A plain-language breakdown of RSMo 190.092 (the Public Access to Automated External Defibrillator Act), the new school cardiac emergency response plan duty under RSMo 160.482, and the student CPR rule in RSMo 170.310.
Missouri is light on paperwork and unusually specific on maintenance. There is no statewide AED placement mandate, no registration requirement, and no duty to tell anyone where a device is installed. What the statute does impose is a maintenance discipline written directly into law: devices maintained and tested to the manufacturer’s guidelines, tested at least every two years and after each use, and every AED on the premises physically inspected at least once every ninety days.
The school layer is brand new. SB 68 was signed on 9 July 2025 and took effect on 28 August 2025, adding RSMo 160.482. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, every public school and charter school in Missouri must develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan, with specific rules about AED placement at athletic venues and certification for coaches, nurses and athletic trainers.
One warning about other summaries. Missouri rewrote RSMo 190.092 in 2020. The earlier version required expected users to be trained through the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, required a physician to review and approve the clinical protocol for any AED used outside a health care facility, and required the owner to notify the emergency communications district or ambulance dispatch centre of the device location. None of those provisions are in the current text. Several third-party AED law pages still describe the old version, which means operators can end up planning for duties Missouri dropped while missing the ninety-day inspection duty it kept.
2026-2027 school year. Every public and charter school must have a cardiac emergency response plan in place under RSMo 160.482.
No registration. Missouri does not require public access AEDs to be registered with a state registry, EMS agency or dispatch centre.
Every ninety days. The inspection interval for every AED on the premises is written into RSMo 190.092 itself, not left to manufacturer guidance.
Missouri AED Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Position under Missouri law |
|---|---|
| Statewide AED placement mandate | Not required. No Missouri statute compels a general business, office or public building to install an AED. |
| Health club and fitness centre AEDs | Not required. Bills were introduced repeatedly between 2005 and 2008 (SB 409, SB 625, SB 57, SB 910) and none became law. |
| School AEDs | From 2026-27 Conditional. Schools must plan for AED placement under RSMo 160.482, but are not required to purchase or install devices unless the General Assembly appropriates the funds. |
| Public access AED registration | Unusual Not required. Missouri has no AED registry duty, unlike most neighbouring states. |
| Physician review of clinical protocol | Not required under the current statute. This was removed when RSMo 190.092 was rewritten in 2020. |
| Notifying EMS of an AED location | Not required under the current statute. Also removed in the 2020 rewrite. |
| Maintenance and testing to manufacturer guidelines | Required of anyone who acquires an AED. |
| Testing interval | Required. At least once every two years, and after each use. |
| Inspection interval | Required. Every AED on the premises inspected at least every ninety days. |
| Compliance with placement regulations | Required. The acquirer must comply with any regulations governing AED placement. |
| AEDs on basic life support ambulances and stretcher vans | Required, with at least one staff member trained in AED use. |
| Good faith immunity | Provided to the rescuer, the trainer, the site operator and the device owner, unless conduct is willful and wanton or reckless. |
| Student CPR instruction | Required. Thirty minutes of CPR instruction in grades 9 to 12 as a graduation condition, since the 2017-18 school year. |
| Local variation | None. RSMo 190.092 applies in all counties and cities in the state. |
Missouri AED Statutes & Regulations
RSMo 190.092Public Access to Automated External Defibrillator ActCore statute▾
What it covers. This is Missouri’s central AED provision. The section names itself the Public Access to Automated External Defibrillator Act and sets out what a person or entity takes on when they acquire a device, the immunity that follows, and a separate equipment rule for ambulances. The current version has been in force since 28 August 2020.
Duties on acquisition. Four obligations attach as soon as a device is acquired. Comply with any regulations governing AED placement. Maintain and test the device according to the operation and maintenance guidelines set by the manufacturer. Test the device at least every two years and after each use. Inspect all AEDs on the premises at least every ninety days for potential issues.
The ninety-day inspection duty is the provision Missouri operators most often miss, because it sits in statute rather than in a manufacturer’s manual. A device whose self-test is passing can still fail this requirement if nobody physically looked at it and wrote down that they did.
Immunity. A person who in good faith renders emergency care using an AED is not liable for civil damages and is not subject to criminal penalty, unless they act in a willful and wanton or reckless manner. The same protection extends to the person who provided the training, the operator of the site where the device is placed, and the owner of the device.
Ambulances and stretcher vans. All basic life support ambulances and stretcher vans operated in Missouri must be equipped with an AED and staffed by at least one individual trained in its use.
Statewide application. The section applies in all counties and cities, so a Missouri operator does not have to reconcile competing local AED ordinances.
RSMo 160.482School cardiac emergency response plansNew in 2025▾
What it covers. Added by SB 68, signed on 9 July 2025 and effective 28 August 2025. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, every public school and charter school must develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan addressing the use of school personnel when someone on campus experiences sudden cardiac arrest.
