Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond - Memphis and Shelby County, TN in Tennessee

Brief Summary

The $5,000 bond is the piece of paper that lets an independent backflow tester work for customers in Memphis and Shelby County under his own name. The premium is small next to the bond amount, most testers are quoted the same day, and one bond covers the year of testing.

Independent backflow prevention device testers in Memphis and Shelby County post a $5,000 surety bond naming Memphis and Shelby County as obligee. The bond sits alongside two things MLGW enforces on its own: an active State of Tennessee tester certification with MLGW approval, and attendance at one free mandatory MLGW tester meeting every calendar year. Miss the meeting and MLGW will not accept your test reports, bond or no bond.

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How to Apply for a Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond:

• Hold an active State of Tennessee backflow tester Certificate of Competency.
• Get approved by MLGW to test on its water system.
• Sign up for and attend one MLGW mandatory tester meeting in the current calendar year.
• Complete the bond application with your legal name, business name, home address and Social Security number.
• Pay the premium and receive the executed $5,000 bond.
• Confirm the current bond form and filing office with Memphis and Shelby County and file the original bond.

Detailed Information About the Tennessee Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond:

The meeting most testers forget

MLGW's Cross Connection Control Manual says the program will not accept any test reports unless the submitting certified tester has attended one of MLGW's free, mandatory information meetings for that calendar year. Failure to sign up for and attend a session results in suspension of testing privileges on MLGW's water system. The 2026 sessions run from January through September at the Joyce M. Blackmon Training Center, 4949 Raleigh LaGrange, Memphis, and last about two hours. A valid bond does not substitute for attendance.

Who posts this bond

The word independent matters. This bond is for a tester who tests and certifies backflow assemblies as his own business and signs his own reports. It runs to Memphis and Shelby County and guarantees that the tester will perform and report tests honestly and in line with the local plumbing code and cross connection rules, and will answer for loss caused when he does not. Confirm the current bond form and where it is filed with Memphis and Shelby County before the bond is issued.

What the tester needs besides the bond

MLGW only treats a test as official when it is performed by someone holding a valid Certificate of Competency from the State of Tennessee who has also been approved by MLGW to test on its system. Certificates of Competency are not transferable. Tests have to be run with a three or five valve test kit that carries a valid annual certification under the current Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation test procedure, and results go on the MLGW approved report form marked Passed or Failed. MLGW can add, suspend or remove testers from its approved list, and a suspended tester is reinstated only after attending the mandatory meeting again.

How the premium is set

The surety prices the bond mainly on the owner's personal credit. At a $5,000 bond amount the annual premium is modest, and most testers with ordinary credit are approved without financial statements.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Tennessee Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond:

• Bond amount of $5,000.
• Memphis and Shelby County named as obligee.
• Tester name on the bond matching the name on the State of Tennessee certificate.
• A test kit with valid annual certification under the current TDEC test procedure.
• Owner credit review, which mostly shapes the rate at this bond size.

Tennessee Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond FAQs:

Official and Additional Resources for the Tennessee Independent Backflow Prevention Device Tester ($5,000) Bond: