Free 51-state compliance lookup
Medical Waste Storage Deadline Finder
Select a state to see how long medical or biohazard waste may be stored at a generating facility. Each result includes the complete verified summary, a direct primary source, and its review date.
Find your state's storage rule
Verified state summary
Why the answer depends on more than a number
A storage period can start when the first item enters a container, when a sharps container is sealed, when waste is collected, or at another defined stage. Volume, refrigeration, waste stream, and facility type may change the result. For that reason, this tool shows the complete verified summary instead of extracting a potentially misleading number.
Medical waste storage rules for all 50 states and DC
This table is the same source-backed data used by the finder. Use the state page for registration, treatment, transport, on-site treatment, and penalty details.
| Jurisdiction | Verified storage rule summary | Evidence | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | A generator may store untreated medical waste for no more than seven calendar days from the date initial storage begins, unless the waste is refrigerated at a temperature less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, in which case it may remain up to 30 days. This limit does not apply to generators producing less than 220 pounds per month (ADEM Admin. Code r. 335-17-4-.01). | Primary source | |
| Alaska | No fixed storage-day limit is set in state code for medical waste. 18 AAC 60.010 only prohibits storing accumulated solid waste in a manner that attracts vectors, creates a health hazard, causes a litter violation, or causes polluted run-off, and sets no number of days or temperature condition for medical waste. | Primary source | |
| Arizona | A generator must store biohazardous medical waste for 90 days or less unless it has obtained facility plan approval under A.R.S. 49-762.04. Putrescible waste may be stored unrefrigerated for up to 72 hours, and beyond 72 hours up to the 90-day limit it must be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, while nonputrescible waste may be stored unrefrigerated for up to 90 days (R18-13-1408). | Primary source | |
| Arkansas | Storage within the generating facility may not exceed 30 days once a container has been filled and closed, with filled containers held at 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) or below. Storage beyond 30 days requires written approval from the Department (Section VI.D.4). | Primary source | |
| California | Biohazardous waste may not be stored above 0 degrees Centigrade (32 F) for more than 7 days without prior written approval of the enforcement agency if the generator produces 20 or more pounds per month. Generators of less than 20 pounds per month may store above freezing for up to 30 days, and any generator may store waste at or below 0 degrees Centigrade (32 F) for up to 90 days without prior written approval (HSC 118280). | Primary source | |
| Colorado | Putrescible medical waste may be stored on site up to 30 calendar days without refrigeration if packaged to U.S. DOT infectious-substance requirements, or up to 90 calendar days if refrigerated to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or less or frozen. Non-putrescible medical waste such as sharps containers may be stored on site up to 90 calendar days when secured against unauthorized access (6 CCR 1007-2 Section 13.3.1). | Primary source | |
| Connecticut | Connecticut sets no fixed maximum number of days for storage. Under RCSA 22a-209-15(c), biomedical waste must be stored only in a nonputrescent state, and it may be refrigerated during storage to maintain that condition. | Primary source | |
| Delaware | Infectious waste may be stored up to 14 days at room temperature (18 to 28 degrees Celsius), up to 45 days under refrigeration (2 to 7 degrees Celsius), and up to 90 days frozen in a freezer not used for food or patient-related items, per Section 11.8.5.3. Sharps placed in a sealed, leak-proof sharps container are exempt from the storage time limit. | Primary source | |
| District of Columbia | No fixed on-site storage time limit for infectious or medical waste is set in DC code. DC has no dedicated medical-waste storage rule, and storage defaults to federal OSHA bloodborne pathogen practice. If the waste is RCRA hazardous, the federal generator accumulation time limits adopted into DCMR Title 20 apply instead. | Primary source | |
| Florida | Storage at the generating facility may not exceed 30 days. The 30-day period commences when the first non-sharps item is placed into a red bag or sharps container, or when a sharps-only container is sealed (F.A.C. 64E-16.004). The rule sets no refrigeration or temperature condition; treatment must occur within 30 days of collection. | Primary source | |
| Georgia | Rule 391-3-4-.15 sets no maximum on-site storage time and no refrigeration or temperature condition for biomedical waste. Instead it requires that waste be contained in a manner and location that protects it from animals, rain, and wind, does not provide a breeding place or food source for insects and rodents, and minimizes exposure to the public (subsection (4)(a)). A specific day limit cited by some haulers reflects another state's rule, not Georgia's. | Primary source | |
| Hawaii | No fixed storage time limit or refrigeration requirement is set in HAR 11-104.1. The handling, treatment, and disposal sections (11-104.1-11, 11-104.1-21, 11-104.1-32) impose containment and labeling duties but state no maximum holding period. | Primary source | |
