How often do backflow prevention devices need to be tested?

Testable devices are generally tested every 12 months. Yarra Valley Water requires annual testing for testable devices at the meter, and in Queensland each registered testable device must be tested at least once a year.

Who can test a backflow prevention device?

A licensed plumber with the relevant backflow accreditation or endorsement. Sydney Water requires licensed, backflow-accredited plumbers, and Brisbane City Council requires an endorsed backflow tester.

Where do I lodge backflow test results?

It depends on location. In Victoria, lodge with the water corporation that supplies the property. In Sydney Water's area, lodge online through a backflow web lodgement account. In Queensland, submit Form 9 to the local council and the owner.

What is Form 9 in Queensland?

The approved form for registering and reporting the inspection and testing of testable backflow prevention devices. It must be given to the council and the owner within 10 business days of the test.

Backflow Testing Requirements in Australia (VIC, NSW, QLD)

Testable backflow prevention devices need an annual test and a report lodged with the right authority — but who you lodge with, and how, depends on the state and often the water authority or council.

Try it now — no email needed See pricing

Last reviewed: September 2026 · General information, not legal advice — confirm requirements with your water authority or council.

Why annual testing exists

A testable backflow prevention device is only as good as the last time someone proved it works. The annual test is that proof: a qualified person checks the device, records the result, and the result goes to the authority responsible for the water supply. Miss the test, or test it but never lodge the report, and as far as the authority is concerned the device hasn't been checked.

The part that trips people up isn't the testing itself — it's the paperwork around it. Each state, and often each water authority or council within a state, has its own form, its own lodgement channel and its own expectations about who is responsible. The sections below set out what the main authorities say, so you know what to capture on site and where the report needs to go.

Victoria

In Victoria there is no single statewide lodgement process. Each water corporation sets its own reporting form and process, so the first question on any job is: which water corporation supplies this property? Check its requirements before you lodge.

Yarra Valley Water

Yarra Valley Water requires a testable backflow prevention device installed at the water meter to be tested every 12 months, by an accredited backflow prevention plumber. It asks plumbers to return results on its Backflow Test Report Form. If you're testing in Yarra Valley Water's area, use that form rather than a generic one.

Coliban Water

Coliban Water's containment policy requires testable containment devices manufactured to AS/NZS 2845 to be installed, commissioned and tested annually by a suitably qualified person. Under that policy the property owner is responsible for arranging the ongoing annual servicing and testing, and for lodging the results. In practice that means the owner is relying on you to turn up each year and to hand over results they can lodge — so be clear with the client about who is lodging.

NSW (Sydney Water area)

In Sydney Water's area, only licensed, backflow-accredited plumbers may test backflow devices. Plumbers doing backflow work there must hold a backflow web lodgement account, and all backflow forms are lodged online at sydneywater.com.au. There's no paper route — if you don't have a lodgement account, set one up before you take on backflow work in the area.

Two obligations sit with the plumber on every job:

Give the customer a copy of any report. Lodging online doesn't replace handing the customer their copy.
Retest after any work. If you complete any work on a device, you must retest it afterwards. Plan for that on repair jobs so the retest isn't a second trip.

Queensland

Queensland sets its requirements in the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation 2019. Property owners must register all installed testable backflow prevention devices with their council, and each device must be tested at least once every year after registration.

The consequences are spelled out. Not having a device tested every 12 months is an offence (s102), and councils may issue a penalty infringement notice for each untested device. In Brisbane City Council's area, owners can be fined up to 20 penalty units per device that isn't tested or registered.

Who tests and who submits

Brisbane City Council requires the annual test to be done by an endorsed backflow tester, who submits the results to council. Check the requirements of the council for the property you're working on — the sources below include Brisbane, Redland and Sunshine Coast council pages.

Form 9

Results are recorded on Form 9 (Registration and report on inspection and testing of testable backflow prevention devices). Form 9 must go to the local government and the owner within 10 business days of the test. On it, the tester certifies testing to the relevant appendix of AS 2845.3:2020.

The Queensland Government amended Form 9 in May 2024. If you're working from a saved copy, replace it with the current version from Business Queensland.

What to record on every test

The authority's form sets the minimum. Beyond that, keeping your own complete record of each test is good practice. It lets you answer questions from the owner or the authority later, and it makes next year's visit faster. On every test, capture:

The device — make, model, size, serial number and type.
Its location — the site address and exactly where the device is, so the next tester can find it.
Readings — the test readings as taken, not just a pass or fail.
The result — pass or fail.
Repairs — what was done, and the parts used.
Retest — the retest result after any repair.
Lodgement — who it was lodged with, when, and any reference number, plus when the owner got their copy.

Photos of the device, its tag and the gauge readings take seconds on site and settle most disputes before they start.

Keeping backflow testing on schedule in FieldOp

In FieldOp, each backflow device lives on the site's asset register with its own service history, so every test, repair and retest lands on the device it belongs to. A PPM contract generates the annual test visit automatically, so the next test is already booked in before anyone has to remember it.

On site, the tester completes a form with the readings and photos. When the job is done, FieldOp produces a branded PDF report and a client link the owner can open without logging in.

FieldOp doesn't lodge anything for you. Lodgement with the water authority or council is still done through their own system — Sydney Water's web lodgement, the water corporation's form, or Form 9 to council. To see how an annual schedule would look for your own sites, try the free PPM schedule builder.

Backflow testing requirements in Australia: VIC, NSW and QLD