Backflow Testing & Compliance — Washington State Serving properties across Washington
Northwest Clear coordinates certified backflow assembly testing for Washington properties. Compliance records are organized by property address, so you can track every job across every building in one place.
Schedule Backflow TestHow backflow testing works in Washington
Every water purveyor in Washington State is required by WAC 246-290-490 to operate a Cross-Connection Control Program. In practice this means one thing for property owners: if you have a backflow assembly on your service line, on your fire sprinkler, on your irrigation, or on a boiler or process connection — it has to be tested every year by a Washington State certified Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT), and the results have to reach your water purveyor through whatever submission channel they use.
The rule is state-wide, but the enforcement details vary. Seattle Public Utilities uses the SwiftComply portal. Tacoma Water accepts mail, email, or fax within 15 days of the test. Smaller water districts sometimes still use paper forms. Whatever your purveyor uses, your tester needs to know it — that's part of what routing a job through Northwest Clear handles.
How to book
- Schedule your property and preferred appointment window.
- We coordinate a certified BAT based on routing and availability.
- Testing happens on-site and the report goes to your purveyor through their standard channel.
- Records stay accessible to you, organized by property address, for future audits or inspections.
Where we serve
Coverage is strongest in the Seattle metro and Puget Sound region — Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, and the surrounding cities where our certified testers are most active. We're expanding statewide as vendor coverage grows. Choose a city to view local coverage details, the specific water purveyor for that area, and how their reporting works.
Water purveyors, in plain language
Washington has hundreds of water purveyors — the utility that provides your drinking water and enforces backflow compliance on your property. In dense areas it's usually a city utility (Seattle Public Utilities, Tacoma Water, Bellevue Utilities). In suburban and rural areas it's more often a water district (Northshore Utility District, Lakehaven Water & Sewer District, Sammamish Plateau Water & Sewer District, and many more).
The purveyor is the entity your annual notice comes from. It's usually printed on your water bill. If you're not sure who your purveyor is, look at your bill or check the address of your property on the Washington State Department of Health Drinking Water resources.
Who this is for
Property managers tracking compliance across multiple buildings; HOAs and multifamily owners keeping their assembly inventory current; commercial and industrial facilities with high-hazard cross-connections; irrigation-heavy properties with seasonal testing needs; and homeowners with a backflow preventer on their service line, sprinkler system, or fire line.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Washington require annual testing?
Backflow — the reverse flow of water back into the public drinking water system — can carry contaminants from private plumbing into everyone's water supply. WAC 246-290-490 requires purveyors to run cross-connection control programs, and annual testing is how those programs verify that installed backflow preventers are still working.
Who has to test — the property owner or the tenant?
The water service owner is responsible, which is usually the property owner. Leases sometimes assign this to a tenant, but the purveyor's enforcement action (charges, water service termination) is against the account holder.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
It depends on your purveyor, but common consequences include non-compliance charges (SPU, Tacoma), escalating notices (Snoqualmie sends four notices then locks the meter), and eventually water service termination for continued non-compliance.
Can any plumber do the test?
No. Only a Washington State certified Backflow Assembly Tester (BAT) can test and submit. Certification is issued by Washington Certification Services and has to be renewed. Testers also have to submit current test-kit calibration records to be accepted by many purveyors.
Do you perform the tests yourselves?
Northwest Clear coordinates the job — routing it to a certified BAT in your area, capturing your address and access notes, and helping keep records organized. The certified tester performs the actual test and submits it to your purveyor.
Is there a fee I owe Northwest Clear directly?
Your bill for the test comes from the certified tester who performs the work, under their own pricing. Northwest Clear charges the tester a small routing fee — that's not passed to you.