{"name":"State pharmacist-to-technician ratio rules","publisher":"RxShift (https://rxshift.io)","documentation":"https://rxshift.io/states","change_log":"https://rxshift.io/regulatory-updates","license":"CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): free to reuse with credit to RxShift (rxshift.io). Informational only, not legal advice; always confirm against the cited primary source.","dataset":"https://rxshift.io/data","last_verified":"2026-10-19","verification":"Each state is re-checked against its primary statute or regulation on a weekly research cadence.","states":[{"code":"AL","name":"Alabama","rule":"A certification-scaled ceiling: 2 technicians with none certified, 3 with at least one certified, 4 with at least two certified. Four is a hard ceiling.","certification_effect":"Certification raises the ceiling but certified technicians still count toward it; more certifications never push it past 4.","citation":"Ala. Admin. Code r. 680-X-2-.14(5)","pending":"A rulemaking filed July 15, 2026 corrects a statutory reference only. The Board filed its certification of the final rule on September 17, 2026; it amends paragraphs (10)(b) and (10)(c) only, and the ratio in subsection (5) is unchanged.","last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/alabama"},{"code":"AR","name":"Arkansas","rule":"Each pharmacist on duty may use up to 4 support staff, counting pharmacy technicians, licensed interns and externs together.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap. Arkansas has one technician class and no trainee tier, and the 4-person limit applies regardless of who is certified.","citation":"17 CAR 160-907 (rewritten eff. Oct 10, 2025)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/arkansas"},{"code":"CA","name":"California","rule":"An additive formula: 3 technicians for the first pharmacist on duty, plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist.","certification_effect":"The formula counts technicians, not certifications; the pharmacist-in-charge sets ratios within it.","citation":"BPC 4115, as amended by AB 1503 (eff. Jan 1, 2026)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-05","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/california"},{"code":"CO","name":"Colorado","rule":"Up to 6 technicians and interns combined per pharmacist (no more than 2 interns); central-fill pharmacies may go to 8.","certification_effect":"Once 3 or more technicians are on duty, a majority must be fully certified and every technician needs at least a provisional certification (valid up to 18 months, non-renewable).","citation":"C.R.S. 12-280-122","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/colorado"},{"code":"CT","name":"Connecticut","rule":"A supervising pharmacist may supervise up to 2 pharmacy technicians in a community pharmacy, or up to 3 when one of the 3 is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and that pharmacist has not given the pharmacist manager a written refusal to supervise three, or for IV admixture and other sterile products preparation, unit dose and unit of use dispensing and bulk compounding.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the number RxShift applies. RxShift applies 2 per pharmacist whether or not a technician is certified, because the third place also depends on a written refusal it cannot see.","citation":"Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 20-576-36","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/connecticut"},{"code":"DE","name":"Delaware","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead a working-conditions rule for pharmacists: a pharmacist who works 6 or more continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break and a 15-minute break, with an additional 15-minute break at 12 continuous hours.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of these numbers. Delaware sets no technician limit, and its break rule applies to pharmacists only.","citation":"24 Del. Admin. Code 2500 § 21.2.5","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/delaware"},{"code":"GA","name":"Georgia","rule":"A flat ceiling of 4 technicians per pharmacist in the licensed area; remote technicians do not count toward the ratio. Pharmacy interns and externs sit outside the 1:4 technician cap.","certification_effect":"Board rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least 1 certified technician to staff 3 and at least 2 certified to staff 4, even though HB 382 removed the tiers from the statute itself.","citation":"O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 (as amended by HB 382, eff. July 1, 2026) and Board rule 480-15-.03(e)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/georgia"},{"code":"IL","name":"Illinois","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead a working-conditions law: a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist, or technician to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day including breaks, and a pharmacist working 6 or more hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break plus a 15-minute break (one more 15-minute break at 12 hours). The pharmacy may stay open during the break.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of those numbers. It changes what a technician may do, and every registered technician in Illinois must become certified within 2 years of first licensure.","citation":"225 ILCS 85/15.1","pending":"HB4243 (104th General Assembly) would require on-site staffing at retail pharmacies filling 150 or more prescriptions a day; re-referred to the Rules Committee April 17, 2026 with no floor vote.","last_verified":"2026-10-05","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/illinois"},{"code":"KS","name":"Kansas","rule":"Up to 4 pharmacy technicians per pharmacist, and no more than 2 of them may be technicians who have not passed a Board-approved certification exam.","certification_effect":"Passing a Board-approved exam (the PTCB or NHA ExCPT exam) decides who can fill the third and fourth places. It does not raise the total of 4.","citation":"K.A.R. 68-5-16","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-16","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/kansas"},{"code":"KY","name":"Kentucky","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead a break rule: the Board of Pharmacy's rule on a pharmacy permit holder's conduct refers to appropriately requested rest and meal periods as permitted by KRS 337.355 and KRS 337.365, which provide every employee a paid rest period of at least 10 minutes during each 4 hours worked and a reasonable lunch period.