| Idaho | For hospitals, storage of infectious waste may not exceed seven days unless stored at a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, in which case it may be held no longer than 90 days (IDAPA 16.03.14.550.06.b.vii). This limit is written for hospitals; Idaho code sets no separate storage cap for other generator types. | Primary source | |
| Illinois | PIMW must not be stored for more than 72 hours unless the surface temperature of the package is held at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and in no case for more than 30 days regardless of temperature, unless the Illinois EPA authorizes otherwise in a permit (35 Ill. Adm. Code 1422.111). | Primary source | |
| Indiana | Indiana sets no fixed maximum number of days and no refrigeration temperature for storing infectious waste. The rule requires only that stored waste be kept in a secured area with a biohazard symbol, protected from the environment and vermin, and held in a manner that preserves container integrity and is not conducive to rapid microbial growth and putrefaction (410 IAC 1-3-25). | Primary source | |
| Iowa | No fixed on-site storage time limit is set in Iowa state code. Neither Iowa Admin Code 567-109.9 nor Iowa Code 455B.501 prescribes a maximum number of days infectious waste may be stored before treatment or disposal. | Primary source | |
| Kansas | K.A.R. 28-29-27 sets no fixed number of days for on-site storage. It requires only that all medical services waste be stored in a manner and container that will prevent the transmission of disease or the causing of injury, with sharps in a rigid, puncture-resistant, closed container, so the storage time limit is no fixed limit set in state code. | Primary source | |
| Kentucky | Kentucky does not publish a codified maximum on-site storage time or refrigeration temperature for medical or infectious waste in the 902 KAR 20 series or Title 401 KAR. The state's own guidance acknowledges Kentucky lacks a consolidated set of medical-waste rules, so facilities default to their own written policies and federal or OSHA baselines. Day limits cited by non-government sources are not supported by Kentucky primary code. | Primary source | |
| Louisiana | The Sanitary Code sets no numeric maximum number of days for storage. It requires only that potentially infectious biomedical waste be stored in a secure manner and location that affords protection from theft, vandalism, inadvertent human and animal exposure, rain, and wind, and it prohibits the use of compactors for storage (LAC 51:XXVII.901). Commonly cited 30-day figures are not found in the primary Louisiana code. | Primary source | |
| Maine | Pathological waste, cultures, and discarded animal carcasses and body parts stored for more than 24 hours after packaging must be refrigerated at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below in space used only for biomedical waste. Chapter 900 sets no fixed maximum number of days for refrigerated storage in the generator standards. | Primary source | |
| Maryland | No maximum on-site storage time or refrigeration temperature is set in the primary special medical waste regulations. COMAR 26.13.11.03 instead ties regulation to quantity, providing that wastes are subject to the full generator and transporter rules once a person generates or accumulates 50 pounds or more in a calendar month. Day limits cited by some commercial haulers are not confirmed by a Maryland primary source. | Primary source | |
| Massachusetts | All medical or biological waste, except from home sharps users, must be treated on site or transported off site for treatment at a minimum once per calendar year, and all on-site storage areas must be kept free of putrescence and off-site odors, using refrigeration when necessary (105 CMR 480.100). The regulation sets no fixed maximum number of days; refrigeration is required only when needed to prevent putrescence or odors. | Primary source | |
| Michigan | A producing facility may not store medical waste on the premises for more than 90 days, except that sharps in a sharps container may be stored until the container is no more than three-quarters full, but for no more than 18 months from the date the first sharps is deposited. The statute sets no temperature or refrigeration condition, but requires storage in a manner that prevents putrefaction (MCL 333.13809, 333.13810). | Primary source | |
| Minnesota | Minnesota statute and rule set no fixed maximum storage time in days for generators. Minn. R. 7035.9120 instead requires that infectious or pathological waste not be allowed to become putrescent during storage or at any time, and Minn. Stat. 116.78 requires storage in a specially designated area designed to prevent entry of vermin and access by unauthorized persons. No refrigeration or specific temperature value is set in these primary sources. | Primary source | |
| Mississippi | Untreated infectious medical waste (except sharps in approved containers) may not be stored at the producing facility for more than seven days above a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius (38 degrees Fahrenheit). Storage at or below 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) is permitted for not more than 90 days without specific approval of the Department of Health. | Primary source | |
