Chesapeake Cross Connection Institute offers 32-hour backflow certification classes for students being certified for the first time, and eight-hour recertification classes for those maintaining their certifications. Certifications are valid for three years. Classes are often sponsored through professional trade organizations such as the Association of Builders and Contractors (ABC) and Plumbing Heating and Cooling Contractors (PHCC); classes can also be scheduled by plumbing, irrigation, and other companies to be taught onsite at their facilities.

The certification class is a combination of lecture and hands-on lab instruction that teaches students: the legal and regulatory aspects of backflow prevention; the types and causes of backflow and cross-connections; and the types, approved uses, installation, operation, and testing of a wide variety of backflow prevention assemblies and devices. Students receive a certificate upon successful completion of the course, which requires a score of at least 70% on a multiple-choice written exam, as well as a successful demonstration of hands-on knowledge of backflow assembly testing.