SCDES General Tester vs Limited Tester
South Carolina certifies the testers. SCDES has to be the certifying agency. There is no direct reciprocity that skips the state process.
Sources checked October 2, 2026.
The definitions below are from the certified-tester entry in R.61-58, State Primary Drinking Water Regulations. The course and recertification details are from the SCDES Cross Connection Control page.
Four classifications
- General Tester. Has finished an approved backflow course and has a test kit, either personally or through the employer. This is the classification that tests assemblies for the general public.
- Limited Tester. Same course qualifications, but the tests are only on assemblies the employer owns. A Limited Tester does not provide testing to the general public.
- Inspector Tester. Same qualifications, and employed by a municipality, water district, subdivision, or other public water system. This person normally manages a backflow program and does not sell testing services to the public.
- Manufacturer’s Agent. Same qualifications, but the tests are part of representing a particular backflow company.
Hiring someone for your own assembly means hiring a General Tester, unless your utility’s rules add another limit. Greenville Water, for example, wants results uploaded by a certified tester in its portal. See how Greenville Water filing works.
The course and the card
SCDES describes the certification course as four days, with classroom time and a wet lab. Students sit a written exam and a proctored practical exam. The page says there are no prerequisites, and that experience in a water-related trade is encouraged. The credential expires every three years.
Recertification on that page is a 25-question written exam plus a wet-lab test of a double check valve assembly, a pressure vacuum breaker, and a reduced pressure principle assembly. The tester’s differential gauge must be accurate to within 2 percent of full scale or ±0.3 psi differential. There is no reciprocity path for recertification. Testers either use a center listed in the recertification study guide or repeat the certification workshop.
On reciprocity for a first card, the page says SCDES must certify testers in South Carolina and that there is not a direct reciprocation with training providers. Someone who already finished an approved class elsewhere still attends and passes an SCDES one-day event with a written exam and a practical exam. The contact named for that review is Steve Fox, Steve.Fox@des.sc.gov, (803) 898-4426.
Class dates change and fill up. The waiting list linked from the program page is the Cross Connection Control waiting list. A short class overview PDF is on the same site.
Testing is not plumbing repair
A test report is not a repair. Installing or replacing an assembly for hire can be a separate licensing question under the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Check LLR before you hire someone to replace a device. This page is not legal advice.