City water utility · Texas
Backflow testing in Austin, TX
Austin Water's rules: who must test, when it's due, testers, filing and penalties.
Test each backflow assembly when installed, then yearly if it guards against a health hazard or serves fire sprinklers, hose cabinets, private hydrants, or a building or suite. Most lawn sprinklers need only that first test. Tests are due by the end of a set month. Skipping one can mean a shut-off.
- Who
- Lawn sprinkler systems: every year (some)
- Fire sprinkler lines: every year
- Businesses: every year (some)
- Other connections: every year
- Due
- Each assembly has a due month each year, set by Austin Water.
- Testers
- 654 testers on Austin Water's list (online search, October 2026)
- Filing
- Your tester files online in WEIRS. No filing fee listed.
- If late
- Water can be shut off. Criminal fine (Class C misdemeanor): Up to $2,000 per offense.
Who must have a backflow test
Every new, replaced or rebuilt backflow assembly must be tested when it is put in. After that, have it tested at least once a year if it guards against a health hazard. Yearly tests also apply to fire sprinklers, fire hose cabinets, private fire hydrants, and assemblies that isolate a building or suite. A lawn sprinkler system on plain city water is a low hazard, so it needs only the test at install. Austin Water may ask for more frequent tests. A failed assembly must be repaired or replaced and tested again right away.
- Lawn sprinkler systemsSomeevery year
A lawn sprinkler system on plain city water is a low hazard. Its assembly is tested when installed, but Austin Water does not set a yearly test for it. A yearly test is required when chemicals are added to the irrigation water, or the site has a septic system, a well or other second water source, or another high hazard.
- Fire sprinkler linesRequiredat least once a year
Covers fire sprinklers, fire hose cabinets and private fire hydrants. Fire sprinkler assemblies must be tested by a full-time worker of a fire sprinkler company registered with the State Fire Marshal.
- BusinessesSomeat least once a year
Required when the assembly guards against a health hazard or isolates a building or suite. Sites such as car washes, hospitals and clinics, food plants, labs and laundries, and buildings 80 feet or taller, must have an assembly at the meter.
- Other connectionsRequiredannual operational test
Sites that also use reclaimed water, well water or another alternate water source must test the assembly at the city water connection every year. Water-hauling trucks that fill from hydrants need a yearly test too.
Assemblies tested: Reduced pressure assembly (RP or RPZ), Double check valve assembly, Pressure vacuum breaker, Spill-resistant vacuum breaker, Reduced pressure detector assembly (fire lines), Double check detector assembly (fire lines). What these are
Source: austin.widen.net · checked Oct 18, 2026
When the test is due
Each assembly has a due month each year, set by Austin Water. Get the test done by the last day of that month. A new or replaced assembly must be tested when it is installed.
Notices: Austin Water mails a first reminder letter in the month before the test is due and a second letter in the due month. If your assembly was never registered with Austin Water, you may get no letter, but the test is still required.
Source: services.austintexas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Finding a tester
Pick a tester from Austin Water's list of registered backflow testers. Only testers licensed by TCEQ and registered with Austin Water may test in its area. For fire sprinkler assemblies, the tester must work full time for a fire sprinkler company registered with the State Fire Marshal.
Online search · 654 testers · dated Oct 18, 2026
Source: services.austintexas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Filing the test report
- Who files
- Your tester
- How
- Online in WEIRS
- Deadline
- Within five calendar days after the test
- Fee
- None listed by the utility
Austin Water is moving test filing from WEIRS to a new system called Klir on October 26, 2026. Your tester files the report.
Source: austintexas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
If the test is late or fails
Skipping a required test breaks city code. Fines can reach $2,000 per offense, and the city can sue for up to $5,000 per violation, with each day counted on its own. Austin Water can shut off water if an assembly is not tested or repaired, or if a violation is not fixed within five days after you learn of it. If a high-hazard assembly fails, do not use the water past it until it is fixed (fire sprinklers are exempt).
