Backflow preventer testing and installation in Aurora

Who has to comply in Aurora

Aurora's Backflow and Cross Connection By-law 6213-19 applies to industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential properties. Multi-residential means a residential building of six or more self-contained dwelling units. The by-law also applies to any property that poses a risk to the Town's water system. The Town's page says townhouses with their own water service are not covered. Existing buildings are not grandparented. The by-law allows the Director to exempt a minor-hazard property from installing a device.

The Town's program page describes a rollout in three phases: severe hazards first, then moderate, then minor.

The Ontario Building Code's plumbing part (Part 7) and the CSA B64 standards also apply. The municipal by-law adds the program around them: who is surveyed, how often each device is tested, where the report goes and by when.

The steps Aurora sets out

1. Survey. A qualified contractor completes a cross-connection survey of the property, and the owner or the contractor as agent submits it through the Town's online survey form. The survey is repeated within 30 days of the fifth anniversary of the last one. It is also repeated after a new connection or a change of use or ownership.
2. Installation. Where the survey calls for one, a backflow preventer of the type the hazard level requires is installed on the water supply line. It goes in under a plumbing permit, within 90 days of the requirement arising. The contractor determines the degree of hazard and the type of device, to CSA B64.
3. Testing and reporting. Every device is tested at installation, after any repair or relocation, and every year. The test report goes to the Town through its online Backflow Preventer Test and Inspection Form within 15 days of the test.
4. Corrective action. A deficiency on a severe-hazard property is corrected within 30 days of the report that identifies it. For a moderate or minor hazard, the limit is 90 days. An updated survey or test report is filed within 10 days of the work.

Reports are kept on site. The owner notifies the Town of any change in the use of the property.

A permit for a new device in Aurora

The Town requires a plumbing permit from Building Services to install or relocate a device, and By-law 6213-19 requires it too. By-law 6213-19 waives the permit only for an exact replacement of an existing device. The Town's test report form says replacements need a building permit, so we confirm with Building Services before replacing a device.

Under the 2026 permit fee handout (Schedule G to By-law 6737-25) the fee is $80.00 for each testable backflow preventer. A $687.00 minimum permit fee applies to buildings other than Part 9 residential buildings and may apply to a permit for a device alone; we confirm it when we apply.

Who can test

The Town keeps a register of companies that property owners can hire. The by-law requires the qualifications in its Schedule A, with proof of certification and test-kit calibration filed with each report. Registration requires a current OWWA Cross Connection Control Specialist certificate, or an equivalent the Town accepts. It also requires a calibration certificate for the test equipment and proof of commercial general liability insurance. The Town publishes the registered companies on its Approved Qualified Company List. It does not endorse the companies on the list.

What we do in Aurora

• Complete the cross-connection survey and file it through the Town's form.
• Apply for the plumbing permit and install the device where the survey calls for one.
• Test each device every year.
• File each test report through the Town's online form, with a copy to you.
• Keep the next due date on file and send a courtesy reminder; the due date remains the owner's responsibility.

Our certificates are listed on the Qualifications page. The other York Region programs are compared on the York Region page.