water utility · official record
Denver utility backflow testing requirements
Denver Water is a strong flagship Colorado utility because it publishes the annual reminder cycle, irrigation season rule, reporting path, and an explicit penalty for ignored notices.
Fast answer
Who, when, and what device?
Denver Water sends a testing reminder 30 days before the annual test is due, expects certified testers to report results to the Cross-Connection Control office, and can assess a $250 penalty after repeated ignored notices.
- Who is affected
- Commercial, industrial, domestic, irrigation, fire-line, and auxiliary-water-supply customers when Denver Water requires an approved assembly.
- Covered devices
- Backflow prevention assemblies · Irrigation RP or PVB devices · Fire line assemblies · Domestic containment assemblies
- Risk if missed
- Denver Water can assess a $250 penalty after three unanswered notification letters and can move service into suspension status when testing or installation is not completed.
What to do now
Choose the task on your notice
The official rule stays on this record; national guidance explains the task.
Exact workflow
Follow the local sequence
- 01
Confirm the service is in Denver Water's backflow program.
- 02
Use a certified tester to test the assembly on installation and annually thereafter.
- 03
Send the report to the cross-connection control office.
- 04
If delays are unavoidable, contact Denver Water before the service reaches suspension status.
Tester gate
Who can produce an accepted result?
Certified backflow prevention assembly tester status, ABPA or ASSE certification for domestic and irrigation backflow assemblies, State of Colorado Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow certification for fire assemblies
Submission route
Where the result goes
Denver Water test report email workflow
Report packet: Denver Water backflow test and maintenance report, Assembly installation or annual testing context, Service type such as domestic, irrigation, or fire line, Certified tester information
Tester credentials: Certified backflow prevention assembly tester status, ABPA or ASSE certification for domestic and irrigation backflow assemblies, State of Colorado Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow certification for fire assemblies
Look for the utility name, service address, assembly serial number, account or notice ID, and due date.
Use the listed submission method and keep proof that the report was filed with the utility.
- Denver Water backflow program program page
- Denver Water test and maintenance report test report form
Local detail
Property, device, and enforcement notes
Open the parts that match the property and system. These details stay subordinate to the fast workflow above.
Program and failure notes
- Denver Water sends reminder letters and can assess a $250 penalty.
- Irrigation testing is seasonal rather than generic year-round filler.
- Fire-line and auxiliary-water cases are explicitly called out in the public program.
- The utility sends reminder notices 30 days before the annual due date.
- Test reports are sent to the cross-connection control office.
- A penalty path exists after repeated ignored notices.
Residential notes
- Denver Water can pull domestic services into the program when the site hazard justifies it, so residential users should not assume the rules are only commercial.
- Residential irrigation assemblies have their own seasonal testing rhythm when the water is turned on.
Commercial notes
- Commercial and industrial services are clearly inside the Denver Water program and are a strong fit for next-action pages.
- The penalty path makes Denver more commercially urgent than a generic educational page.
Irrigation
Denver Water has a clear irrigation testing season and specific accepted assembly types for irrigation protection.
- Irrigation backflow testing season runs from May to September.
- Irrigation services must use an RP or PVB depending on installation requirements.
- Denver Water sends a reminder notice before the annual irrigation test is due.
Fire line
Denver Water treats fire-line services as part of the core program rather than an edge case.
- All fire line services are required to have an approved assembly installed.
- Fire-flow and construction-related utility work should be coordinated with Denver Water forms and standards.
- Fire service can create larger and more expensive correction paths when the assembly is missing or overdue.
Cost and fee context
Testing is market-priced, but Denver Water adds real compliance cost through penalties and suspension risk.
Repair and retest cost varies widely by domestic, irrigation, or fire-line assembly type.
The financial risk is not just the tester invoice; it is also Denver Water's penalty and service-interruption exposure.
Evidence ledger
Official sources
Denver Water is one of the clearest Colorado programs because it publishes annual reminder timing, irrigation season rules, a penalty path, and a direct reporting address for the cross-connection office.
BackflowVerdict summarizes these records; the governing entity remains the authority.
Open official program page- 01Denver Water backflow programofficial program pageOpen source ↗
- 02Denver Water test and maintenance reportofficial report formOpen source ↗
Commercial handoff · separate layer
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