53 records

When must a prescriber check the PDMP in my state?

53 records, one fact each. Every value is transcribed from the source that states it and carries the sentence it was taken from: 3 sources across 3 sites, last checked 2026-08-15, due for re-check by 2027-02-11. Every record is listed below, each linking the page its value came from.

Records53

Sources3

Verified2026-08-15

Review by2027-02-11

Licenceunknown

About this data

When and for which drugs each US state requires prescribers to check the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program before prescribing controlled substances, with trigger conditions, exemptions, re-check intervals, and statutory citations.

The data

jurisdiction	mandate status	drug schedules covered	check timing	exemptions	recheck interval days	regulatory citation
Alabama	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check generally required before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and periodically for ongoing therapy. Typical exemptions: hospice, inpatient, emergencies.	hospice, inpatient, emergencies
Alaska	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines	Check for initial opioid therapy (and often benzodiazepines) and at intervals for chronic treatment.
Arizona	mandatory	opioid or benzodiazepine	Query before first opioid or benzodiazepine; re-check about every 3 months while continuing.		90
Arkansas	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	Check before starting opioids/benzodiazepines and at least every 90 days if continued.		90
California	mandatory	Schedule II–IV controlled substance	Must check before first prescribing a Schedule II–IV controlled substance to a patient and at least every 4 months if it remains in the plan. Common exemptions: hospice, certain short ED or post-op supplies, inpatient.	hospice, certain short ED or post-op supplies, inpatient	120
Colorado	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines	Check for opioids before the second fill or when exceeding short acute limits; benzodiazepine checks are required for ongoing therapy. Use PDMP for dose escalations and combinations.
Connecticut	mandatory	controlled substance	Check before prescribing a controlled substance exceeding a brief (e.g., 72-hour) supply; re-check every 90 days for chronic use.		90
Delaware	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check before first opioid/benzodiazepine prescription and periodically thereafter (often at least every 6 months).		180
District of Columbia	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	Check when prescribing opioids/benzodiazepines beyond a short acute course (e.g., >7 days), and at intervals (about every 90 days) for chronic therapy.		90
Florida	mandatory	controlled substances	Generally requires a PDMP consult before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances to most outpatients; typical exemptions include hospice, inpatient, emergencies.
Georgia	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescription and at least every 90 days if continuing.		90
Guam	mandatory
Hawaii	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check for first-time opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and periodically for chronic use.
Idaho	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Query before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing; periodic re-checks (often at least annually) for chronic therapy.
Illinois	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines, stimulants	Check the PDMP before prescribing opioids; many prescribers also must check for benzodiazepines and stimulants. Re-check periodically (commonly every 90 days).		90
Indiana	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	PDMP check required before initial opioids/benzodiazepines and at intervals for ongoing treatment (often 90 days).		90
Iowa	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before first opioid/benzodiazepine script and every 90 days if continuing.		90
Kansas	limited-mandate	opioids/benzodiazepines	PDMP is active; statewide mandatory query rules are limited. Follow board or health-system policy and best practice to check for opioids/benzodiazepines.
Kentucky	mandatory	Schedule II and many high-risk III/IV drugs (including benzodiazepines)	Strong PDMP use requirements. Check prior to prescribing Schedule II and many high-risk III/IV drugs (including benzodiazepines) and regularly (often at least every 3 months).		90
Louisiana	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and at least every 90 days if ongoing.		90
Maine	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	PDMP check before prescribing opioids/benzodiazepines and periodically (often 90 days).		90
Maryland	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check for initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and re-check during chronic therapy (about every 90 days).		90
Massachusetts	mandatory	Schedule II or III opioids, benzodiazepines	Check before prescribing Schedule II or III opioids and before benzodiazepines; re-check at intervals (commonly 90 days) for ongoing therapy.		90
Michigan	mandatory	Schedule II–V controlled substances	Check PDMP before prescribing Schedule II–V controlled substances beyond a brief supply; re-check periodically for continued therapy.
Minnesota	mandatory	opioid	Check before the first opioid prescription for acute pain and for chronic opioid therapy at intervals (often every 90 days). Benzodiazepine checks are increasingly expected for long-term use.		90
Mississippi	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and at least every 3 months if continued.		90
Missouri	limited-mandate	opioids/benzodiazepines	Statewide PDMP is live; statutory use mandate is limited. Many boards/health systems require checks for opioids/benzodiazepines—follow your board’s rule.
Montana	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check for initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and periodic re-checks for chronic therapy.
Nebraska	limited-mandate	opioids/benzodiazepines	The PDMP captures nearly all prescriptions. A universal query mandate is limited; follow board and system policy, and check for opioids/benzodiazepines as standard practice.
Nevada	mandatory	opioid	Check before first opioid prescription and at least every 90 days for ongoing opioid therapy; heightened documentation and MME rules apply.		90
New Hampshire	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine or other targeted Schedule II–IV	Check before first opioid/benzodiazepine or other targeted Schedule II-IV prescription and periodically thereafter.
New Jersey	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine and at least every 3 months for ongoing therapy.		90
New Mexico	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	Check before starting opioids/benzodiazepines and every 3 months for chronic use.		90
New York	mandatory	Schedules II–IV (effectively every time)	Check the PDMP before prescribing Schedules II–IV (effectively every time). Common exemptions: veterinarians, inpatient, hospice, emergencies.	veterinarians, inpatient, hospice, emergencies
North Carolina	mandatory	Schedule II and III opioids	Targeted controlled substances (Schedule II and III opioids) require PDMP checks at initiation and at least every 90 days if continued. Many clinicians also check for benzodiazepines.		90
North Dakota	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check for initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescriptions and re-check periodically for chronic therapy.
Ohio	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before first opioid/benzodiazepine prescription and at least every 90 days if continued; use PDMP for risk signals and combinations.		90
Oklahoma	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines	Check for opioids, benzodiazepines, and carisoprodol before prescribing and at least every 180 days if therapy continues.		180
Oregon	limited-mandate	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP registration and use are strongly encouraged and required in defined situations by boards; best practice is to check for initial and chronic opioid/benzodiazepine therapy.
Pennsylvania	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check for first-time opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and thereafter when continuing therapy or risk is present; many clinicians re-check at 90-day intervals.
Puerto Rico	voluntary
Rhode Island	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP check before first opioid/benzodiazepine prescription and at least annually for ongoing therapy (more often if risk increases).
South Carolina	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and at intervals (often every 90 days) during chronic use.		90
South Dakota	limited-mandate	opioids/benzodiazepines	PDMP use requirements are more limited; follow board guidance and standard practice to check for opioids/benzodiazepines, especially for chronic therapy.
Tennessee	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	Check when starting opioids/benzodiazepines beyond brief acute use and at intervals (often every 6 months) for continued therapy.		180
Texas	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, or carisoprodol	before dispensing or prescribing	veterinarian		Texas Health & Safety Code; effective March 1, 2020
Utah	mandatory	opioids/benzodiazepines	Check before starting opioids/benzodiazepines and at least every 3 months for chronic therapy.		90
Vermont	mandatory	opioid	Check before first opioid prescription and again if treatment extends or exceeds acute limits (e.g., 90 days).		90
Virginia	mandatory	opioids	Check when initiating opioids beyond short acute use and at least every 90 days while continuing; use PDMP for benzodiazepine co-prescribing decisions.		90
Washington	mandatory	opioids, benzodiazepines	Mandatory PDMP checks for opioids and benzodiazepines at initiation and periodically (about every 3 months) for chronic therapy; additional checks for dose increases and co-prescribing.		90
West Virginia	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	Check before initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and re-check at defined intervals (at least annually; more often for higher risk).
Wisconsin	mandatory	controlled substance	Review the PDMP before issuing a controlled substance prescription and periodically (often every 90 days) during ongoing therapy.		90
Wyoming	mandatory	opioid/benzodiazepine	PDMP checks for initial opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and periodic re-checks are expected, particularly for chronic treatment.

