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state-opioid-prescribing-limits

applies_to string	citation string	derived_fields list	exception_provision string	id string	initial_supply_days string	source string	source_quote string	state string	url string	verified_fields list	mme_limit string
Schedule II opioids, initial prescription, all prescribers authorized under Title 32	32-3248	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	an initial prescription for a schedule II controlled substance that is an opioid following a surgical procedure is limited to not more than a fourteen-day supply	arizona	five-day supply	https://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/03248.htm	shall limit the initial prescription for a patient for a schedule II controlled substance that is an opioid to not more than a five-day supply, except that an initial prescription for a schedule II controlled substance that is an opioid following a surgical procedure is limited to not more than a fourteen-day supply.	Arizona	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/arizona/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Schedule II opioids for treatment of acute pain	456.44	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	up to a 7-day supply may be prescribed	florida	3-day supply	https://leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0456/Sections/0456.44.html	may not exceed a 3-day supply, except that up to a 7-day supply may be prescribed if: 1.  The prescriber, in his or her professional judgment, believes that more than a 3-day supply of such an opioid is medically necessary to treat the patient’s pain as an acute medical condition; 2.  The prescriber indic...	Florida	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/florida/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Schedule II controlled substances for pain as an acute medical condition (Board of Medical Licensure standards under KRS 218A.205)	201 KAR 9:260	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	Determines that more than a three (3) day supply is medically necessary	kentucky	three (3) day supply	https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/201/009/260/	Not prescribe or dispense more than a three (3) day supply of a Schedule II controlled substance, unless the physician: 1. Determines that more than a three (3) day supply is medically necessary; and 2. Documents the acute medical condition and lack of alternative medical treatment options to justify the amount of the ...	Kentucky	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/kentucky/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Opioid medication for acute pain; 30-day supply limit for chronic pain	3300-F	[ "applies_to", "mme_limit", "state" ]	unless the opioid product is labeled by the federal Food and Drug Administration to be dispensed only in a stock bottle that exceeds a 7-day supply	maine	7-day supply	http://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/32/title32sec3300-F.html	To a patient any combination of opioid medication in an aggregate amount in excess of 100 morphine milligram equivalents of opioid medication per day; [PL 2015, c. 488, §20 (NEW).] B. To a patient who, on the effective date of this section, has an active prescription for opioid medication in excess of 100 morphine mill...	Maine	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/maine/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	100 morphine milligram equivalents of opioid medication per day
All opiate prescriptions; adults for first-time outpatient use, minors at any time	Section 19D	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	More than a 7-day supply may be issued if, in the practitioner's professional medical judgment, it is required to treat the patient's acute medical condition or is necessary for chronic pain management, cancer pain, or palliative care; the triggering condition must be documented in the medical record	massachusetts	7	https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter94C/Section19D	When issuing a prescription for an opiate to an adult patient for outpatient use for the first time, a practitioner shall not issue a prescription for more than a 7–day supply. A practitioner shall not issue an opiate prescription to a minor for more than a 7–day supply at any time and shall discuss with th...	Massachusetts	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/massachusetts/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Opiates or narcotic pain relievers, Schedules II through IV, for acute pain; adults 7 days, minors under 18 5 days, acute dental or refractive-surgery pain 4 days	152.11	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	if, in the professional clinical judgment of a practitioner, more than the limit specified in paragraph (a) or (b) is required to treat a patient's acute pain	minnesota	seven-day supply	https://revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/152.11	shall not exceed a seven-day supply for an adult and shall not exceed a five-day supply for a minor under 18 years of age. (b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), when used for the treatment of acute dental pain, including acute pain associated with wisdom teeth extraction surgery or acute pain associated with refractive su...	Minnesota	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/minnesota/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Initial prescriptions of Schedule II, III or IV controlled substances for acute pain	639.2391	[ "applies_to", "mme_limit", "state" ]	Unless the practitioner determines that the prescription is medically necessary	nevada	14 days	https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-639.html	Unless the practitioner determines that the prescription is medically necessary, a practitioner, other than a veterinarian, shall not issue an initial prescription of a controlled substance listed in schedule II, III or IV for the treatment of acute pain that prescribes: �� (a) An amount of the controlled subs...	Nevada	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/nevada/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	90 morphine milligram equivalents per day for opioid-naive patients (no opioid prescription in the previous 19 days)
Targeted controlled substances upon initial consultation for acute pain; seven-day supply allowed post-operatively	90-106	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	unless the prescription is for post-operative acute pain relief for use immediately following a surgical procedure	north-carolina	five-day supply	https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_90/GS_90-106.html	A practitioner shall not prescribe more than a five-day supply of any targeted controlled substance upon the initial consultation and treatment of a patient for acute pain, unless the prescription is for post-operative acute pain relief for use immediately following a surgical procedure. A practitioner shall not prescr...	North Carolina	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/north-carolina/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null
Opioid analgesics for acute pain (physicians, State Medical Board rule); adults 7 days, minors 5 days	4731-11-13	[ "applies_to", "mme_limit", "state" ]	may be exceeded for pain that is expected to persist for longer than seven days based on the pathology causing the pain	ohio	seven-day supply	https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-administrative-code/rule-4731-11-13	(i) For adults, not more than a seven-day supply with no refills; (ii) For minors, not more than a five-day supply with no refills. A physician shall comply with section <https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3719.061> 3719.061 of the Revised Code, including but not limited to obtaining from the parent, guar...	Ohio	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/ohio/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	an average of thirty MED per day
Controlled substances containing an opioid, for acute and subacute pain (Board of Medicine regulation)	18VAC85-21-40	[ "applies_to", "mme_limit", "state" ]	unless extenuating circumstances are clearly documented in the medical record	virginia	14-day supply	https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title18/agency85/chapter21/section40/	A prescriber providing treatment for acute or subacute pain shall not prescribe a controlled substance containing an opioid in a quantity that exceeds a 14-day supply, unless extenuating circumstances are clearly documented in the medical record. 2. An opioid prescribed as part of treatment for a surgical procedure sha...	Virginia	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/virginia/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	Prescriber must document reasons to exceed 50 MME/day and provide justification or consult a pain management specialist before exceeding 120 MME/day
Schedule II opioid drugs; practitioners 7 days initial, emergency room and urgent care 4 days, minors 3 days, dentists and optometrists 3 days	16-54-4	[ "applies_to", "state" ]	the limitations in this section do not apply to cancer patients, patients receiving hospice care from a licensed hospice provider, patients receiving palliative care, a patient who is a resident of a long-term care facility	west-virginia	seven-day supply	https://code.wvlegislature.gov/16-54-4/	(c) A health care practitioner may not issue an initial Schedule II opioid drug prescription to a minor for more than a three-day supply and shall discuss with the parent or guardian of the minor the risks associated with Schedule II opioid drug use and the reasons why the prescription is necessary. (d) A dentist or an...	West Virginia	https://referencesource.org/state-opioid-prescribing-limits/west-virginia/	[ "citation", "exception_provision", "initial_supply_days" ]	null

State Opioid Initial Prescribing Limits

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Last verified: 2026-08-18
Stale after: 2027-08-18 (past this date, prefer the canonical copy — it re-verifies on a cadence this snapshot does not)
Records: 11

Maximum days' supply for a first opioid prescription for acute pain, by state, with the statutory or regulatory citation. Over half the states cap initial prescriptions at 3 to 14 days; some also cap daily dosage in morphine milligram equivalents (MME).

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