| Missouri | At permitted infectious waste processing facilities, waste held in a storage area for 24 hours or less must be in a locked, vermin-free, dry area, and waste stored for more than 24 hours but no more than 72 hours must be in a refrigerated, locked, vermin-free, dry area; in the processing area, no infectious waste may remain at the end of the operating day, or beyond 24 hours for continuously operating facilities. The rule sets no general numeric storage clock for small-quantity generator offices themselves (10 CSR 80-7.010). | Primary source | |
| Montana | Montana sets storage limits by temperature for transporters and storage facilities (not a single flat number) under ARM 17.50.1507: infectious waste must be stored under conditions that prevent rapid microbial growth, at less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit, for no more than seven days at a temperature between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and for no more than 30 days at a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, with the storage area temperature logged daily and time in transit counted as time in storage. The statute (75-10-1005) requires generators to store infectious waste until it is rendered noninfectious but states no separate generator day limit. | Primary source | |
| Nebraska | No fixed storage time limit is set in Nebraska state code for infectious waste. Title 132 contains no on-site accumulation or storage duration limit for infectious or medical waste. | Primary source | |
| Nevada | Solid waste, which includes medical waste, must not be stored more than one week (7 days) before collection unless the solid waste management authority approves an alternative schedule, and medical waste must be kept in watertight, tightly covered, clearly labeled, corrosion-resistant containers in a safe location inaccessible to the public (NAC 444.662). No statewide refrigeration or temperature condition is specified in the Nevada Administrative Code. | Primary source | |
| New Hampshire | Infectious waste may not be stored at room temperature in excess of 72 hours and must be maintained in a nonputrescent state using refrigeration when necessary, per Env-Sw 904.02. Facilities receiving infectious waste from off-site generators may not store it more than 7 days from date of receipt. | Primary source | |
| New Jersey | All regulated medical waste must be disposed of within one year of the date of generation, and it must be disposed of immediately if it becomes putrescent or emits any odor. While stored, RMW must be kept in a nonputrescent state using refrigeration when necessary. The only exception is RMW held longer to allow decay of radioactive materials under applicable law (N.J.A.C. 7:26-3A.12). | Primary source | |
| New Mexico | Under 20.9.8.10.B NMAC no person may store special waste for longer than 90 days from the date it is placed in storage awaiting transportation, processing, or final disposal, and no person other than the generator may store infectious waste for over seven days without refrigeration at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. | Primary source | |
| New York | Regulated medical waste may not be stored more than 30 days, except a site generating under 50 pounds per month may store it up to 60 days. Within a facility, RMW other than sharps may be held in patient care areas no more than 24 hours and in a clinical laboratory no more than 72 hours before moving to a storage area, which must keep waste at a temperature that prevents rapid decomposition and odor (10 NYCRR 70-2.2). | Primary source | |
| North Carolina | Unrefrigerated regulated medical waste must be treated within 21 calendar days of shipment from the generator. Waste not treated within that 21 days must be refrigerated at an ambient temperature of a maximum of 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.22 degrees Centigrade), and all regulated medical waste must be treated within 60 calendar days of shipment from the generator. | Primary source | |
| North Dakota | There is no maximum time limit on how long a generator may store regulated infectious waste; the waste must be kept in a nonputrescent state, using refrigeration when necessary, and stored in enclosed, rodentproof, cleanable areas per NDAC 33.1-20-12-02(4). | Primary source | |
| Ohio | Ohio sets no fixed day limit on how long a generator may store its own infectious waste, but requires that the waste be kept in a nonputrescent state using refrigeration or freezing when necessary; any waste that becomes putrescent must be immediately refrigerated or frozen and treated as soon as possible. Treatment facilities may store untreated infectious waste for no more than fourteen days, and after treatment a generator must ensure the treated waste reaches a treatment or disposal facility not later than sixty days after the container is closed. | Primary source | |
| Oklahoma | OAC 252:515-23 does not set an express on-site storage time limit for generators. The commonly cited 30-day figure for unrefrigerated regulated medical waste appears only in secondary hauler material and is not in the Oklahoma Administrative Code, so storage duration is governed by general handling, the OSHA bloodborne pathogens rule, and any facility-licensing rules rather than a stated DEQ limit. | Primary source | |
| Oregon | Infectious waste must be treated or disposed of within seven days of generation, unless it is refrigerated at a temperature between 33 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit or frozen below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, in which case it may be stored for up to 30 days prior to treatment or disposal (OAR 333-056-0040). | Primary source | |