Where this came from

Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 3 sources this dataset was assembled from.

pharmacyfreak.comhttps://pharmacyfreak.com/pdmp-prescription-drug-monitoring-program-you-are-legally-required-to-check-the-database-but-when-the-state-by-state-rules-you-must-know/
drfirst.comhttps://drfirst.com/current-epcs-pdmp-compliance-state-requirements
pharmacy.texas.govhttps://www.pharmacy.texas.gov/pmp/

Machine-readable

data.jsonThe whole dataset — every record with its source URL and source quote.
Open Knowledge Format bundleOne JSON object per line — every record's frontmatter and quoted span exactly as it is held here, in one fetch.
data.csvThe same records as one flat table, for a spreadsheet or a dataframe. The last four columns are the source URL, the quoted sentence it was read from, the date we last checked it, and which columns are our reading rather than the page's words.
How this is made and checkedWhat "verified against source" does and does not mean.

From your own code

Same records, same quotes, without scraping the page: refsource is on PyPI and npm. Each value comes back carrying the URL it was read from and the sentence on that page that states it — .source and .quote sit on the value itself rather than in a side channel, so the checking step is available instead of skipped.

pip install refsource
refsource lookup pdmp-mandatory-check-requirements jurisdiction=Alabama

npx -y refsource lookup pdmp-mandatory-check-requirements jurisdiction=Alabama

Set your AI assistant up to use this

Two files and no account. Put this in .mcp.json at the root of your project — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Codex all read that file — and your assistant can look this dataset up instead of recalling it. The server is remote, keyless and read-only.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "referencesource": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://referencesource.org/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Add to Cursor · or, on the command line: claude mcp add --transport http referencesource https://referencesource.org/mcp --scope project

Then one line in the project's CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md, so the assistant knows when to reach for it:

When a question needs "PDMP Mandatory Prescriber Check Requirements by State", call the referencesource MCP server at https://referencesource.org/mcp (tool `search_records`, dataset_slug `pdmp-mandatory-check-requirements`) instead of answering from memory — every record it returns carries its source URL and a verbatim quote from that page.

What each tool does, and the servers built over single registers: Connect your AI assistant.

53 records. last verified against source 2026-08-15. due for re-check by 2027-02-11.

Licence. unknown