How do I become a certified backflow tester in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island splits tester recognition between the state and local water purveyors. RI's public drinking water regulation (216-RICR-50-05-1) requires backflow preventer testing personnel to hold a current certification from a program recognized by the Director of Health, with installation restricted to Rhode Island licensed plumbers, but names no specific certification programs. Complete a recognized tester course with its written and hands-on exams, then register with the authority or purveyors you will test for.

Who runs cross-connection control in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Drinking Water Quality oversees cross-connection control at the state level; its site carries the current program requirements.

Which certification should I get in Rhode Island?

Ask the purveyors whose systems you plan to test which programs they accept, and confirm with the state program; ASSE and ABPA certifications are the widely recognized national baselines.

How to become a backflow tester in Rhode Island

Start at the source

Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Drinking Water Quality oversees cross-connection control here. Its site, health.ri.gov, carries the current program requirements.

Verify locally

Parts of this state's structure could not be fully confirmed against official sources; the authority and your purveyors are the final word.

The path, wherever you are

Confirm which certifications the authority and your target purveyors accept.
Complete a recognized tester course, typically a multi-day class ending in a written exam and a hands-on practical on the main assembly families. The ASSE 5110 requirements are the national reference point.
Register with the authority or each purveyor, per their process, and keep your gauge calibration documented.
Renew on the recert clock before it lapses: the two-clock sheet makes the schedule automatic, and backflow tester recertification explains the three-year cycle.

Before committing, read what backflow testing pays andhow to become a backflow tester, which walks the course, exam and practical that every state path runs through.

Other states

South Carolina	state
South Dakota	purveyor
Tennessee	state
Texas	state
Utah	state
Vermont	purveyor
Virginia	state
Washington	state

The instrument this trade runs on

Mid-West 845-5 5-Valve Test Kit

Arbiter Mako MK5 Digital 5-Valve Kit

Acugauge TK Plus 3-Valve Kit

BAC-FLO-5 Test Kit

Confirm what your jurisdiction's test procedures require before choosing a kit.The kit guide.

The three-year clock sheet, free

Both clocks of the testing trade, your credential and your customers, counted backward on one printable page. Enter your email and we will send you straight to it.

No spam. One useful sheet and occasional notes.

Verified against official sources at the time of writing; the authority and your purveyors are always the final word.