How the AED requirement checker works
Choose your state and the kind of organization you run. The checker looks up that state’s AED law and shows every rule that requires an AED at a place like yours, with its condition and a link to the statute.
The answers come from the same data as our AED laws by state pages: 51 jurisdictions, each checked against the statute on the state’s official website. Every result shows the date of that review.
A result has three parts. First, whether state law requires an AED at your kind of place. Second, what the state asks of anyone who has an AED, whether or not the law made them get one: inspections, training, registration or notice to EMS, medical direction and reports after a use. Third, our rating of the state’s Good Samaritan protection for the people who use an AED and the organization that owns it.
Read a “yes” closely. Most rules apply only above a size or to certain activities, so the condition in parentheses matters as much as the place. A “no state requirement found” means our review found no state rule for that kind of place. It doesn’t mean an AED isn’t worth having.
Where state laws require AEDs
State AED mandates are written place by place, and most carry a condition such as a minimum size. This table lists which states have a rule for each kind of place the checker covers.
A state in the table has one or more rules for that kind of place, not a rule for every such place. Schools have their own page, AEDs in schools by state, which also covers school cardiac emergency response plans.
What the law asks once you have an AED
A mandate is only half the picture. Many states set duties for anyone who owns an AED, whether or not the law made them get one.
- 34 jurisdictions require AED owners to inspect and maintain their AEDs. See AED inspection requirements.
- 23 require training for the people expected to use the AED.
- 9 require a physician’s medical direction. See medical direction.
- 8 require the AED program to be registered, and 24 require owners to report where their AEDs are.
- 15 require a report after an AED is used.
These duties can also decide whether the owner is protected from a lawsuit. In the 21 jurisdictions we rate Conditional, the Good Samaritan protection depends on meeting program duties such as maintenance, training or notice to EMS. See Good Samaritan AED laws by state.
What about OSHA and federal rules?
OSHA has no standard that requires an AED in the workplace, though it encourages employers to have one.
Its first-aid rule, 29 CFR 1910.151, asks for trained first-aid help and supplies, not an AED. That leaves the question to state law for most employers, which is what the checker looks up. OSHA AED requirements covers the federal side in full.
AED requirement checker FAQ
Are businesses required by law to have an AED?
Not by federal law: OSHA has no standard that requires one. Some states require AEDs at particular businesses, such as health clubs, large stores and restaurants, and certain worksites. Choose your state and type of business in the checker to see.
How many states require AEDs somewhere?
41 of the 50 states and DC have a law that requires an AED at one or more kinds of place. Schools and school sports are the most common. The rest leave the choice to the owner.
If no law requires an AED, are there rules for having one?
Often, yes. 34 of the 50 states and DC require AED owners to inspect and maintain their AEDs, and others require training, registration, notice to EMS or medical direction. Each result lists the duties in your state.
Does the checker cover city and county rules?
No. It covers state statutes and regulations only. A city or county, a licensing board, an accrediting body or an insurer can set an AED rule of its own, so check with them as well.
Is the result legal advice?
No. It’s a plain-language summary of each state’s law for general information, with a link to the statute. Laws change, so read the statute or ask a lawyer before you rely on it.