Phoenix City Code Ch. 37: Backflow and Cross-Connection Control

In Short

Phoenix City Code Chapter 37 runs the city's cross-connection control program. Where a property has a backflow hazard, the owner must install an approved backflow assembly, have it tested every year by a certified tester, and file the results with the city. The rules sit in sections 37-141 through 37-146.

Primary Source

Phoenix City Code Chapter 37, Article XII (Cross-Connection Control), Sections 37-141 through 37-146

This is a government work (Arizona statute, administrative rule, or city ordinance) in the public domain. Always confirm the current official text at the source before relying on it.

Arizona's state rule requires water providers to protect the public supply from backflow. Phoenix carries that duty out through its own cross-connection control program, written into Phoenix City Code Chapter 37, the chapter that governs water and sewers. For a property owner, this is the local rulebook that says when you need a backflow assembly, who tests it, and what you have to file with the city.

What this code requires

Chapter 37's cross-connection provisions, in sections 37-141 through 37-146, put the responsibility on the property owner wherever a hazard exists. Phoenix's program carries out the state rule that governs backflow, Arizona Administrative Code R18-4-215, which sets who may perform the required testing:

Testing shall be performed by a person who is currently certified as a "general" tester by the California-Nevada Section of the American Water Works Association (CA-NV Section, AWWA), the Arizona State Environmental Technical Training (ASETT) Center, or other certifying authority approved by the Department.

The local ordinance sets the owner's duties. Where the water provider finds a cross-connection hazard, the owner must install an approved backflow assembly. The owner pays for it. The assembly must be tested every year by a certified tester. The test report must be filed with the city, and the owner must keep records. The type of assembly depends on the hazard level. The highest-risk connections need a reduced-pressure assembly. This is the local, enforcement side of the same protection the state rule sets.

When this comes into play

This reaches most commercial properties and many homes with irrigation. Picture an office building with a lawn-sprinkler system and a fire-sprinkler line. Both are cross-connection hazards. So Chapter 37 requires a backflow assembly on each, an annual test, and a report on file with the city. Miss the annual test and the water provider can send a notice and, in the end, shut off service. A restaurant, car wash, or medical building faces the same cycle.

What this means for you

If your property has a backflow assembly, put its annual test on a calendar and use a certified tester, then make sure the results reach the city. Missing the deadline is the most common way owners fall out of compliance. For the registration and reporting side, see do I have to register my backflow assembly with the City of Phoenix, and for the testing cycle, see commercial backflow testing requirements in Arizona. To tell the assembly types apart, see RPZ vs double-check backflow.

Full text and source

Phoenix's cross-connection rules are part of Phoenix City Code Chapter 37, a public record of the city's ordinances. Because the municipal code host can block direct reading, confirm the current requirements through the City of Phoenix backflow guidance: Backflow Administrative Requirements.

This page explains a city program in general terms and is not legal or compliance advice. The exact section numbers, assembly types, and deadlines can change, so confirm the current Chapter 37 requirements with the City of Phoenix and your water provider before relying on them.

Sources

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