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of these numbers. Kentucky sets no technician limit, and its break statutes cover every employee whatever their credential.","citation":"201 KAR 2:450 § 2(3); KRS 337.355; KRS 337.365","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/kentucky"},{"code":"LA","name":"Louisiana","rule":"A combined ceiling of 4 support people per pharmacist on duty. Certified pharmacy technicians, pharmacy technician candidates and pharmacy interns all count in the same 4, and no more than 2 of them may be technician candidates.","certification_effect":"Certification does not raise the ceiling. It decides which slot a person can fill: a technician candidate is a registered trainee capped at 2 per pharmacist, while a certified pharmacy technician can fill any of the 4. Louisiana has no category of a working technician who is neither a candidate nor certified, so RxShift counts every uncertified technician as a candidate.","citation":"La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B)","pending":"Board Regulatory Project 2025-454 would amend section 907, but only its compounding language in subsection B; in the Board's coded draft the ratio sentence in 907(A)(1) is not changed. The Board anticipated an October 20, 2026 effective date; as of September 28, 2026 the final rule had not been published in the Louisiana Register.","last_verified":"2026-10-12","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/louisiana"},{"code":"MA","name":"Massachusetts","rule":"A composition-gated ceiling: a 3rd support person requires at least one certified technician or pharmacy intern, and a 4th requires at least two; the regulation states no condition for one or two. A pharmacy providing vaccination services may run up to 6 under Board Policy 2026-02, when at least 3 of them are certified technicians or pharmacy interns and no more than 2 of those 3 are interns.","certification_effect":"Certified technicians and pharmacy interns are pooled together and both satisfy the composition requirement that unlocks the 3rd and 4th slot; pharmacy technician trainees count toward the headcount but never toward that requirement.","citation":"247 CMR 8.06(3)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/massachusetts"},{"code":"MN","name":"Minnesota","rule":"One pharmacist may supervise up to 3 technicians, and the pharmacy may add 1 more technician at any given time if at least one certified technician is on duty and counting toward the ratio.","certification_effect":"One certified technician raises the pharmacy's limit by exactly one, once. Additional certifications do not raise it further, and the extra technician is per pharmacy, not per pharmacist.","citation":"Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/minnesota"},{"code":"MS","name":"Mississippi","rule":"A flat 3 pharmacy technicians per pharmacist, in every pharmacy setting. Pharmacy interns and externs are not counted.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the number. A certified pharmacy technician counts toward the 3 like any other technician.","citation":"Miss. Admin. Code tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. XL § 4.D","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/mississippi"},{"code":"MT","name":"Montana","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Montana leaves the number of technicians a pharmacist supervises to the pharmacist-in-charge (ARM 24.174.711). Its schedule rule is a pharmacist break: in a pharmacy staffed by a single pharmacist, the pharmacist shall take a meal or rest break on the premises of up to 30 minutes per shift, without closing the pharmacy (ARM 24.174.411).","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of this. Montana sets no technician limit, and its break rule is for pharmacists.","citation":"ARM 24.174.411; ARM 24.174.711","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-13","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/montana"},{"code":"NE","name":"Nebraska","rule":"A pharmacist may supervise any combination of pharmacy technicians and pharmacist interns, up to a total of 4 people. When a pharmacist supervises 4 pharmacy technicians, at least one of them must be a certified pharmacy technician.","certification_effect":"Certification does not raise the total of 4. It decides only whether a pharmacist may supervise four technicians: with four, at least one must be certified. With three technicians, none needs to be.","citation":"Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/nebraska"},{"code":"NV","name":"Nevada","rule":"One pharmacist may supervise up to 3 technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians-in-training.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap; the 3-technician ceiling applies regardless.","citation":"NAC 639.250","pending":"Proposed rule R072-25 would change staffing requirements, but it was tabled at the Board's June 4, 2026 hearing and has not been adopted. Current law is unchanged.","last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/nevada"},{"code":"NJ","name":"New Jersey","rule":"A base cap of 2 technicians per pharmacist for any mix. Above 2 there is no stated ceiling, but every technician on duty must hold a qualifying credential and the pharmacy must meet the rule's other conditions.","certification_effect":"The uncap is all-or-nothing: one technician on duty without a qualifying credential returns the whole crew to the 2-per-pharmacist base. A qualifying credential is passing the PTCB exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved employer training program with a testing component (which counts only at that employer). A credential alone is not enough: the pharmacy also needs written job descriptions and task protocols, a technician policy and procedure manual that the pharmacist-in-charge reviews at least every two years, documented in-service training, and immediate personal supervision.","citation":"N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-16","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/new-jersey"},{"code":"NY","name":"New York","rule":"A total-headcount rule with a sub-cap: a pharmacist may have no more than 4 support people at one time, and no more than 2 of them may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks. Pharmacy interns are exempt. Since November 21, 2025 registered technicians may work in community pharmacies (L. 2025 ch. 543).","certification_effect":"Certification does not raise or lower the numbers. A PTCB or NHA certification is how a technician qualifies for the New York registered pharmacy technician licence; someone with a national certification but no New York licence counts as an unlicensed person (a