Got a backflow test notice from Durham Region?

Who sent it and why

The Regional Municipality of Durham runs a backflow prevention program under By-law 24-2018. It applies to every industrial, commercial, institutional and multi-residential property on Regional water in all eight municipalities. Rather than mail thousands of letters itself, the Region contracts a company called BSI Online (Backflow Solutions Inc.) to keep the device records, send the notices, and receive the test reports. So the envelope or email may say BSI Online, Backflow Solutions, or Durham Region. Same program.

The letter is not a sales pitch and it is not from a contractor. It is the Region telling you, through its administrator, that a specific backflow preventer at your address is on record and something is due on it.

Looking for the BSI Online portal itself? It is at bsionline.ca. As an owner you do not need an account or a login to be compliant: the tester submits the report through it. If you want to check what the Region has on file for your address, contact BSI or the Region with the reference number on your notice, or send us the notice and we check. Our owner’s guide to BSI Online explains what the portal does and does not do.

What the notice is asking for

The Region’s notices ask for one of three things (the Region’s program page lists all three):

The notice says	What it means	Who does it
Test the device	The annual test is due. This is by far the most common notice.	An authorized tester. This is what we arrange.
Repair the device	A previous test failed, or the device is known to be defective.	A licensed plumber repairs or replaces it, then it is retested.
Install a device	A cross-connection survey found a hazard and no device, or an inadequate one.	A licensed plumber installs it (within 180 days of notification, s.6.2), then it is tested.

Read the action word. If it says test, keep reading. If it says install or repair, a plumber has to act first; we can help you sequence it and we handle the test at the end.

What is on the letter

Most notices carry the same core information, and you will need it when you book:

• The property address the Region has on file. Check it. Portfolios sometimes get notices at head office for a building someone else manages.
• The device: type (DCVA, RP, PVB), make, model, serial number, size, and its location. This is what the tester will match on site.
• The due date.
• A reference or account number for the BSI Online record.
• What to do: have the device tested by an authorized tester registered with the Region and have the report submitted.

If the device details look wrong (a serial that matches nothing on site, a location that does not exist), do not ignore it. Note the discrepancy and raise it when the tester is on site; the report can correct the record.

What to do, in order

1. Find the device. Usually in the mechanical room or near where the water service enters the building, close to the meter. Irrigation devices are outside, often near the controller. Our guide to finding your backflow preventer has diagrams and a room-by-room checklist.
2. Check the last tag. If it is dated within the last year, a test may already have been done. Was the report filed? A tag alone is not compliance; the record at the Region is. If you are not sure, ask whoever did it, or send us the tag details and we will check what BSI has on file.
3. Book the test with an authorized tester. That is a tester on the Region’s registry: cross-connection certified (OWWA or approved equivalent), registered annually with the Region, using calibrated equipment (by-law sections 8.2 to 8.6). We arrange it: pick a slot that suits the building, including early morning and after-hours for restaurants and clinics.
4. Have access ready. Keys, a contact, a time the mechanical room is open. If the device is on the main service, plan for water to that line to be off for 30 to 60 minutes.
5. Get the tag, the report, and the filing confirmation. The tester tags the device (s.6.10), gives you a copy of the report (keep it on site five years, s.6.6), and submits the report to the Region and area municipality within 28 days of the test (s.6.5). We do it promptly and confirm when the Region has it.
6. If it failed, act on it. The tester notifies the Region within 24 hours (s.6.4). A licensed plumber repairs or replaces the device, and it is retested. We coordinate that. Details on the failed test page.

Once the passing report is on file, the notice is resolved. Nothing else to send.

“Already had it tested” and other common situations

Tested last month, still got a letter. Either the report was never submitted through BSI Online, or it was filed against a different device or address. Send us the tag and report details; we check the record before you pay for a second test.

Building sold or manager changed. The notice goes to the owner of record. Forward it to whoever is now responsible, and make sure the Region’s contact details get updated. The by-law also triggers a new survey on ownership change (s.5.3), which is a plumber’s job; the annual test is separate and still due.

Multiple devices, one notice per device. Some buildings get several letters. Send them all in one request; we test everything on one visit and file each report.

Tenant received it. The premise isolation device belongs to the property, and the owner is responsible under the by-law. Tenants sometimes have their own smaller devices (a carbonator, a dish machine). Check who the notice is addressed to and what device it names.

Notice for a single-family home. Rare. The by-law excludes residential occupancies (s.3.1). If you genuinely have a house on a normal residential service and received a test notice, contact the Region to check the classification before doing anything.

What happens if the notice is ignored

Calmly: it escalates with the Region. Follow-up notices, then enforcement action under the by-law. Section 10 of By-law 24-2018, as amended in May 2026, sets maximum fines on conviction of up to $10,000 per day for an individual and $50,000 per day for a corporation for a first offence, and higher for subsequent offences, recoverable under the Provincial Offences Act. Separately, the Commissioner can order a cross-connection corrected and, if it is not, or if access for inspection is refused within 24 hours of written notice, shut off the water service (sections 4.3 and 7.2).

Those are the outer limits, not the first step, and almost nobody reaches them. What actually happens is that the property manager gets a second letter, someone in accounting asks why, and a test gets booked in a hurry. It is easier to book it in the first week.

What a test costs, briefly

Per property, per device. Testing in the GTA is commonly quoted from around $360 per device by some providers; the working range in Ontario is wider and multi-device buildings get per-device pricing. Ask whether the quote includes the $25 BSI Online filing fee (ours does), who submits the report, and what happens on failure. Full breakdown on the cost page.

Where the notice fits in the year

The Region’s program runs on an annual cycle. Your device has an anniversary; the notice arrives ahead of it. Once you have been tested with us, we send our own reminder 30 days before the next due date, so the Region’s letter arrives after the test is already booked. That is the difference between reacting to the program and running it.