecticut DPH Drinking Water Section: DPH program that administers cross connection control and tester certification materials
- Connecticut DCP, License Services Division: DCP occupational licensing division for plumbing and piping contractor and journeyperson credentials