| Pennsylvania | Under 25 Pa. Code section 284.415, a generator may not store regulated medical or chemotherapeutic waste longer than 30 days from the date the storage container is full or sealed, whichever occurs earlier, and waste that becomes putrescent during storage must be moved off site within 3 business days for processing or disposal. | Primary source | |
| Rhode Island | Total on-site storage of regulated medical waste may not exceed 50 pounds or 7 calendar days, whichever allows storage for the longer period. The 7-day period excludes legal holidays and begins when the container was filled or last used at the point of generation. | Primary source | |
| South Carolina | Generator on-site storage may not exceed 14 days without refrigeration, or 30 days if the waste is maintained at or below 42 degrees Fahrenheit (R.61-105 Section K(5)(a)). Waste must also be kept nonputrescent, using refrigeration when necessary. | Primary source | |
| South Dakota | No fixed on-site storage time limit is set in South Dakota state code. ARSD 74:27:13:17 and the related rules do not specify a maximum number of days a generator may store medical or infectious waste before treatment or disposal. | Primary source | |
| Tennessee | No fixed on-site medical waste storage time limit is set in Tennessee's rules. Neither Rule 0400-11-01 nor the TDEC Policy and Guidance Manual states a maximum, and the day limits cited by some commercial haulers are not confirmed by any Tennessee primary source. | Primary source | |
| Texas | No fixed maximum number of days for a generator's on-site (pre-collection) storage; waste must only be stored securely without creating a nuisance. The hard rule is temperature based: putrescible or biohazardous untreated waste held in post-collection storage beyond 72 hours must be refrigerated to 45 degrees F (about 7 degrees C) or lower. | Primary source | |
| Utah | Infectious waste may under no conditions be stored for longer than 60 days, and any infectious waste stored for more than 7 days must be kept at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius), under R315-316-3. | Primary source | |
| Vermont | Untreated RMW held at consolidating points, transfer facilities, or treatment facilities may be stored up to 3 days at room temperature, up to 7 days if refrigerated below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and up to 37 days if frozen below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, and incoming waste must be date stamped or electronically identified on receipt within 8 hours (RMW Procedures Section 3). | Primary source | |
| Virginia | A generator producing less than 250 gallons per calendar month may store regulated medical waste on site for no more than 45 calendar days and no more than 250 gallons at any given time. A generator producing 250 gallons or more per calendar month may store it on site for no more than 10 calendar days. Transfer stations are capped at 15 days and must refrigerate any regulated medical waste held more than seven calendar days at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. | Primary source | |
| Washington | Chapter 70A.228 RCW sets no statewide storage time limit or temperature condition for biomedical waste; any storage duration limits are set by the applicable local health jurisdiction. Generators should confirm specific limits with their county or district health department. | Primary source | |
| West Virginia | Infectious medical waste other than sharps may not be stored more than 30 days prior to transportation to a treatment facility, and storage must keep the waste in a non-putrescent state (refrigeration is permitted), per section 64-56-8. | Primary source | |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin sets no fixed maximum number of days for storing infectious waste, but under NR 526.09(4) containers of infectious waste must be removed and emptied as necessary and at least every 90 days, and to prevent odors and nuisance conditions appropriate measures must be taken, including refrigerating the infectious waste below 42 degrees Fahrenheit until treated. | Primary source | |
| Wyoming | No general medical or infectious waste storage time limit is set in Wyoming state code for clinical generators. The only storage limit in Wyoming code applies narrowly to medical waste removed from a private residence under the Board of Midwifery rule, which sets seven days unrefrigerated (or longer only if held below 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and a 90-day absolute maximum (036-7 Section 7-8). The commonly cited 30-day limit is not found in any primary Wyoming code. | Primary source |
Frequently asked questions
How many days can medical waste be stored at a generating facility?
There is no single nationwide number. The applicable timing can depend on the state, waste type, generator volume, temperature, facility type, and local rules. Select a state above and read the complete source-linked rule before acting.
Does no fixed statewide deadline mean waste can be stored indefinitely?
No. It means the verified state record did not identify one statewide numeric deadline for all generators. Packaging, security, nuisance, refrigeration, facility licensing, local, OSHA, and other requirements may still apply.
Is this an official government calculator?
No. BioWasteGuide is an independent editorial reference. The finder reproduces the source-linked storage field from each state record and shows its last-reviewed date. Always confirm the current rule with the cited agency or legal source.