Backflow Preventer Permits in Burnaby: How the Process Works

Burnaby changed how backflow preventer paperwork works in late 2024. Here is the process, taken from the City's own bylaw and forms.

1. First: does this apply to your property?

Not every home has a backflow preventer. Section 13 of the Burnaby Plumbing Bylaw does not itself require you to install one: whether one is required depends on the Building Code and the Burnaby Waterworks Regulation Bylaw, and that can change when you do new work. Once one is installed, the bylaw says every backflow preventer must be maintained and tested as set out below.

Questions about backflow test reports go to the City's Cross Connection Control team on 604-294-7542.

2. New backflow work has its own permit

Until late 2024, backflow prevention devices in Burnaby were handled under plumbing permit applications. The City changed that because of the ongoing testing each device needs. Its Building Division bulletin says that from November 1, 2024, "All Backflow Prevention Devices will be applied for under a separate Backflow Prevention Device Permit Application".

That permit covers four kinds of work: a new installation, a replacement or repair, a temporary water service, and decommissioning an existing device. If you are taking a device out of service, its serial number is mandatory on the application. You can apply in person at City Hall or through the City's My Permits portal.

3. When the device has to be tested

Section 13 of the bylaw sets out when a backflow preventer must be field tested. It is more than once a year:

• when it is installed;
• when it is cleaned, repaired, reinstalled or overhauled;
• when it is relocated;
• every year, no later than the anniversary date of its previous test; and
• whenever the Plumbing Inspector requires it.

The annual deadline runs from the last test, not from the calendar year. A device tested late one year carries that later date into the next.

4. Who can test it, and when the report is due

The bylaw says backflow preventers "shall be field tested and the results reported only by a person certified to do so by the British Columbia Water and Waste Association", or by another organisation the Plumbing Inspector approves. For a new installation or a decommissioned device, the City's test report form also requires the person doing the work to meet Article 1.2.3.1.(1) of the BC Plumbing Code, Book II: Plumbing Systems.

Results go to the City on its Backflow Prevention Assembly Test Report. The form requires the report no later than 10 days after the test, and states that an incomplete report will not be processed and will be failed. Our overview of backflow testing across Burnaby and Metro Vancouver covers what the test itself involves.

5. What the bylaw does not allow

• No modifications. A backflow preventer cannot be modified from its manufactured state.
• Manufacturer parts only. A repair has to use parts and materials supplied by the manufacturer for that make and model.
• No removal without notice. A backflow preventer cannot be removed after installation without prior written notice to the Plumbing Inspector giving the reason. The decommission permit is the route for this.

The bylaw also requires every backflow preventer to be installed so it is easily accessible for inspection, testing, maintenance, repair and replacement.

6. Who is responsible

Section 15 of the bylaw makes the property owner responsible for the work meeting the bylaw, even when the permit was issued to a contractor acting for them. The permit application reflects that: property owner information is mandatory on every application, whether the homeowner or a contractor is applying.

The short version

If your property has a backflow preventer, new work on it in Burnaby goes under its own permit since November 1, 2024. The device is tested on installation, after any repair, cleaning or move, and every year by the anniversary of its last test, by a BCWWA-certified tester, and the City's form wants the report within 10 days. It cannot be modified, repaired with other parts, or removed without telling the City first. If yours is due, see our backflow prevention service or get in touch — we work across Burnaby and the rest of Metro Vancouver, on 778-929-3235.