- Criminal fine (Class C misdemeanor): Up to $2,000 per offense
- Civil penalty: Up to $5,000 per violation; each day is a separate violation
Failed test: Repair or replace an assembly that fails before you use it again, and have it retested right after the repair. If it guards against a high hazard, do not use the water past it until it is fixed. This does not apply to fire sprinklers or critical care sites.
Rule: Austin City Code §§ 15-1-66, 15-1-67, 15-1-69
Source: austin.widen.net · checked Oct 18, 2026
For testers working in Austin
Testers must register with Austin Water before their reports are accepted.
- TCEQ Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester license
- Water Protection Technician Registration Application
- Backflow Gauge Registration Form for each test gauge (not needed when using the employer's registered gauges)
- Registered gauges tested for accuracy annually, results submitted to Austin Water
- Test methods approved by TCEQ and described in the USC Cross Connection Manual
- Proof of each TCEQ license renewal sent to Austin Water
Get your TCEQ backflow tester license first. Then send Austin Water a Water Protection Technician Registration Application and a Backflow Gauge Registration Form by email or mail; walk-ins are not accepted. Skip the gauge form if you will use your employer's registered gauges. Once you are set up, Austin Water emails steps for filing reports online. Send proof each time you renew your TCEQ license. Three violation notices in two years bring a one-year suspension.
Source: austintexas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
The rules behind it
- Austin City Code Chapter 15-1 (Cross-Connection Regulations), Ordinance 20250410-002: Effective April 21, 2025; replaced Ordinance 040108-3.
- Austin City Code Chapter 25-12, Article 6 (Plumbing Code and local amendments)
- Austin City Code Chapter 15-3 (Fire Hydrant Regulation): Hydrant meters and water-hauling vehicles.
Contact Austin Water
- Program
- Cross Connection Control / Water Protection Program
- Phone
- 512-972-1060 (option 5)
- awcrossconnection@austintexas.gov
Source: austintexas.gov · checked Oct 18, 2026
Backflow testing in Austin: questions
Do I need a backflow test for my sprinkler system in Austin?
Only some systems need it, and then every year. A lawn sprinkler system on plain city water is a low hazard. Its assembly is tested when installed, but Austin Water does not set a yearly test for it. A yearly test is required when chemicals are added to the irrigation water, or the site has a septic system, a well or other second water source, or another high hazard.
When is my backflow test due in Austin?
Each assembly has a due month each year, set by Austin Water. Get the test done by the last day of that month. A new or replaced assembly must be tested when it is installed. Austin Water mails a first reminder letter in the month before the test is due and a second letter in the due month. If your assembly was never registered with Austin Water, you may get no letter, but the test is still required.
How do I find a backflow tester in Austin?
Pick a tester from Austin Water's list of registered backflow testers. Only testers licensed by TCEQ and registered with Austin Water may test in its area. For fire sprinkler assemblies, the tester must work full time for a fire sprinkler company registered with the State Fire Marshal.
Who sends the backflow test report to Austin Water?
Your tester files the test report in WEIRS, within five calendar days. Austin Water is moving test filing from WEIRS to a new system called Klir on October 26, 2026. Your tester files the report.
What happens if I skip my backflow test in Austin?
Skipping a required test breaks city code. Fines can reach $2,000 per offense, and the city can sue for up to $5,000 per violation, with each day counted on its own. Austin Water can shut off water if an assembly is not tested or repaired, or if a violation is not fixed within five days after you learn of it. If a high-hazard assembly fails, do not use the water past it until it is fixed (fire sprinklers are exempt).
What if my backflow assembly fails the test?
Repair or replace an assembly that fails before you use it again, and have it retested right after the repair. If it guards against a high hazard, do not use the water past it until it is fixed. This does not apply to fire sprinklers or critical care sites.
Every fact on this page comes from Austin Water's own pages, forms or code, checked Oct 18, 2026. Rules change: your notice and the utility have the final word. Spot a mistake? Tell us.