What backflow testing costs
There is no fixed price on this page, on purpose. Testing is quoted per property because the same device can take 30 minutes in a heated mechanical room or an hour in a pit behind a locked gate. What we can do is show you exactly what drives the number and what a good quote has to include.
- $25 filing fee, per reportBSI Online charges it when the report is submitted, subject to annual increases. Ask whether a quote includes it. Ours does.
- 30 to 60 minutes per deviceWater is off to that line only, briefly, while gauge readings are taken on each check and relief valve.
- The Region issues the tagAfter BSI Online receives and the Region approves the report. A test that is not filed does not count.
The short version
Backflow testing (a backflow inspection, in some quotes) is priced per device, with the visit shared across every device tested at the same property. The by-law puts the cost of testing on the owner (section 6.3), the cost of any repair on the owner (section 6.4), and BSI Online charges a $25 filing fee per report. Everything else is the tester’s time, travel, and equipment.
Some Toronto-area providers publish rates from around $360 per device. That figure surfaces in search results for Durham because a Toronto company advertises it, not because it is a Durham rate. The working range for a single commercial device in Ontario is wider than that, and it moves with the factors below. Treat any single number as a reference point and ask for a quote on your building.
What drives the price
| Factor | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Number of devices | The visit, the drive and the paperwork are shared. Two devices in one building cost well under twice one device. |
| Device type | An RPZ has a relief valve to test as well as two checks, and fails more often. Slightly more per device than a DCVA. A PVB is quick when it works and slow when the air inlet is stuck. |
| Access | Heated mechanical room with a floor drain and a clear path: fast. Pit, crawlspace, locked cage, ladder, or a device buried behind stock: slower. If the tester has to come back because the room was locked, that is a second visit. |
| Timing | Early morning, evening and weekend slots for restaurants, clinics and plants that cannot lose water mid-shift. Available, sometimes at a premium. |
| Location in the Region | North Durham (Uxbridge, Scugog, Brock) is a longer drive. We batch northern properties into shared days so the difference is small if your date is flexible. |
| Filing | Some providers add the $25 BSI fee, some include it, some do not file at all and leave it to you. Ours includes filing and confirmation. |
| Condition of the device | A device that fails takes longer on site (diagnosis, notification), and then there is a repair and retest. Priced separately, quoted before work. |
What a proper quote includes
A quote for backflow testing in Durham should say, in writing:
- The price per device and the total for the property.
- Whether the $25 BSI Online filing fee is included. Ask outright. It is the most common surprise line item.
- Who submits the report. Under section 6.5 of the by-law the authorized tester is responsible for getting the report to the Region and area municipality within 28 days. A tester who hands you paperwork and leaves is leaving compliance to you.
- What happens on failure. Retest price, whether repairs are done in-house or by a partner, and who notifies the Region within the 24-hour window.
- The tester’s registration. Any authorized tester is on the Region’s registry through BSI Online. If a provider will not tell you who is doing the test, that is a reason to ask elsewhere.
- A time window, not “sometime this month.”
Our quotes include the filing fee, the submission, the tag, a copy of the report for your five-year on-site file (section 6.6), and a reminder before next year’s due date.
Repairs are a separate cost
If a device fails, the by-law requires immediate repair or replacement at the owner’s expense (section 6.4). That is plumbing work: rebuild kits, seats, springs, a relief valve rebuild, occasionally a new assembly. It is done by a licensed plumber; we coordinate it through a plumbing partner and quote the repair and the retest before anything happens. Most repairs are a fraction of the cost of a new device. Details on the failed test page.
Why the cheapest test is not always the cheapest outcome
Three ways a cheap test costs more:
- The report never reaches the Region. You paid for the test, you still get the notice, you pay again. A tag on the device is not compliance; the record at BSI Online is.
- Nobody looks at the device between tests. Devices that are visibly weeping or seized are usually visible months in advance. A tester who tells you “the first check is marginal, budget for a rebuild next year” is worth more than one who ticks the box.
- The rush booking. A second notice, a due date next week, and any available tester at any price. The fix is a reminder that arrives before the letter, which is included with every test we arrange.
How multi-device and portfolio pricing works
If you manage several buildings, send the list once. We quote every device across every property, group them by area and by access window, and return one schedule and one set of reports. The per-device number comes down because the drive and the admin are shared. Property managers with buildings in three or four Durham municipalities get one contact and one invoice per cycle. See the property manager page.
Why there is no fixed price on this page
A fixed price that ignores device count, access and timing is either padded or wrong. Quotes are per property and take about a business day. If a published from-price makes sense once the season settles, it will appear here with what it includes spelled out.
Common questions
How much does a backflow test cost in Ontario?
It varies with device count, type, access and timing. Some GTA providers publish prices from around $360 per device; the working range for a single commercial device in Ontario is wider than that, and buildings with several devices are priced per device with the visit shared. Ask any provider whether the BSI Online filing fee ($25 per report in Durham) is included and who submits the report.
Is the $25 BSI fee extra?
It depends on the provider. BSI Online charges $25 per test report at submission, subject to annual increases, and the Region's program page says so. Some testers pass it through as a line item, some absorb it, some forget to mention it. Our quotes include it.
Why is an RPZ test more than a double check test?
It has one more component to test (the relief valve), it is more often in a mechanical room that takes time to reach, and it fails more often, which means more time on site diagnosing. Most providers price RPZ testing slightly above DCVA testing for that reason.
Do you charge for a retest after a repair?
A retest is a second visit with the same readings and a second BSI report, so there is a charge, though it is usually less than the original test when it is booked with the repair. We tell you the retest price at the time the failure is reported, before any repair is done.
What is the cheapest way to stay compliant?
Test everything on one visit, at a time the building is easy to access, and make sure the report is actually filed. The expensive outcomes are a test that never reached the Region (paid twice), a device that fails because it was never looked at between tests, and a rush booking after a second notice.
Get a per-device price for your building
Address, device count if you know it, and whether a notice has arrived. We reply with the number, what is included, and available slots.