Backflow Tester Certification in Texas (BPAT)

In Texas there is no certificate to buy and hang on the wall. To test or repair backflow assemblies you need an occupational license from the state environmental agency, issued to a Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester, or BPAT. This guide walks through the steps in order, what each costs where a price is published, and the city registrations that come after the state license and catch new testers out.

Is it a certification or a license in Texas?

The state calls it a license, and it is issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Anyone who repairs or tests the installation or operation of a backflow prevention assembly needs one (TCEQ BPAT license page). State rule requires assemblies that protect against a health hazard to be tested on installation and at least annually by a licensed tester (30 TAC 290.44(h)(4)), so the license is what the whole market runs on.

There is no national license. Other states run their own programs, and the details differ, so this guide covers Texas only. If you work in more than one state, check each state’s regulator.

What the license lets you work on: any domestic, commercial, industrial or irrigation service. Fire lines are the exception. You may test or repair assemblies on a fire line only if you are permanently employed by an Approved Fireline Contractor. Houston and Corpus Christi repeat this condition in their own tester rules.

How do you get a BPAT license in Texas?

1. Meet the eligibility rules. TCEQ asks for a high school diploma or GED and two years of work experience in an approved area, such as operating a public drinking water system, installing or repairing lawn irrigation systems, or holding a master or journeyman plumbing license. The page lists others. Up to one year of that experience can be replaced by one year of college credit (32 semester hours) or 20 hours of approved training, in addition to the required course.
2. Complete the 40-hour course. It must come from a TCEQ-approved provider. TEEX, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, lists its BPAT course (TCEQ #1200) at 40 hours for $895, with sessions in Bryan from November 2 to 6, 2026 and Missouri City from January 25 to 29, 2027. Attendance is required for all class hours and you bring photo identification on the first day (TEEX course page).
3. Apply to TCEQ. Submit the online application and the $111 fee.
4. Pass the exam. Once your application is approved you schedule the written exam at a TCEQ-approved computer-based testing center. The practical skills portion is administered by the training provider. TCEQ’s page does not give the passing score or the length of the exam.
5. Hold the license. It is valid for three years.

TCEQ’s page links the governing rules (Texas Water Code chapter 37 and 30 TAC chapters 30 and 290), so read them before you plan around the experience substitution.

What does it cost to start?

The gauge matters beyond the purchase. Under state rule, test gauges are checked for accuracy annually using the University of Southern California’s manual or the AWWA M14 manual, and the water supplier must require testers to list the gauge serial number on each report (30 TAC 290.44(h)(4)(B)). Austin names two approved gauge testing companies and Corpus Christi wants a gauge certification not over one year old, and does not accept a manufacturer’s gauge test.

How do you renew, and what does continuing education cost?

Renewal comes every three years and requires 24 hours of continuing education, including 8 hours of practical hands-on skills training, all from TCEQ-approved courses and all earned before the license expires (TCEQ). You also submit a renewal application and a criminal history attestation and pay the renewal fee, which TCEQ’s page does not state.

TEEX’s eight-hour refresher on rules and regulations (TCEQ #985) is $375 and is approved for 8 credit hours in the BPAT license area (TEEX refresher page). That page does not say it covers the hands-on requirement, so confirm with TEEX or TCEQ which combination of courses satisfies all 24 hours.

What do cities require on top of the state license?

This is the part new testers do not hear about in class. A water utility sets how it receives results and who may submit them, and most large Texas cities want you registered first. What we read:

Three details from Austin’s page are worth knowing. Austin suspends a tester’s city registration for one year after three notices of violation within two years. It asks you to email proof of renewal to its cross-connection office after you renew your TCEQ license. And you do not need to register a gauge separately if you use your employer’s already-registered ones.

What do you file after each test?

Every assembly gets a test report on TCEQ Form 20700 unless the agency approves another format. The report includes the gauge serial number, and the signed and dated original goes to the public water supplier (30 TAC 290.44(h)(4)(C)). The state rule excerpt we read sets no deadline, but cities do: five calendar days in Austin and 48 hours in League City. A failed assembly is repaired and retested, and Dallas gives the owner 30 days to do it.

Where does the work come from once you are licensed?

Property managers and restaurant owners need a licensed tester every year for every assembly. If you are licensed and want those jobs, list your license, the cities you are registered in and your prices on PremiseBay for pros. We check your license against the TCEQ register before your listing goes live, and you file reports the way you do now. On jobs a customer pays through PremiseBay we keep 10 percent. If you invoice the customer yourself there is no fee.

• Check your own license status and CE hours on the TCEQ license search before every renewal.
• Keep the gauge calibration record with your test reports. Austin and Corpus Christi both ask for gauge records at registration.