clerk, in everyday terms) inside the four.","citation":"N.Y. Educ. Law 6841(4); 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21)(ii)","pending":"S5625 (2025-2026) would require two pharmacists whenever a pharmacy dispenses over 200 prescriptions in any 14-hour period; it has sat in the Senate Higher Education Committee across four sessions with no vote.","last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/new-york"},{"code":"NC","name":"North Carolina","rule":"An approval state: a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager holds written Board of Pharmacy approval for a higher ratio, requested per permit (Board staff approve 1:3 to 1:5; 1:6 and above goes to the full Board).","certification_effect":"Certification does not raise the limit on its own. By statute the Board cannot approve a ratio above 1:2 unless every technician above the second is a certified pharmacy technician, so the condition travels with the approval. Pharmacy students in an approved school are outside the ratio; there is no technician trainee tier.","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/north-carolina"},{"code":"ND","name":"North Dakota","rule":"Four pharmacy technicians per pharmacist in retail and hospital pharmacies. Closed-door pharmacies are allowed 5, and telepharmacy is excepted from the ratio entirely.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap. National certification is a precondition of registering as a technician in North Dakota.","citation":"N.D. Admin. Code 61-02-07.1-04","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/north-dakota"},{"code":"OH","name":"Ohio","rule":"No numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead: a 13-hour single-workday cap, a mandatory 8-hour rest gap between shifts, and documented exceptions retained for 3 years.","certification_effect":"Certification does not enter Ohio's staffing math; the binding rules are hour caps and rest gaps.","citation":"OAC 4729:5-5-02.2","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/ohio"},{"code":"OK","name":"Oklahoma","rule":"Four pharmacy technicians per pharmacist, and the same 4 applies in every setting including hospitals.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap. Oklahoma licenses technicians by Board permit rather than by national certification.","citation":"59 O.S. 353.18A(C), as amended by SB 906","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/oklahoma"},{"code":"RI","name":"Rhode Island","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead a staffing duty: a pharmacy must keep enough pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for its workload, provide adequate rest periods for its personnel, and give the Department of Health its staffing information, including staff schedules, on request (216-RICR-40-15-1.6.1(E)).","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of this. Rhode Island sets no technician limit.","citation":"216-RICR-40-15-1.6.1(E)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/rhode-island"},{"code":"SC","name":"South Carolina","rule":"A dual cap for community and retail pharmacies: at most 4 technicians per pharmacist at a time, of which no more than 2 may be non-certified.","certification_effect":"State-certified technicians are what allow a pharmacist to go above 2 technicians, but they still count toward the cap of 4. Institutional pharmacies follow a separate 1-to-3 employment ratio.","citation":"S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/south-carolina"},{"code":"SD","name":"South Dakota","rule":"Up to 3 registered pharmacy technicians on duty in a pharmacy for every pharmacist on duty. Hospital, mail order and long-term care pharmacies are excepted: the pharmacist-in-charge sets the ratio there, under conditions.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the number. National certification is optional in South Dakota, and a certified technician counts toward the 3 like any other registered technician.","citation":"ARSD 20:51:29:19","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/south-dakota"},{"code":"TN","name":"Tennessee","rule":"Up to 6 non-certified technicians per pharmacist; certified technicians (CPhT) are not counted against the ratio.","certification_effect":"Certified technicians are uncapped, so certification directly expands how many people can work a shift.","citation":"Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-16","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/tennessee"},{"code":"TX","name":"Texas","rule":"Up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees per on-site pharmacist, and no more than 3 of the 6 may be trainees.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the numbers. In Texas a registered pharmacy technician is already certified, and a technician trainee is the uncertified tier with a hard 2-year limit, so certification decides which tier a person is in rather than how many people a pharmacist may supervise.","citation":"22 Tex. Admin. Code 291.32(d)(3)(A)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/texas"},{"code":"VT","name":"Vermont","rule":"No pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead a break rule: a pharmacy must ensure that every pharmacist, pharmacy technician, technician trainee and pharmacy intern working 8 or more hours takes at least one 30-minute break and one 15-minute break.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change any of these numbers. Vermont sets no technician limit, and its break rule covers every pharmacist, technician, trainee and intern on the shift.","citation":"Vt. Bd. of Pharmacy Admin. R. 8-9(a)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/vermont"},{"code":"VA","name":"Virginia","rule":"No pharmacist may supervise more than 4 persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time. It is a test of what people are doing, not of what credential they hold.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap. Registration, not certification, is the gating credential in Virginia, and there is no trainee sub-cap.","citation":"18VAC110-20-112(A)","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/virginia"},{"code":"WV","name":"West Virginia","rule":"A pharmacist may supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, pooled into the same 6 rather than counted separately.","certification_effect":"Certification does not change the cap. National certification is a precondition of registering as a technician in West Virginia, so every registered technician already holds it.","citation":"W. Va. C.S.R. 15-7-5.3","pending":null,"last_verified":"2026-10-19","detail_url":"https://rxshift.io/states/west-virginia"}]}