Tampa backflow test rules
Tampa sets its own rules for backflow test. Here is what they say, followed by the Florida rules for everything else.
Backflow testing in Tampa
Applies when: Backflow assembly on a City of Tampa Water Department service (commercial: annual; residential: every 2 years).
What happens: A certified tester tests the assembly and uploads the result to SwiftComply within seven calendar days of the test.
Who may do it: A certified backflow tester enrolled in SwiftComply for Tampa. The city publishes a list of registered testers.
Your part: After a notice, arrange a certified tester within 30 days.
Filing (SwiftComply): Testers register online with SwiftComply and must submit within seven calendar days. A device that fails must be fixed and retested, with results submitted again. City of Tampa Water Department, Field Quality
Every inspection for a Tampa building
| Inspection | How often | Who may do it | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire extinguisher inspection | Every year | A fire equipment dealer licensed by the Division of State Fire Marshal (Class A, B or C for extinguishers) and a technician with a valid permit. | It is unlawful to service a unit without attaching a completed tag. Each six-year maintenance is recorded on a decal on the shell naming the agency. |
| Fire sprinkler inspection | Every year | A fire protection system contractor certificateholder (Contractor I for all types, or Contractor II for water sprinkler systems), or a permittee they employ. Inspectors are registered with the State Fire Marshal. | The contractor gives the owner and the local fire authority the uniform summary report. The authority may accept it by mail, hand delivery, electronically or through a third-party vendor, so ask your local fire department which. |
| Fire alarm inspection | Every year | A licensed fire alarm contractor or certified unlimited electrical contractor, or their fire alarm system agents, under Florida Statutes Chapter 489 Part II (Department of Business and Professional Regulation). | A statewide filing rule for alarm reports was not confirmed. The contractor gives the owner a report, and some local fire departments want it uploaded. Ask yours. |
| Kitchen fire suppression inspection | Every 6 months | For pre-engineered systems (most restaurant hood systems), a Class D fire equipment dealer licence plus a permitted technician. Systems that are not pre-engineered need a fire protection system contractor. | The tag must be attached and show the month of work. The owner gets a copy of the report at the time of inspection. If the system is in violation, a copy goes to the local fire authority within 30 days of service. |
| Kitchen hood cleaning | Every month to every year, by type | No Florida hood cleaner licence was found. NFPA 96 calls for trained, qualified cleaners acceptable to the local fire official. | The cleaner documents each cleaning and gives the owner a report for the fire inspector. |
| Grease trap cleaningNational baseline, no local rule on file | Every 3 months | A waste hauler registered or permitted by the state and often the city. | No national interval exists. Local pretreatment rules set it, commonly every 90 days or sooner when grease and solids reach 25 percent of the wetted depth (Austin uses 50 percent in the final compartment). Keep manifests on site (3 to 5 years in the Texas cities listed here). |
| Backflow testing | Every 2 years | A certified backflow tester enrolled in SwiftComply for Tampa. The city publishes a list of registered testers. | SwiftComply. Testers register online with SwiftComply and must submit within seven calendar days. A device that fails must be fixed and retested, with results submitted again. |
| Boiler inspection | Every year to every 2 years, by type | The chief boiler inspector, a deputy boiler inspector, or a special boiler inspector employed by the insurer (Authorized Inspection Agency). Insured boilers are scheduled with the insurer, uninsured with the State Fire Marshal. | DFS Boiler Safety public portal. The inspector files the report with the chief boiler inspector (within 15 days for insurer inspectors). The state invoices the owner for the certificate fee. Once paid, the certificate is mailed or found on the public portal. |
Check your building's dates with the free checker.
Sources
- Florida Statutes 633.304, fire suppression equipment licence, Fla. Stat. 633.304 (Class A to D fire equipment dealer licences; individual permit for each worker). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 633.308, service tags and inspection tags, Fla. Stat. 633.308 (tag required on every extinguisher and pre-engineered system service; report copy to AHJ within 30 days if violations). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Fla. Admin. Code 69A-21.237, extinguisher inspection, maintenance and hydrostatic tests, Rule 69A-21.237 (annual maintenance per NFPA 10; six-year maintenance record decal). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Fla. Admin. Code 69A-3.012, NFPA standards adopted, Rule 69A-3.012 (NFPA 10-2018, 17A-2021, 25-2020, 72-2019, 96-2021; effective 12/31/2023). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Division of State Fire Marshal, Regulatory Licensing, Fire equipment dealers and service technicians; fire protection system contractors and water based inspectors; public portal. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- OSHA portable fire extinguisher rule, 29 CFR 1910.157(e) and Table L-1 (monthly visual check, annual maintenance, 6-year emptying, hydrostatic test intervals). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 633.312, inspection of fire protection systems, Fla. Stat. 633.312(2)-(3): quarterly, annual, 3-year and 5-year inspections by certificateholder; uniform summary report to owner and AHJ. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 633.102, definitions (Contractor I to V), Fla. Stat. 633.102(3). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 633.318, fire protection system contractor certificate, Fla. Stat. 633.318. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 489.505, definitions (fire alarm contractor, fire alarm system agent), Fla. Stat. 489.505. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Fla. Admin. Code 69A-60.003, Florida Fire Prevention Code, Rule 69A-60.003 (adopts NFPA 1, Florida 2021 edition). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Phoenix Fire Department, Fire Protection Systems ITM Frequency Chart (2018), Sprinkler and alarm frequencies citing NFPA 25 (2017) and NFPA 72 (2016); hood suppression citing IFC Table 609.3.3.1. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Minnesota Department of Health, Protection of Kitchen Cooking Equipment, NFPA 96 (2011) 11.2.1, 11.2.4, 11.4 and Table 11.4; NFPA 17A (2009) 7.2.2 and 7.5.1. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Marysville Fire District, Restaurant Owner's Guide to Exhaust Hood Cleaning, NFPA 96 hood cleaning schedule by cooking volume. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Portland Fire & Rescue, FIR-8.08 Commercial Kitchen Exhaust, Section III.B.3, minimum cleaning frequency by cooking type (NFPA 96, 2011 edition referenced). Read Oct 23, 2026.
- TCEQ RG-389, Waste from Grease Traps, Grit Traps, and Septic Tanks (rev. August 2026), 30 TAC ch. 312 subch. G (sludge transporter registration, trip ticket); local ordinances set trap design and pumping frequency. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Dallas Pretreatment Program FAQ, Dallas City Code ch. 19, sec. 19-126.2(c): clean at least every 90 days or at 25 percent. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- City of Tampa, Backflow Testing, Commercial annual, residential every 2 years; submit within 7 calendar days via SwiftComply. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Fla. Admin. Code 62-555.360, cross-connection control for public water systems, Rule 62-555.360: each community water system runs a program; non-residential assemblies tested after installation or repair and at least annually. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 554.108, boiler inspection, Fla. Stat. 554.108(1)-(4): public assembly boilers; annual and biennial certificate inspections; report to chief boiler inspector. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 554.109, boiler exemptions, Fla. Stat. 554.109. Read Oct 23, 2026.
- Florida DFS Boiler Safety, laws and rules fact sheet, Owner schedules inspections with the boiler insurer or the State Fire Marshal; certificate validity; public portal. Read Oct 23, 2026.