A restaurant, a medical suite, a car wash, a strip-mall irrigation system and a fire sprinkler riser share one thing: each can hold a backflow assembly between the building and the public water main. The assembly is a check-valve device that stops used or contaminated water from drifting back into the street supply. Anaheim wants each one tested yearly. If a notice has arrived, or you are taking over a lease, our commercial plumbing page covers the wider service, and the quote page starts a request.
Which commercial buildings need a backflow assembly tested?
Any property where the water supplier has required a backflow assembly. Utilities decide this by hazard: a building that handles chemicals, a food-service kitchen, a dedicated irrigation meter, a fire line or a boiler can all trigger it. If you hold a notice from the water provider, there is a device on your line, and it needs a documented test once a year.
Anaheim's own page says every assembly connected to its system must be tested annually while in use, and that a device needing repair has to be fixed by the water user and tested again. Fullerton, Orange, Brea and their neighbors operate separate programs, so the notice in your hand names the rules for your address.
Not sure what is on your line? Look for a bronze or stainless body with a pair of shutoff valves and a few small brass ports, typically close to the meter or in a mechanical room. Photograph it and attach the picture to your request.
Beyond backflow, what is a commercial plumber's job?
Commercial plumbing means water, drain and gas systems in anything other than a one-family house: tenant improvements, grease and sand interceptors, flushometer toilets, water heaters sized for a kitchen, fire-line connections, roof drains and the permits that come with them. Backflow testing sits beside that work as a recurring compliance job.
The difference from house work is scale and paperwork. Pipe is bigger, one system may feed several tenants, and the city, the fire marshal and the health department may all have a say. That is why a commercial visit usually starts with a question about who owns the line and who gets billed for a failed test, the owner or the tenant.
For rates on larger jobs, see commercial plumber hourly pricing.
Who can legally sign off a test?
Only a tester the city accepts. Anaheim requires approval from the county health agency (the Orange County Health Care Agency), a current Anaheim business license, and a place on the city's approved list. The State Water Board's handbook, in force since July 2024, also requires testers to hold a recognized certification from a body it accepts.
Check that before you book anyone. A report from a tester who is not on the list will not satisfy the utility, and you pay twice.
Results are filed online. Anaheim's page points testers to an online portal for submitting results. Ask whoever tests your assembly to confirm the filing and give you a copy for your records.
What happens during a test visit?
With a differential gauge hooked to the assembly's ports, the tester closes the shutoffs in sequence and watches how each check and the relief valve answer the pressure. Water to the building is interrupted for a short while during that sequence, so tell tenants ahead, and avoid the lunch rush for a restaurant.
Before the visit, clear a path to the device. Mark any locked cage or vault. Know where the shutoff valves are in case a stuck valve needs to be closed in a hurry. A routine pass takes less than an hour for a single assembly, and several devices on one site are tested in the same trip, which tends to lower the per-device price.
If you run a dedicated irrigation or fire line, those assemblies have their own test.
What does commercial backflow testing cost?
A published California guide gives about $75 to $250 per device for an annual test, with complex assemblies higher. Another published guide places a small retail unit or restaurant at $100 to $200. A site with several assemblies pays more in total but less for each.
Those numbers are a guide drawn from contractor websites. The quote you get covers the real line: number of devices, size, whether access is awkward and whether the utility needs a form filed.
Repairs are priced apart. Published ranges for rebuilding a check valve or relief valve start in the low hundreds, and replacing a whole assembly costs far more. Our guide to backflow assembly testing costs breaks down both.
What if the assembly fails?
A failed test means a worn seat, a fouled check or a relief valve that does not open as it should. The tester can often rebuild the assembly on the spot with a repair kit, then retest and file the passing report. Replacement is the exception, mostly for old units or ones installed wrongly.
Do not wait. The utility sets a deadline for a passing result, and an open failure draws a notice, and service can eventually be cut. The exact timeline is set by your water provider, so read the notice for dates.
Two stops before that: the plumber reports what failed, and you decide on repair or replacement from the written quote.
Common questions
Is a home backflow test the same as a business one?
The method is the same, and the utility's annual rule applies to homes with an assembly too. Businesses are more likely to be required to have one, because their hazards are higher. Home owners with a lawn irrigation line or a pool fill can also have one. See backflow prevention testing for the household version.
Can my own maintenance staff do the test?
Only if they are on the utility's approved tester list and hold the required credentials, which is rare for in-house maintenance. The test uses a calibrated gauge, and the water utility accepts results only from listed testers. Using an unapproved person will not clear the notice.
Where can I read how the test itself works?
The step-by-step mechanics, including what the gauge readings tell the tester, are in how backflow testing works. It is written for understanding only. The official test and the filed report still have to come from a tester on the utility's list.
When is my test due?
The utility sets your date, often on the notice or the portal record. In Anaheim the rule is annual for each assembly in service. If you have lost the notice, call the water utility with your service address, and then request a booking here well before the deadline passes.
See plumber across Anaheim for the other services and what they cost.
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