HCR 103

ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 103
BY REPRESENTATIVE CREWS
  A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council and the
       Louisiana Department of Health to study and consider amending the provisions of
       the amended International Plumbing Code, adopted as part of the Louisiana State
       Uniform Construction Code, and the provisions of the Sanitary Code, regarding the
       frequency of inspections and testing of backflow prevention devices, barometric
       loops, and air gaps, and to promulgate any necessary rules or amendments to
       implement a less frequent inspection and testing schedule.
       WHEREAS, while backflow prevention is essential to protecting the public potable
water supply from contamination, the required annual frequency of inspections may exceed
what is reasonably necessary to ensure continued operability and safety in many residential
and low-hazard applications, thereby creating unnecessary financial burdens without
commensurate public health benefits; and
       WHEREAS, these mandatory annual inspection and testing requirements impose
significant and recurring costs on homeowners, property owners, tenants, and other
responsible parties for the hiring of certified testers, documentation and record-keeping,
reporting to building officials or water suppliers, and any necessary repairs or replacements;
and
       WHEREAS, modern backflow prevention assemblies manufactured to current
standards of the American Society of Sanitary Engineers and the American Water Works
Association are engineered with durable materials and reliable check valve mechanisms that
do not typically degrade to a failure condition within a single year of normal residential use;
and
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HCR NO. 103  ENROLLED
       WHEREAS, the risk profile of low-hazard residential connections, which typically
serve only potable water uses within single-family and small multi-family dwellings, is
materially different from and substantially lower than the risk profile of commercial,
industrial, and institutional connections, which may involve chemical processes, medical
equipment, fire suppression systems, and other high-hazard cross-connection scenarios; and
       WHEREAS, other states have implemented a reduced testing frequency for
residential backflow prevention assemblies, including the state of Wisconsin, which requires
testing of low-hazard residential service connections once every ten years pursuant to
Wisconsin Administrative Code §NR 810.15, and the state of Florida, which requires testing
of residential service connections after installation or repair and every two years thereafter
pursuant to Florida Administrative Code Rule 62-555.360; and
       WHEREAS, the Louisiana Department of Health, pursuant to the authority granted
in R.S. 40:5, is responsible for protecting the public against disease and injuries from water
supplied for drinking, culinary, and other purposes, and for adopting, amending, and
promulgating the Sanitary Code to achieve that purpose; and
       WHEREAS, the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council, pursuant to
the authority granted in R.S. 40:1730.22, is responsible for adopting, amending, and
promulgating the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code, including the plumbing
provisions based upon the International Plumbing Code with amendments; and
       WHEREAS, the current International Plumbing Code, as amended and adopted by
this state, requires annual inspections of all backflow prevention assemblies, barometric
loops, air gaps, and at least annual testing of certain specified backflow preventer assemblies
pursuant to Section 312.10 of that code; and
       WHEREAS, alternative testing schedules, such as inspections and testing every two,
five, or ten years, or upon the sale or transfer of the property, could maintain adequate
protection of the public water system while substantially reducing compliance costs and
administrative burdens for the people of this state.
       THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council and the Louisiana
Department of Health to study the feasibility, safety, and public health impacts of amending
the International Plumbing Code and the Sanitary Code as adopted to reduce the required
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HCR NO. 103  ENROLLED
frequency of backflow prevention assembly, barometric loops, air gap inspections, and
testing from annually to a less frequent period, such as every two, five, or ten years, or upon
the sale or transfer of the affected property.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code
Council and the Louisiana Department of Health are urged and requested to consider
comments from homeowners, plumbing professionals, water suppliers, the State Plumbing
Board, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, and other interested parties
during the study process and, if appropriate, to promulgate rules or amendments to the
Sanitary Code, the International Plumbing Code, and the Louisiana State Uniform
Construction Code to implement such changes.
        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chair of the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council, the secretary of the
Louisiana Department of Health, the chair of the State Plumbing Board, and the chair of the
Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
  SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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