1. When responding to a service call that involves a residential backflow preventer, Sarasota County Public Utilities allows licensed plumbing contractors to temporarily restore water service to the home.
2. If this occurs, a brief description of what caused the damage must be reported to the Utility by emailing backflow@scgov.net as soon as possible.
3. Permanent repairs to the service connection should be completed on the next business day, and the work must include the required backflow protection outlined in Section 6 of the Cross-Connection Control Program Manual.
4. If a new or replacement backflow preventer is needed, it must be installed and tested by a Sarasota County–approved backflow prevention technician, and the results must be reported to the county.

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The primary method to reference a backflow preventer is by inputting the service meter number. The industry wide standard requires the tester to verify the meter # as part of the inspection check list. Hazard ID # is intended to provide an alternate reference method when the meter is submerged or the number is illegible.

The most common cause for denied access is expired documents. Please use the Document Upload feature on the website. (Do not email documents).

Your company or tester access may be temporarily disabled pending a response from you regarding an inquiry. Please check your email regularly.

The existing backflow preventer at the service connection often does not reflect the current protection requirements. Excessive application creates long-term impact on the water customer. Approved testers are accountable to know the correct protection type in accordance with the Program Manual.