What the plan must contain. Plans must draw on evidence-based core elements from a recognised source such as American Heart Association guidelines or Project ADAM. They must establish a cardiac emergency response team, provide for AEDs to be deployed across the campus in line with those guidelines, and set out how the plan is communicated and rehearsed.
Athletic venues. For a school with an athletic programme, AEDs must be clearly marked and easily accessible in an unlocked location at each athletic venue and event, available during school hours and during athletic activities.
Certification. At a minimum, athletic coaches, school nurses and athletic trainers must hold certification in first aid, CPR and AED use.
Coordination. School administrators must work with local emergency services so the plan is integrated into their protocols.
RSMo 170.310Student CPR instructionGraduation requirement▾
What it covers. For school year 2017-18 and every year since, pupils in public schools and charter schools must have received thirty minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation instruction and training before graduating, together with instruction in the Heimlich manoeuvre or other first aid for choking. It applies across grades 9 to 12.
Standard. Instruction must be based on a programme from the American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, or an equivalent nationally recognised evidence-based programme, and must include hands-on practice and skills testing.
RSMo 167.624District CPR and lifesaving training programmesPermissive▾
What it covers. A school board may develop and implement a programme to train students and employees in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other lifesaving methods, and may make completion of the programme a condition of graduation. Neither is mandatory.
Immunity. A trained employee is held harmless and immune from civil liability for administering CPR and other lifesaving methods in good faith and according to applicable medical standards.
RSMo 537.037Good Samaritan lawGeneral immunity▾
What it covers. Missouri’s general Good Samaritan provision protects a range of responders, including licensed medical professionals, emergency medical technicians and people trained in first aid, when they render care in good faith and without compensation at the scene of an emergency.
Exceptions. The protection does not extend to damages caused by gross negligence or by willful or wanton acts or omissions, and it requires that the responder was not compensated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are AEDs required by law in Missouri businesses?+
No. Missouri has no statute requiring a general business, office, retail site or public building to install an AED. The obligations in RSMo 190.092 are triggered by acquiring a device, not by occupying a building. Once you own one, however, the maintenance, testing and ninety-day inspection duties apply in full.
Do I have to register my AED with the state or with EMS in Missouri?+
No. Missouri has no AED registry requirement. The duty to notify the emergency communications district or ambulance dispatch centre existed in the earlier version of RSMo 190.092 but is not in the current text. Registering voluntarily with your local EMS agency is still sensible, because it lets dispatchers direct a caller to the nearest device.
How often does Missouri law require an AED to be inspected?+
Every ninety days. RSMo 190.092 requires the acquirer to inspect all AEDs on the premises at least every ninety days for potential issues. Separately, the device must be tested at least every two years and after each use, and maintained to the manufacturer guidelines, which for most brands means a monthly visual check of the status indicator as well.
Does Missouri require a physician to oversee an AED programme?+
Not under the current statute. The requirement for a physician to review and approve the clinical protocol for an AED used outside a health care facility was removed when the section was rewritten in 2020. Many third-party summaries still list it, so it is worth checking the statute directly rather than relying on a secondary source.
Are Missouri schools required to have AEDs?+
Not to purchase them. From the 2026-2027 school year, RSMo 160.482 requires every public and charter school to implement a cardiac emergency response plan that provides for AED placement across campus and, for schools with athletic programmes, clearly marked AEDs in unlocked locations at every athletic venue and event. The statute expressly says schools are not required to buy or install AEDs unless the General Assembly appropriates funds for the costs.
Are health clubs and gyms required to have AEDs in Missouri?+
No. Bills to require at least one AED in health clubs were introduced in several consecutive sessions between 2005 and 2008 and none was enacted. A Missouri gym that chooses to install one still takes on the full set of duties under RSMo 190.092.
Am I protected if I use an AED on someone in Missouri?+
Yes, in the ordinary case. RSMo 190.092 provides that a person who in good faith renders emergency care with an AED is not liable for civil damages and not subject to criminal penalty, unless they acted in a willful and wanton or reckless manner. The same protection covers the trainer, the site operator and the device owner. That protection sits alongside the general Good Samaritan provision in RSMo 537.037.
What happens if an AED is not maintained?+
The statute does not set a penalty, but the exposure is practical rather than regulatory. The immunity in RSMo 190.092 is tied to good faith conduct, and a device that failed for a documented, ignored reason is difficult to defend as a good faith programme. An unmaintained AED is frequently a worse position than no AED at all.
Keep your Missouri AED program compliant
Missouri writes its inspection interval into statute, which means the evidence matters as much as the device. AED Log tracks the ninety-day inspection cycle, two-year test dates, pad and battery expirations and responder certifications across every location in one dashboard, with records formatted the way an auditor expects to see them.
Statutes cited from the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. This page reflects legislation through the 2025 legislative session, including SB 68.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, consult a qualified attorney or the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.