Tacoma · Pierce County
Backflow testing in Tacoma — on Tacoma Water’s schedule
Tacoma Water assigns each assembly its own test-due date and expects the report within 15 days of the test. Sign us up as your Authorized Tester and your notice comes straight to us — we schedule you, test, and file. You just open the door.
Tacoma Water program
How Tacoma’s backflow program works
The short version, summarized from the utility’s own cross-connection control materials.
Source: Tacoma Water (Tacoma Public Utilities) · verified October 2026 ↗Tacoma Water assigns a test-due date to every assembly. You test by that date regardless of when your last test was done.
Assemblies are tested at installation, after repair or replacement, and annually after that.
Test reports must reach Tacoma Water within 15 days of the test, and must be complete, signed, and include the tester’s certification number.
Failure to comply can bring a $100-per-occurrence penalty, a required assembly at the meter at the owner’s expense, and/or water shutoff.
Tacoma Water won’t accept reports until it has the tester’s current BAT card and test-kit calibration on file.
Report submission
Reports go to Tacoma Water’s Water Quality section by email, fax or mail. We file electronically the day of your test.
Questions for the utility: backflow@cityoftacoma.org
On the ground
What we see in Tacoma
Every city’s housing stock and commercial mix shapes what’s in the meter box.
The Authorized Tester Program
Tacoma Water lets you designate one tester to receive your annual notice. Once you name us, the notice comes to us and we handle the whole cycle — no more letters on your kitchen counter.
Tideflats & industrial
Port-adjacent and industrial sites often need RP premises isolation and internal equipment protection. We test RPs, RPDAs and DCDAs, and document everything for your compliance file.
Neighborhoods
Serving all of Tacoma
Tacoma Water also serves customers outside city limits, and some Pierce County addresses are on other districts. Your water bill will say who your purveyor is.
- North End
- Proctor
- Stadium District
- Downtown
- Hilltop
- Old Town
- Ruston Way
- South Tacoma
- Lincoln District
- Eastside
- Northeast Tacoma
- Tideflats
FAQ
Tacoma backflow questions
01 Who can test my backflow assembly in Tacoma?
02 How do backflow test reports get submitted to Tacoma Water?
03 How much does backflow testing cost in Tacoma?
04 What if my assembly fails in Tacoma?
Field test report · next due
Tacoma test due? We’ll handle it.
Book online in two minutes. We test, repair if needed, and file the report with your water utility — and remind you next year.