For NYC landlords · Backflow preventers
The backflow test report, 12 months from the last one.
Once DEP has directed a building to install a backflow preventer, each device is tested every year and the report reaches DEP within 12 months of the last one. The tests, the reports and the repairs sit on the building’s file, with the 12 months counted from the date that matters.
- On for the buildings DEP directed
- 12 months from the last report
- 14 days free, no card
- BldgBackflow test reportSubmitted Mar 10 · next by Mar 10, 2027Done
- BldgBackflow preventer testedFeb 20 · passedDone
- BldgRepair the backflow preventerFailed Sep 30 · repair by Oct 30Due
- BldgSubmit the retest reportWithin 30 days of the repairSoon
Sample data. Not real records.
Why the records matter
A clock that starts at DEP’s door.
The next report is due 12 months after DEP received the last one: not by the calendar year, and not from the test date.
From the date the last test report was submitted to the next one. DEP mails a reminder, and email reminders are available.
15 RCNY §20-04(e)(2); DEPA failed device is repaired within 30 days and retested, and the retest report is submitted within 30 days of the repair. A report of a failed device is not accepted.
15 RCNY §20-04(e)(6)For a missing annual report ($50 for a first summons when the report is in by the hearing; $1,000 by default). DEP can also shut off the water.
15 RCNY §65-01; §20-04(e)(3); DEPWhat the law asks
A test a year, a report within 12 months.
Buildings DEP has directed to install a device: roof tanks, booster pumps, chemically treated or large boilers, more than one water service, sprinkler and standpipe lines, pools and irrigation, and ground-floor uses like laundries, salons and medical offices. A residential building with one domestic line and none of these can apply for an exemption.
Last verified Oct 14, 2026
- 01The yearly testEach device, at least once a year and after every repair or replacement, by a tester certified by the State Health Department and employed by a licensed master plumber.
- 02The report to DEP, form GEN215BThe original, with the licensed master plumber’s seal, online or by mail, within 12 months of the last report. Keep the confirmation.
- 03A failed testRepaired within 30 days, retested, and the retest report submitted within 30 days of the repair.
- 04A new deviceInstalled under a plan DEP approved, and the first test report submitted within 30 days of the test.
- 05Never removed or bypassedRemoving, swapping, relocating or bypassing a device needs DEP’s approval first, and a retest after.
- 06Your own recordsDEP’s rule sets no period for the owner. DEP’s handbook asks owners to keep the tests, repairs and overhauls of every device.
Your year
The backflow year, on one calendar.
- Day 0Report submittedThe date DEP receives it starts the next 12 months.
- Months 10–12Test the deviceBy a certified tester working for a licensed master plumber.
- Within 12 monthsSubmit the next reportGEN215B with the plumber’s seal.
- After a failed test30 days, then 30 moreRepair, retest, and submit the retest report.
How it works
Every unit, every deadline, every report. One file.
- 01
Add your buildings
Address, year built and every unit. Type them in or import a CSV from your spreadsheet.
- 02
See what each unit owes
The app lists what each unit owes under NYC’s laws as we read them, and when. You get a reminder before each deadline.
- 03
Log it on your phone
Notices, tenant replies, visits, clearances and certificates, each with its date and the report or photo.
- 04
Hand over one file
When HPD asks, download every record for a building as one PDF, in the order HPD asks for them.
Pricing
14 days free. Then a plan by your units.
No card to start. Four plans by the number of units you track; pay yearly and two months are free. Common areas and buildings you have sold are not counted. Unlimited people, records and photos on every plan. Stop paying and the account moves to a free Archive plan: every record stays readable and downloadable, nothing new can be added.
Starter
Up to 10 units
$9/ month
or $90 a year
A house with a rented unit, a two- or three-family, a small building.
Building
Up to 40 units
$39/ month
or $390 a year
A few buildings, or one larger one.
Portfolio
Up to 120 units
$99/ month
or $990 a year
A portfolio across the city.
Manager
Up to 500 units
$349/ month
or $3490 a year
A management company.
Over 500 units: from $0.40 a unit a month, at least $349 a month, billed yearly on an invoice. Email [email protected].
FAQ
Straight answers.
Something else? Email [email protected]
Pre-1960 building? See Local Law 1 lead recordsMore NYC laws
- Window guards: the January notice and the installs
- HPD property registration, every September 1
- The bedbug annual report and lease disclosures
- Local Law 152 gas piping inspections
- Gas, smoke and CO detectors
- Local Law 55 mold and pests
- Stove knob covers: the January notice and the requests
- DHCR rent registration and the rent stabilization notice
- Boiler inspections and DOB NOW reports
- Drinking-water tank inspections and reports
- Local Law 11 facade inspections (FISP)
- Energy benchmarking, the grade label and LL97
How do I know whether DEP requires a device?
DEP decides building by building and tells the owner. Your DEP approval letter, your plumber’s last test report or DEP’s reminder letter says. A residential building with one domestic line and none of the listed hazards can file for an exemption.
Is the deadline the end of the year?
No. The next report is due 12 months after the last report was submitted, so each building, and each device, has its own date.
What does a missed report cost?
A $500 summons, mitigated to $50 if it is your first summons and the report is in by the hearing; $1,000 by default. DEP can also shut off the water.
Does ViolationProof submit the report?
No. Your plumber’s tester submits it to DEP. ViolationProof counts the 12 months from each report, follows a failed test through the repair and the retest, and keeps the reports on the building’s file.
Start
Your backflow reports, never late.
Add your buildings, switch on backflow preventers where DEP has directed one, record the last report, and see the next date before DEP’s letter arrives. 14 days free, no card; then from $9 a month.
Start free- 14 days free, no card
- Sign in with a code from your email, no password
- Your records stay yours: download the file any time, and if you stop paying they stay readable on a free Archive plan
Units somewhere we don’t cover yet, or a question about your city’s law? Tell us where you are, and we write back.
Sources
- 15 RCNY §20-04 (backflow prevention devices)
- 15 RCNY §65-01 (water penalty schedule)
- NYC Administrative Code §24-346 (penalties)
- 10 NYCRR §5-1.31 (cross-connection control)
- DEP: cross connection controls
- DEP: backflow prevention FAQ
- DEP: form GEN215B
- DEP: Cross-Connection Control Program Handbook (2019)
This page summarizes 15 RCNY §20-04 (backflow prevention devices) for owners. It is not legal advice. ViolationProof is not affiliated with NYC DEP or the U.S. EPA.