When an annual backflow testing notice arrives for your Glendora property, arrange testing with a City-approved certified tester. For customers of the City of Glendora water system, Ordinance No. 2100 requires customer-paid installation when the City requires an assembly, at least annual testing of installed assemblies, and correction of compliance problems.
This explains the rule and is not tax or legal advice.
The City Council adopted the ordinance on September 22, 2026. It rewrote existing backflow requirements; the testing duty isn’t brand new. For your transaction, the useful questions are whether an assembly is required, whether its tests are current, and whether the Water Division has issued any unresolved notices.
Does this apply to your property?
These requirements apply to customers of the City of Glendora water system, so check the provider named on your water bill before assuming they cover your property.
A Glendora address alone doesn’t answer that question. Nor does the ordinance say every home needs a backflow assembly.
The Water Division evaluates service connections for potential backflow risks, including irrigation systems, commercial properties, industrial facilities, medical and laboratory operations, and multi-tenant or mixed-use buildings. Those are connections it evaluates, not a declaration that every property in those categories needs the same equipment.
An existing assembly is also a reason to ask for records. The installation date, latest test result and any outstanding repair notice can help you understand what needs attention before a sale.
What did Ordinance No. 2100 change?
Ordinance No. 2100 replaced the City’s cross-connection control and enforcement provisions, adding an annual testing minimum and a framework tied to the state’s Handbook and the City’s Plan.
The ordinance replaces Glendora Municipal Code Sections 14.24.090 and 14.24.100. Earlier rules already required customers to install and test required devices and keep records.
The replacement text adopts the State Water Resources Control Board’s Cross-Connection Control Policy Handbook as amended over time. It also provides for a Cross-Connection Control Plan adopted by resolution, a certified coordinator, hazard assessments and access for inspections.
The ordinance states that it becomes effective on the thirtieth day after adoption. That timing is separate from the January 1, 2027 change to test-report submission.
Who has to install an assembly, and when?
The customer must install an approved assembly at the customer’s expense when the City determines one is required and provides written notice.
The ordinance places the installation timeframe in the Plan. The sources here don’t provide that deadline, so don’t assume a standard number of days applies. Ask the Water Division which timeframe governs your notice.
Placement also needs approval. The assembly must be as close as practical to the user’s service connection, and the City has final authority over its location.
As a condition of service, customers must provide authorized representatives reasonable access to the portions of the property needed to determine whether cross-connections or other structural or sanitary hazards exist, consistent with applicable law. The City decides whether an assembly is required after evaluating the connection and gives written notice.
How often is testing required, and who pays?
Installed backflow assemblies require certified inspections and operational tests at least annually, with all testing, repair and maintenance costs paid by the customer.
Testing is also required immediately after installation, repair, depressurization for winterizing or permanent relocation. An annual result doesn’t replace a test triggered by one of those events.
Only approved certified testers may perform the work. The Water Division supplies its Approved List of Backflow Testers alongside annual testing notices.
Failed assemblies must be repaired or replaced promptly. A failed device must then be retested to verify compliance. Keep the result with the related repair paperwork so you can distinguish a failed test from a completed correction.
Neither source provides test prices, installation charges or penalty amounts. The ordinance identifies who pays, but it doesn’t establish a budget for your property.
What changes with SwiftComply?
Beginning January 1, 2027, all backflow assembly test reports must be submitted electronically through SwiftComply.
The Water Division’s program page says paper submissions and reports sent by email will no longer be accepted.
When arranging testing, ask how the report will reach the Water Division and request a copy for your records. For questions about the submission change or an outstanding notice, contact [email protected] or (626) 852-4838.
The City maintains installation dates, annual test results, tester certification status, and outstanding repairs and compliance issues. Those are useful records to ask about when the paperwork available to you is incomplete.
What can lead to water service being shut off?
The City may discontinue, seal or disconnect water service for failure to comply with the chapter, the Handbook or the Plan.
Listed grounds include refusing to install, test, repair or replace a required assembly. They also include an assembly that is unapproved, inadequate, bypassed, removed or replaced with a jumper, as well as unprotected cross-connections.
Ordinarily, the City must provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to comply under the Plan’s notification procedures and timeframes.
There is an immediate-hazard exception. If the City finds a clear and immediate hazard to the potable water supply that cannot be immediately abated, it may discontinue service immediately. Service remains inactive until the City approves correction of the violations. Ask about unresolved notices early enough to understand what correction is required.
What should you ask for when buying or selling?
Ask for installation records, current test results, repair and retest paperwork, and notices from the Water Division.
For a seller, gathering those documents alongside a pre-listing inspection can help identify unanswered questions before listing. A passing test and an unresolved notice tell different stories, so review both the result and any follow-up correspondence.
For a buyer, ask whether an assembly is required, who arranges testing, and whether repairs remain outstanding. These are requests for useful records; the sources don’t say escrow requires a test or that backflow records must be disclosed. The California seller disclosure guide provides broader transaction context.
For a condo or building with shared irrigation or water service, ask who manages the equipment and holds the records. The HOA disclosure guide can help frame related document questions.
The short version
Customers of the City of Glendora water system are responsible for required assemblies, testing and correction of compliance problems.
Check your provider first. If an assembly is required, follow the written notice and the Plan’s timeframe. Installed assemblies need testing at least annually and after the specified events, and reports must go through SwiftComply beginning January 1, 2027.
Before buying or selling, ask for the latest test, any repair and retest records, and Water Division notices. Resolve gaps with the Water Division rather than assuming an older test closes the matter.
When you’re ready to consider your sale price, start with the home value tool.
Common questions
Does every Glendora home need a backflow assembly?
No. These rules apply to customers of the City of Glendora water system. The City determines where an approved assembly is required and gives the customer written notice.
Who pays for backflow installation and testing?
The customer pays for required installation and all testing, repair and maintenance costs.
How often must a backflow assembly be tested?
At least annually, and immediately after installation, repair, depressurization for winterizing or permanent relocation. Testing must be performed by an approved certified tester.
What changes on January 1, 2027?
All backflow assembly test reports must be submitted electronically through SwiftComply. The Water Division will no longer accept paper reports or reports sent by email.
Does the ordinance require a backflow test during escrow?
The sources do not state an escrow testing requirement. Buyers can ask for installation records, test results and notices from the Water Division.
