The short answer
Georgia and local water authorities require backflow prevention on many cross-connections, with periodic testing — often annual — by a certified backflow tester. Your exact device, schedule, and reporting are set by your local water purveyor. Head's Plumbing is Backflow Certified and can test and report for you.
Educational, not legal advice
This guide is general plumbing education, not legal or code advice. Permit rules, fees, and inspection timelines are set by your local building department (your Authority Having Jurisdiction) and by the Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code, and they change. Always confirm current requirements with your local building department before starting work — or let our licensed team pull the permit and confirm the details for you.
What does Georgia generally require?
To protect the public drinking-water supply, Georgia's plumbing code and local water purveyors require approved backflow prevention assemblies on many connections, and they require those assemblies to be tested periodically by a certified tester. The testing verifies the device still blocks reverse flow.
Who needs testing, and how often?
Testing frequency is commonly annual, but the exact interval and reporting process are set by your local water authority — not by us.
Whether and how often you need testing depends on your connection — common cases include:
- Irrigation/sprinkler systems (a frequent residential requirement)
- Commercial and industrial properties with cross-connection risk
- Properties with boilers, certain medical/dental equipment, or auxiliary water sources
- Fire suppression systems (often on their own schedule)
What we won't invent here
We will not publish a specific test fee, a specific code citation, or your specific due date, because those are set by your water purveyor and vary. The reliable path is to confirm your schedule with your water authority — or let us track and handle it.
Keep your paperwork straight
A failed or missed backflow test can lead to notices from your water authority. A certified tester submits the required report and keeps you on schedule, so compliance is one less thing to track.
How does Head's help?
Head's Plumbing is Backflow Certified. We test, repair, and install backflow preventers across metro Atlanta, and we handle the reporting to your water authority so your property stays protected and compliant.
It is commonly annual, but the exact interval is set by your local water authority and the type of connection. We can confirm your schedule and keep you on track.
Irrigation systems are a common residential cross-connection that water authorities require to be protected and tested. Check with your water purveyor, or ask us to confirm and test.
Terms in this guide
- Backflow preventer
- A valve assembly that stops dirty or contaminated water from reversing direction and flowing back into your clean drinking-water supply. Georgia requires many of these devices to be tested by a certified tester on a regular schedule.
- Pressure-reducing valve (PRV)
- A valve that lowers and stabilizes incoming municipal water pressure to a safe level (typically 50–75 PSI). Too-high pressure stresses fixtures, water heaters, and joints, and can void appliance warranties.