Chapter 4, Page 53 to 54 from the completely updated, definitive source, the 2017 New York City Apartment Management Checklist.

1. 53
Backflow Prevention Devices
WHO IS AFFECTED
In general, all owners of apartment buildings.
Enforcement priorities include buildings with any
of the following:
■ A dry-cleaning store;
■ Coin-operated laundry machines (if open to
the public);
■ Air-conditioning cooling towers with
antifreeze;
■ Boilers that contain rust inhibitors or other
water treatment chemicals;
■ Medical or dental offices; and
■ Two or more service lines from city water
mains.
WHAT LAW REQUIRES
Owners must install special plumbing devices,
known as backflow prevention devices, on the
main water pipes that supply their buildings. The
device prevents building water from flowing back
into the city’s water mains. Owners should have a
licensed professional engineer or registered archi-
tect submit plans to the city before installing the
device, get a permit to install it from the Dept. of
Buildings (DOB), get a master plumber to install
it, get the device inspected and tested when first
installed, and have it tested at least once a year
by a state-certified backflow prevention device
tester who is employed by a licensed plumber.
All work must be done in conformance with the
NYC Plumbing Code. The Dept. of Environmen-
tal Protection (DEP) is charged with enforcing the
state regulation and determining which buildings
must be brought into compliance. DEP will, upon
request, assign an inspector to assist an owner
in evaluating the need for backflow prevention
devices in a particular building. To arrange for an
inspection call (718) 595-5258.
HOW TO COMPLY
Prepare plans. Owners must hire a registered
architect or licensed engineer to prepare plans for
installing a backflow prevention device. There are
two types of approved devices—the Reduced Pres-
sure Zone Device and the Double Check Valve
Assembly.
The architect or engineer must submit the com-
pleted plans to DEP, along with the DEP form
called “Application for Approval of Backflow
Prevention Devices” and a fee of $350 for each
service connection.
Get permit. Once owners get DEP’s approval,
they must hire a master plumber to apply to the
DOB for a permit to install the device.
Install device. Once the master plumber gets the
DOB permit, owners must have the master plumb-
er install the device.
Get device inspected and tested when first
installed. When the device is first installed, a
licensed professional engineer or registered archi-
tect must inspect it and certify that the installation
was done in accordance with plans approved by
DEP. To do this, the engineer or architect must fill
out the bottom portion (Part C) of a NYC DEP
form entitled “Report on Test and Maintenance
4

2. 4: Backflow Prevention Devices
54 2017 NYC Apartment Management Checklist
of Backflow Prevention Device.” There is also a
place on the form (Part D) for the licensed master
plumber to verify that the device has been installed
in accordance with DOB requirements.
Owners must also hire a state-certified backflow
prevention device tester who is employed by a
licensed plumber to test the device and certify that
it is working properly. To verify a tester’s certifi-
cation, owners should call the NYS Department
of Health’s Center for Environmental Health at
(800) 458-1158. The tester must fill out the top
portion of the “Report on Test and Maintenance
of Backflow Prevention Device.”
The engineer or architect must then submit the
completed form to DEP.
Get device retested each year. A state-certified
backflow prevention device tester who is employed
by a licensed plumber must test the device at least
once a year after it is installed. The tester must
then fill out the top portion of the “Report on Test
and Maintenance of Backflow Prevention Device”
form and file it with DEP. The tester does not have
to fill out the lower portion of the form. Owners
must keep copies of their annual inspection report
forms and make them available upon request by
DOB for five years.
DEADLINE
Technically, all residential buildings that are cov-
ered by the state regulation should already have
been evaluated to determine the need for a back-
flow prevention device. To date, DEP has focused
on bringing “high risk” buildings—buildings with
either a dry-cleaning store, medical office, dental
office, or coin-operated laundry machines—into
compliance. But DEP will eventually make sure
that all affected buildings comply with the regu-
lation. Generally speaking, all new service con-
nections (i.e., new buildings and new service lines
to existing buildings) must have DEP approval
before the connections will be made.
PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY
Owners who do not comply with the backflow
prevention requirements can get hit with a DEP
violation that carries a penalty of between $350
and $1,000. Also, if a backflow into the city water
main occurs, DEP can cut off the tap or wet con-
nection supplying water to the building to stop the
backflow. DEP can also stop water service to the
building if the owner does not install a backflow
prevention device after being directed to do so.
FORMS REQUIRED
Qualified architects, engineers, testers, and plumb-
ers will complete these two forms for you:
➤ GEN236: Application for Approval of Backflow
Prevention Devices (3/16) (see p. 61)
➤ GEN215B: Report on Test and Maintenance of
Backflow Prevention Device (6/10) (see p. 62).
Owners can complete these forms online through
DEP’s Water & Sewer Permitting System (WSPS)
at www.nyc.gov/dep/wsps. Owners can also request
copies of both forms by contacting DEP, Attn:
Cross Connection Control Unit, 59-17 Junction
Blvd., 3rd Fl. Low-Rise, Corona, NY 11368, or
by calling DEP at 311 or (718) 595-5463. Owners
must keep copies of Form GEN215B upon annual
inspection and make them available upon request
by DOB for five years.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Contact a licensed professional engineer, regis-
tered architect, or licensed plumber if you have
questions about installing a backflow prevention
device. You can also call DEP’s Permitting and
Connections Unit (see Appendix A: Telephone
Directory).
For more information, also see these DEP online
publications:
■ “Protecting Our Water: New York City’s Cross
Connection Control Program,” at www.nyc.
gov/html/dep/pdf/water_sewer/backflow.pdf; and
■ “Revised NYC DEP Supplement to the NYS
Department of Health’s Handbook for Cross
Connection Control,” at www.nyc.gov/html/
dep/pdf/water_sewer/42_doh_supplement.pdf.
Beginning in 2012, installations of mandated
backflow prevention devices are eligible for major
capital improvement (MCI) rent increases for
rent-controlled and rent-stabilized tenants. Own-
ers must submit applications for approval of these
rent increases to the NYS Division of Housing
and Community Renewal (DHCR). Information
and forms for MCI rent increases can be found at
www.nyshcr.org/Rent/infobytopic.htm.