In Virginia, a private fire hydrant must be inspected annually and after each operation, flow tested annually, and maintained annually, and the underground and exposed fire service main piping that feeds it must be flow tested every 5 years. Records of every inspection, test, and maintenance visit must be kept. Those intervals come from the 2021 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code §507.5.3, which points to NFPA 25. Virginia enforces NFPA 25 (2020 edition). Confirm the adopted edition with your AHJ.
What the Virginia code says
Virginia SFPC (2021) §507.5.2 Inspection, testing and maintenance“Fire hydrant systems shall be subject to periodic tests as required by the fire code official. Fire hydrant systems shall be maintained in an operative condition at all times and shall be repaired where defective. Additions, repairs, alterations and servicing shall comply with approved standards. Records of tests and required maintenance shall be maintained.”
Virginia SFPC (2021) §507.5.3 Private fire service mains and water tanks“Private fire service mains and water tanks shall be periodically inspected, tested and maintained in accordance with NFPA 25 at the following intervals: Private fire hydrants of all types: Inspection annually and after each operation; flow test and maintenance annually. Fire service main piping: Inspection of exposed, annually; flow test every 5 years. Fire service main piping strainers: Inspection and maintenance after each use. Records of inspections, testing and maintenance shall be maintained.”
Checklist: intervals for private hydrants
| Item | Frequency | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect dry barrel and wall hydrants | Annually and after each operation | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) Table 7.1.1.2, §7.2.2.4; Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Inspect wet barrel hydrants | Annually and after each operation | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) Table 7.1.1.2, §7.2.2.5; Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Flush and flow test each hydrant (opened fully, flowed until clear, at least 1 minute) | Annually | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) §7.3.2; Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Confirm dry barrel and wall hydrants drain after operation (within 60 minutes) | After each operation | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) §7.3.2 |
| Hydrant maintenance | Annually | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) Table 7.1.1.2, §7.4.2; Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Inspect exposed fire service main piping | Annually | Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Flow test underground and exposed fire service main piping | Every 5 years | NFPA 25 (2020 edition) §7.3.1; Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Inspect and maintain fire service main strainers | After each use | Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 |
| Keep records of every inspection, test, and maintenance visit | Every visit | Virginia SFPC §507.5.2 and §507.5.3 |
Virginia enforces NFPA 25 (2020 edition) and NFPA 14 (2019 edition). Confirm the adopted edition with your AHJ.
Who this checklist is for
This checklist is for owners and managers of Virginia properties with private fire hydrants: hydrants on a private fire service main, such as those on a campus, an apartment community, a shopping center, an industrial site, or a hospital. Municipal hydrants on the public water system are the water utility’s responsibility and follow the utility and the AHJ.
Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 applies to private fire service mains of all types. Your AHJ (the local fire marshal) enforces it and may set more frequent intervals under §507.5.2, which makes fire hydrant systems subject to periodic tests as required by the fire code official.
The annual flush is not the 5-year flow test
Annual (1-year) hydrant flush and test. NFPA 25 (2020 edition) §7.3.2 says hydrants shall be tested annually to ensure proper functioning. Each hydrant is opened fully and water is flowed until all foreign material has cleared, for not less than 1 minute. After operation, dry barrel and wall hydrants are observed for proper drainage, and full drainage shall take no longer than 60 minutes.
5-year flow test. NFPA 25 (2020 edition) §7.3.1 says underground and exposed piping shall be flow tested at minimum 5-year intervals. This is a measured test of the private fire service main that feeds the hydrants, not just an operation check of each hydrant.
Both are on the calendar. A property that only flushes its hydrants every year still owes the 5-year piping flow test, and a property with a recent 5-year test still owes the annual flush and inspection.
Keep the records
Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 ends with one line that matters at every fire marshal visit: records of inspections, testing and maintenance shall be maintained. Keep a dated log for every hydrant, with the hydrant ID, what was done, and who did it. The printable log below is set up for that.
FLOW produces and sends a report after every visit: hydrant identifications, the work performed, and, for flow tests, static pressure, residual pressure, and GPM flow. File it with the log.
What FLOW does for private hydrants
FLOW performs the annual hydrant flush, the 5-year flow test, and general hydrant maintenance for private hydrants in Virginia, and produces and sends the report. FLOW does not do hydrant repairs.
Pricing depends on hydrant count and location. Free quote: annual flush, 5-year flow test, maintenance.
Printable private hydrant log
One row per hydrant. Keep it with the reports FLOW sends you, as Virginia SFPC §507.5.3 requires records of inspections, testing and maintenance.
| Hydrant ID | Date inspected | Date flushed / flow tested | 5-year test date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Free quote: annual flush, 5-year flow test, maintenance.
Pricing depends on hydrant count and location. Free quote.
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Related
Sources
- Virginia SFPC 2021 (IFC 2021 as adopted), Chapter 5, §507.5.2 and §507.5.3 — UpCodes
- 2021 Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code — Virginia DHCD (PDF)
- NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems — NFPA
- Hydrant flow testing and NFPA 25 Chapter 7 — National Fire Sprinkler Association