FFP Guides

Compliance by state

Where to report a backflow test in New South Wales

In NSW a containment backflow device on a medium or high hazard property is tested every year by a licensed plumber holding CPCPWT4022 backflow accreditation. The report goes to the utility that owns the water main: Sydney Water's Backflow Prevention system in Tap in, or Hunter Water's Backflow App.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Official name
Backflow Prevention Device Inspection and Maintenance Report (Sydney Water); annual test certification uploaded to the Backflow App (Hunter Water)
Regulator
The water utility that owns the main (Sydney Water, Hunter Water or the local water utility); Building Commission NSW licenses plumbers
Who issues it
A licensed plumber with backflow accreditation (CPCPWT4022), on the utility's list of backflow plumbers
When
Commissioning a new or replacement containment device, the annual test, or a defect rectification
Deadline
Annual test. Sydney Water: new devices tested and registered immediately. Neither utility's published material sets a fixed number of days for annual lodgement.
Lodgement
Sydney Water: Backflow Prevention system via Tap in. Hunter Water: its online Backflow App. Elsewhere: the local water utility's process.
Keep records for
Sydney Water may audit and ask for the device and test kit photos after lodgement, so keep them with the report.
Penalty
No fixed fine is published by either utility. Sydney Water may send its own plumber and charge the owner if annual inspections are missed, and may disconnect a property without correct backflow prevention. Hunter Water may disconnect after an unmet notice.

Homeowner? If your business property in NSW has a backflow device at the water meter, it must be tested every year by an accredited plumber, who reports it to Sydney Water, Hunter Water or your local water utility.

What the certificate must show

Recent change

October 2023: Hunter Water issued version 3 of its Site Containment Backflow Prevention Standard, renaming and updating the property owner responsibilities section.

Produce it from a ServiceM8 job

  1. Record each containment device as an Asset at the site, with device type, size, serial number and the utility it reports to (Sydney Water, Hunter Water or the local utility).
  2. Build a ServiceM8 form, Backflow test NSW, with a mandatory Multiple Choice for report type (Annual / Initial / Replacement / Defect rectification) and one for connection type (Meter / Fire service / Boundary).
  3. Add Number questions for the readings you take and Pass / Fail choices per check, then two mandatory Photo questions: Device with serial number visible, and Test kit.
  4. Add a Text question for test kit serial number so the audit photo and the report match.
  5. Complete the form against the device asset so every year's result and photos stay in the asset history for Sydney Water audits.
  6. Create a yearly recurring job per site from the Dispatch Board using a Backflow test job template, so the annual date is never missed.
  7. After the form is saved, lodge the result in the right portal the same day (Sydney Water Backflow Prevention or the Hunter Water Backflow App), then email the PDF from the job diary to the owner.
  8. Add a checklist item Lodged with utility, with the date, before the job can be invoiced.

The utility sets the reporting route

New South Wales has no single state backflow register. Containment devices at the property boundary protect the utility's network, so the utility that supplies the property decides how test results reach it. In greater Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains that is Sydney Water. In Newcastle, the Hunter and Lake Macquarie it is Hunter Water. Elsewhere it is the local water utility for the area, which runs its own process, so check with them before the first test in a new district.

The split between containment and internal protection matters too. Sydney Water tells plumbers not to register zone or individual backflow devices on its portal and points those questions to Building Commission NSW, which licenses plumbers and regulates plumbing work in the state. The utility registers the boundary device; what sits inside the building is a plumbing matter.

Sydney Water: accreditation list, portal, photos

Sydney Water only accepts tests on medium and high hazard devices from licensed plumbers with backflow containment accreditation from a registered training organisation, which its glossary defines as completing CPCPWT4022 Commission and maintain backflow prevention devices. To be on its list of backflow plumbers, you email your Certificate of Attainment to Sydney Water.

Reports are lodged online. You register for a Backflow Prevention account with a personal email address, then log in directly or through Sydney Water Tap in, and submit the Backflow Prevention Device Inspection and Maintenance Report. The system has separate paths for an annual test on an existing device, an initial test on a new device, a replacement device and a defect rectification. New devices must be tested and registered immediately after installation.

Sydney Water audits lodgements. You do not upload photos, but it may ask later for two per test: the device with its serial number clearly visible, and the test kit you used. Take both on every job and keep them with the report.

Hunter Water: its own standard and its own app

Hunter Water's Site Containment Backflow Prevention Standard (version 3, October 2023) requires every medium or high hazard property to install, maintain and test annually a containment device at the boundary. Meters of 32 mm or larger that would otherwise be low hazard are treated as medium hazard, and where hazards are unknown on commercial, industrial, rural or mixed sites the rating defaults to high. The device is tested after installation and then every year by a tester accredited with Hunter Water, and the tester uploads the result to Hunter Water's online Backflow App at the owner's cost.

What happens if the test is missed

Neither utility's published material sets a fine for a late test. The lever is the water supply. Sydney Water's customer responsibilities policy says it may organise a plumber and charge the owner if the annual inspections are not done, and may disconnect a property without correct backflow prevention. Hunter Water issues a notice with a deadline, and if the owner does not comply it may disconnect under its Customer Contract until the work is done. For a contractor, that makes the reminder the product: the owner is relying on you to catch the date.

Sources

  1. Only licensed plumbers with backflow containment prevention accreditation issued by a registered training organisation can inspect, commission and test medium and high hazard backflow devices; a backflow accredited licensed plumber is one who has completed CPCPWT4022. Sydney Water, Backflow prevention for plumbers, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  2. Once installed, backflow containment devices must be tested by a backflow accredited plumber and registered immediately; the plumber logs in to Backflow Prevention (also reachable through Sydney Water Tap in) and submits the test report. Sydney Water, Backflow prevention for plumbers, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  3. Sydney Water audits lodgements and may ask for two photos for any containment device test: the device with its serial number clearly visible, and the test kit used. Zone and individual devices are not registered on its portal; Building Commission NSW regulates plumbing in NSW. Sydney Water, Backflow prevention for plumbers, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  4. To be on Sydney Water's list of backflow plumbers, a plumber emails a copy of their Certificate of Attainment to backflow@sydneywater.com.au. Sydney Water, Backflow prevention for plumbers, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  5. Owners must test backflow devices that are not part of the Sydney Water meter in line with AS/NZS 3500 using an accredited backflow plumber; if the annual inspections are not completed Sydney Water may organise a plumber and charge the owner, and it may disconnect a property without correct backflow prevention. Sydney Water, Your responsibilities when connected to our services (version 2, 11 June 2020), checked 25 Sep 2026.
  6. Medium and high hazard properties must install, maintain and test annually a site containment backflow device; meters of 32 mm or larger are classed medium hazard; unknown hazards on commercial, industrial, rural or mixed sites default to high. Hunter Water, Standard: Site Containment Backflow Prevention (version 3, October 2023), s 4, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  7. The device must be tested after installation and annually by a backflow tester accredited with Hunter Water, who uploads the test to Hunter Water's online Backflow App at the owner's cost; if a notice is not complied with, Hunter Water may disconnect under the Customer Contract. Hunter Water, Standard: Site Containment Backflow Prevention (version 3, October 2023), ss 5.1 to 5.3, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  8. A ServiceM8 form can be completed against an asset from the job's Assets menu; each question shows past values for that asset, and the completed form is listed in the asset's history and saved in the job diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  9. Completed ServiceM8 forms convert to a PDF saved to the job diary, where they can be emailed; form answers are placed into a Word document template using Template Field Codes. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.