Backflow Testing in Montgomery Village, MD

Our Village home has a sprinkler system. What does WSSC require?

WSSC Water treats the backflow device on an in-ground sprinkler system as a testable assembly, so it needs a field test once a year, timed to spring start-up, with the report filed as WSSC's code requires. Any time the assembly is put in, repaired or moved, it gets tested again right after the work. Townhouse communities and single-family streets alike can have these devices, sometimes installed by a homeowners association and sometimes by an individual owner, so find out who owns yours before booking.

How do I know a tester is qualified?

WSSC limits the work to journeyman or master plumbers it has credentialed who also hold cross-connection technician certification. That certification comes from a 32-hour WSSC-approved course and has to be renewed every three years. Ask the plumber to confirm both before the visit. A test done by someone without them will not count, and you would be paying twice.

Who issues permits if the device has to be replaced or moved?

WSSC Water Permit Services handles plumbing permits in Montgomery County, through its ePermitting system, and only WSSC-registered master plumbers or their proxies can apply. Montgomery County's Department of Permitting Services covers building permits, which a simple device swap usually doesn't need. Replacing a worn assembly in the same spot is common; relocating one out of a low, wet corner may make sense if it keeps freezing or flooding.

A note on the Village

Montgomery Village was built out mostly in the late 1960s and the 1970s, and about half of the homes in its ZIP predate 1980. Many sprinkler systems were added long after the houses, so devices of very different ages sit side by side on the same street. Addresses here use Gaithersburg mailing names, but the community is unincorporated, so no city permit step is involved. If a device is spraying water, shut the irrigation valve and wait for the plumber rather than taking it apart. In fall, drain the sprinkler line before the first hard freeze, since a cracked brass body almost always means a full replacement and a permit rather than a quick rebuild.