Denver Water: backflow testing rules
Serves Denver, CO. Every point below comes from Denver Water's own pages, linked; check your notice for your own deadline.
Who must test
- All commercial, industrial, domestic, irrigation and fire line services must have an approved backflow prevention assembly; single and multi-family homes are assessed by site hazard. Source.
- The customer must have the assembly tested when installed and annually after that by a certified backflow prevention assembly tester. Source.
- Denver Water allows no exemptions or grandfathering of backflow assembly requirements. Source.
Notices and deadlines
- Denver Water sends a testing reminder notice 30 days before the annual test is due; the irrigation testing season runs May to September. Source.
- Denver Water requires testing or installation to be done within 60 days, and three notices are sent before a disconnection within that 60-day time frame. Source.
How the report is filed
- All test reports must be sent by email to crossconnectioncontrol@denverwater.org on the Denver Water test and maintenance report form. Source.
- The test report form says failed test results must be reported to Denver Water within 24 hours of the failure, at 303-628-5969. Source.
Tester registration
- Domestic and irrigation assemblies may be tested by a certified tester with ABPA or ASSE certification; fire assemblies also need State of Colorado Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow certification. Source.
If a test is missed
- A $250 penalty is charged after three mailed notices go unanswered and the service goes into suspension status; it is not refunded. Source.
Read October 6, 2026. Program page: denverwater.org.