Backflow preventer testing and installation in Vaughan

Who has to comply in Vaughan

Vaughan's Backflow Prevention By-law 177-2020 was enacted on December 15, 2020, replacing By-law 004-2018. By-law 031-2025 amended it in February 2025. It applies to industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential properties on the City's water system.

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 Vaughan sets out

1. Complete an Information Request Form for each property you own in Vaughan, within 30 days of the City's notice.
2. On notification, have a qualified company conduct a cross-connection survey within 30 days and file it within 14 days of the survey.
3. The City's installation notice follows its Information Request Form and survey notices. After it, have the required device installed with a building permit, within the City's deadline and no later than 90 days, with the initial test.
4. Book the plumbing inspection with the City's Inspection Services, and file the initial test report within 14 days of the test.
5. Arrange a test every year after, with a new cross-connection survey every 5 years from the first one requested, or on a change of ownership.

Vaughan's program contact is 905-832-2281, ext. 3678, or [email protected].

A permit for a new device in Vaughan

The City requires a building (plumbing) permit from the Building Standards Department before any plumbing change is made under the Backflow Prevention Program. Applications go through the Vaughan Online Permitting Portal, with the City's forms and the Backflow Preventer Installation Requirement Notice. A domestic device up to 50 mm (2 inches) can use one of the standard premise-isolation drawings the City lists (OMPAC 006, 007 or 008). A device over 50 mm needs sealed professional engineer's plans. Under the City's fees by-law a backflow preventer is charged as a plumbing fixture at $21.20 in 2026, with a $195.00 minimum permit fee. The final plumbing inspection is booked with Inspection Services. We apply for the permit as part of an installation.

Who can test

The City publishes an Approved Qualified Company List. Only companies registered with the City may do the survey, installation and testing. A contractor not yet on the list must register before starting work, with the required documents and a registration fee.

What we do in Vaughan

• Help you complete the Information Request Form, and carry out the cross-connection survey once the City's survey notice arrives.
• Apply for the building permit and install the device where the survey calls for one.
• Book the plumbing inspection.
• Test each device every year.
• File each report with the City, with a copy to you.

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