The Denver Water backflow test, start to filed
Denver Water runs the state’s biggest backflow program, and — unusual for a utility its size — one of the simplest filing paths: no portal, no login, an emailed form. What trips people up isn’t the paperwork, it’s the clock. Everything below is from Denver Water’s own cross-connection control program page, checked July 2026.
Who has to test
- All commercial, industrial, domestic, irrigation and fire-line services must have an approved backflow prevention assembly.
- Homes are assessed by site hazard — but if your property has an auxiliary water supply (a well, a pond), an assembly is required, full stop.
- Assemblies are tested on installation and every year after. Irrigation assemblies run on the May–September testing season.
- One neighboring quirk worth knowing: Southgate Water & Sanitation’s program is administered by Denver Water, so Southgate letters resolve to this same office. (More district-by-district paths in where reports go.)
The filing path
- A certified tester (ABPA or ASSE; fire lines need the Colorado fire-suppression backflow credential on top) tests the assembly.
- The tester completes Denver Water’s test and maintenance report form.
- The form goes by email to crossconnectioncontrol@denverwater.org. No BSI, no SwiftComply, no filing account.
A test that never reaches that inbox never happened, as far as your compliance record goes — make sure your tester files, not just tests. That’s the single most useful question to ask when booking.
The clock, exactly
- Denver Water mails a reminder 30 days before your annual test is due.
- The compliance window is 60 days.
- Three unanswered notices inside that window → service suspension.
- Reconnection after suspension carries a $250 penalty — no refund (in effect since May 1, 2025).
Sixty days sounds generous until a tester’s July schedule meets Denver’s irrigation season rush. The cheap move is booking within a week of the reminder; the expensive move is the $250 lesson. What testing itself costs — and why quotes differ — is broken down in our pricing page.
If the letter confuses you
That’s normal — the notices are written in program language. Our letter decoder translates the standard paragraphs. And if you’d rather just hand it off: the form on this page reaches certified testers who already file with Denver Water’s office and know its calendar.
Questions people actually ask
Where does my Denver Water backflow test report go?
Your tester emails Denver Water's test and maintenance report form to crossconnectioncontrol@denverwater.org — Denver Water still takes reports by email, no portal registration required. The Cross-Connection Control office is at 303-628-5969.
How long do I have after Denver Water's notice?
The compliance window is 60 days, and Denver Water mails a reminder 30 days before your annual test is due. After three unanswered notices within the 60 days, service can be suspended — and reconnection carries a $250 penalty, non-refundable, in effect since May 1, 2025.
Does my sprinkler system count?
Yes — irrigation services need an approved assembly and an annual test, and Denver Water's irrigation testing season runs May to September. Home domestic service is assessed by site hazard, but any auxiliary water source (a well, a pond) triggers the requirement too.
Who is allowed to do the test?
A certified backflow assembly tester — ABPA or ASSE certification for domestic and irrigation assemblies. Fire-line assemblies additionally require Colorado's Fire Suppression System Contractor-Backflow credential.