Annual testing
Open the annual page when the utility notice is about routine testing, timing, and accepted submission methods.
municipal utility
San Antonio Water System Backflow Prevention backflow testing requirements
San Antonio requires annual backflow testing and routes both customer compliance checks and registered testing company discovery through BSI under the SAWS program.
Next-step paths
Start with the page that matches your situation
This page is the rule hub. Use it to confirm the governing utility workflow, then open the focused page that matches the actual situation on site.
Failed test
Open the failed-test page when the device already failed and you need the repair, retest, and reporting order.
Irrigation
Open the irrigation page when the question is tied to sprinkler systems, reclaimed water, or landscape devices.
Fire line
Open the fire-line page when the backflow assembly serves fire protection equipment or a managed commercial site.
View the official tester list
Use the published tester route after you confirm the rule, due basis, and submission path on this utility page.
Annual or event-based timing
Properties with connections that can contaminate the public water system and customers requiring external or internal backflow assemblies.
- Annual
- Annual testing is required by City of San Antonio ordinance and state regulations. SAWS uses BSI to manage notices, customer service inspections, and customer tracking.
Non-compliance penalties
SAWS monitors and enforces annual testing requirements for external assemblies, and BSI now handles due and past-due notice operations on behalf of SAWS.
- Annual testing is enforced under both local ordinance and state regulations.
- SAWS separates customer-side and public-system-side assembly oversight, so scope matters.
- New construction and CSI workflows can add extra sequencing beyond the recurring annual test.
Compliance workflow
Official workflow
Every focused page on this utility still runs through this authority sequence. Confirm the rule here before you branch into repair, testing, or provider routing.
- Use the SAWS program page to confirm whether the assembly is part of the annual testing program.
- Check compliance or find a registered testing company through the BSI customer portal.
- Complete testing and make sure the tester submits results through the correct BSI channel.
- For new service or construction, complete the CSI and Development Services steps alongside assembly requirements.
Source block
SAWS requires annual testing under city ordinance and state regulations and directs customers to BSI to find registered testing companies and check compliance.
- Last verified: 2026-06-29
- Verification code: TL
- Freshness window: 45 days
- Report a correction or stale source
- SAWS cross-connection control and backflow prevention program official program page
- SAWS annual testing of backflow prevention assemblies official program page
- SAWS annual irrigation checkup program official program page
- BSI customer portal official portal
Submission methods and utility contact
Where the rule applies
- Connections that may present a potential source of contamination to the public water system
- Sites requiring external backflow assemblies
- Sites requiring internal assemblies to protect customers from hazardous cross-connections
Devices in scope
- External backflow assemblies
- Internal backflow assemblies
Residential notes
- Residential users most often see SAWS through annual notices for irrigation, fire sprinkler, septic, well, or alternative-water conditions.
- SAWS is not a one-size-fits-all page because internal and external assemblies can sit on different compliance tracks.
Commercial and managed properties
- Commercial owners should expect SAWS customer service inspection and development workflows to overlap with annual testing when hazard conditions change.
- The public materials are clearer on BSI workflow and notice handling than on retail tester pricing.
FAQ
Local questions people actually ask
Does San Antonio Water System Backflow Prevention require annual backflow testing?
Annual. Annual testing is required by City of San Antonio ordinance and state regulations. SAWS uses BSI to manage notices, customer service inspections, and customer tracking.
Who is affected by San Antonio Water System Backflow Prevention backflow rules?
Properties with connections that can contaminate the public water system and customers requiring external or internal backflow assemblies.
How do I submit or confirm a backflow test for San Antonio Water System Backflow Prevention?
Use the official utility workflow and submission methods listed on this page: SAWS backflow prevention program, BSI customer portal, BSI submission portal. Program phone: 210-233-2910.
Where should I look for testers for San Antonio Water System Backflow Prevention?
Start with the governing authority's published tester list. This utility has an official approved-tester route and it should be treated as the primary source.
Need a tester or local help?
Start with the governing authority's published tester list. Use provider help only after the official rule, due basis, and submission path are clear.
Market cost analysis
Local cost band
Typical testing and repair pricing used to frame next-action decisions in the metro around this utility.
Provider browse layer
Public provider direction
Provider routing stays clearly labeled below the official workflow. This block exists to frame public provider discovery without implying authority status.
Local testing profiles
Use provider profiles and metro pages only after confirming the utility workflow and list rules above.
Public directory stays separate
Provider help is reviewed separately from the official utility workflow and never replaces the authority guidance above.