We read the rules so you don’t get surprised by them.

No change to North Carolina's pharmacist working-conditions rule as of October 20, 2026. Under 21 NCAC 46 .2512, a permit holder may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, and a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break and a further 15-minute break during that time. Technicians are not named. Read from the Office of Administrative Hearings' official text.

California's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The Board of Pharmacy's October 28-29, 2026 meeting agenda includes no item that would change the ratio, and no ratio regulation is pending.

Connecticut's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 20-576-36, last amended June 28, 2004, allows two pharmacy technicians per supervising pharmacist in a community pharmacy, or three when one of the three is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and the pharmacist has not given a written refusal, or for IV admixture, sterile products, unit dose and bulk compounding work. Regulations for the advanced pharmacy technician tier created by Public Act 24-73 are still being developed by the Department of Consumer Protection.

No change found to Illinois pharmacy hours or staffing rules as of October 19, 2026: Illinois sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio, and 225 ILCS 85/15.1 still limits a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours a day including breaks, with a 30-minute meal break and a 15-minute break for a pharmacist working 6 continuous hours or more and another 15 minutes at 12 hours. The state's pharmacy regulator lists no proposed change to its pharmacy rules.

Kansas's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Under K.A.R. 68-5-16 a pharmacy may have no more than 4 pharmacy technicians per pharmacist, and a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 technicians at a time who have not passed a Board-approved certification examination; the 2026 legislative session did not amend K.S.A. 65-1663, the statute that gives the Board this ratio power.

No change to Louisiana's staffing rules as of October 19, 2026: one pharmacist may supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, with no more than 2 candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B)), and anyone credentialed by the Board still needs a rest break after more than six hours of practice (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)). The Board's Project 2025-454, which updates Section 907's language on sterile compounding by technician candidates but does not change the ratio, is not scheduled for the October 20, 2026 Louisiana Register. The Board has scheduled a separate rule for October 20, 2026 that lowers the licensure a pharmacist needs to supervise a pharmacy intern from two years to one (LAC 46:LIII.705); it does not change the ratio.

Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), read today from the official text posted by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination; the regulation states no condition for one or two support personnel. Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, is still the newest Board ratio policy we have found, including its tier of up to 6 support personnel at a pharmacy providing vaccination services when at least three of them are certified technicians or interns, no more than two of those three being interns.

The Missouri Board of Pharmacy has proposed amending 20 CSR 2220-2.020 (Missouri Register, October 15, 2026, Vol. 51 No. 20). The proposal would remove the requirement that the names of all pharmacists regularly working in a pharmacy be displayed on the premises, and would add a Class R remote dispensing site pharmacy permit. Comments are open for 30 days from publication and no hearing is scheduled. Missouri still sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio.

Mississippi's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rules (Miss. Admin. Code tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. XL § 4.D and art. VIII § 1.C(5)) still allow a pharmacist to supervise no more than 3 pharmacy technicians at a time, staff used only for clerical duties need not be counted, and pharmacy interns and externs are not included in that count, though a pharmacist must be present and personally supervising.

Montana still sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise: under ARM 24.174.711(1) the pharmacist-in-charge determines the ratio, and a pharmacist intern does not count against it. Under ARM 24.174.411, 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, and under ARM 24.174.703(10) a technician may not be left in charge for more than 30 minutes. The Board of Pharmacy's rulemaking notices show no change to these rules since December 6, 2025.

Nebraska's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01, as amended by LB912 (operative April 15, 2026), a pharmacist may supervise any combination of pharmacy technicians and pharmacist interns up to a total of 4 people, and a pharmacist supervising 4 pharmacy technicians must have at least one certified pharmacy technician among them. No proposed change to the Department of Health and Human Services' pharmacy regulations was found.

No change to New Jersey's pharmacy technician limits was found in a check on October 19, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rule N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 still provides that a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 pharmacy technicians at a time unless the pharmacy meets the rule's conditions for a higher ratio, including a qualifying credential for each technician working when the ratio is above 2, and no Board of Pharmacy rule proposal affecting it was found.

No change to New York's staffing limits as of October 19, 2026. Under Education Law 6841(4) and 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21), a pharmacist may have no more than four support people assisting at one time, no more than two of whom may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks, and pharmacy interns are exempt from that count while still requiring pharmacist supervision. The State Register of October 14, 2026 carries no new Education Department rule.

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy has proposed new mobile pharmacy rules (OAR chapter 855, division 145, filed October 9, 2026, hearing November 24, 2026). A mobile pharmacy would need at least one pharmacist physically present during its hours of operation and would have to keep a record of the pharmacist present (proposed OAR 855-145-0015 and 855-145-0025). Oregon still sets no numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio (OAR 855-115-0122).

Rhode Island's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 19, 2026. The Department of Health's pharmacy regulation, 216-RICR-40-15-1, sets no limit on how many pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise; section 1.6.1(E), as amended effective April 12, 2026, requires every pharmacy to keep enough pharmacists and technicians for its workload, to provide adequate rest periods for personnel, and to give the Department staffing information on request, including staff schedules. No amendment to the regulation has been proposed.

Tennessee's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged: under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) the ratio may not exceed 6 technicians per pharmacist, technicians beyond that 6:1 ratio are permitted when they are certified pharmacy technicians, and paragraph (12) states that a pharmacy intern is not considered a pharmacy technician. The Board of Pharmacy has posted no rulemaking on the ratio.

Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 19, 2026: under 18VAC110-20-112(A) a pharmacist may supervise no more than four persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time. The Board of Pharmacy's proposed permanent rule for remote database access and central fill pharmacies was published in the Virginia Register on October 19, 2026 (Volume 43, Issue 5), with a public hearing on December 8, 2026 and public comment open through December 18, 2026; it matches the emergency rule already in effect and keeps the limit of four on site at a pharmacy.

Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under Ala. Admin. Code r. 680-X-2-.14(5), re-read from the official Alabama Administrative Code, a pharmacist may be supported by two technicians with no certification required, three when at least one is certified, or four when at least two are certified. The amendment to rule 680-X-2-.14 that takes effect November 14, 2026 changes a statutory citation in the registration-refusal subsection and does not change the ratio.

Arkansas's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. 17 CAR 160-907, re-read from the official Code of Arkansas Rules, still lets each pharmacist on duty use up to four support staff, counting pharmacy technicians, licensed interns and externs together, while interns on an assigned college rotation, graduate interns, clerks, secretaries, messengers and delivery staff stay outside the count.

California's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The same text appears in the Board of Pharmacy's 2026 Lawbook (revised July 2026), and the Board has no pending regulation on the ratio.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026: up to 6 pharmacy technicians and interns combined per pharmacist, no more than 2 of them interns, with a certified majority required once 3 or more technicians are on duty, under C.R.S. 12-280-122(1), re-read from the Legislature's 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes. The State Board of Pharmacy's final product verification rules adopted October 1, 2026 do not change the ratio and are still awaiting the Attorney General's opinion and publication.

Connecticut's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. A statute read from the General Assembly's site, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-633(c)(2), lets a certified technician who only administers vaccines between September 1 and March 31 be left out of the institutional ratio in § 20-576-33; RxShift does not apply that exclusion to community pharmacies, which keeps every technician in the count.

Delaware sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. Its Board of Pharmacy working-conditions rule (24 Del. Admin. Code 2500, section 21.0, published 29 DE Reg. 625 on January 1, 2026), re-read today from the State's codified Administrative Code, requires a pharmacist working 6 or more continuous hours to be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break and a 15-minute break, an additional 15-minute break at 12 continuous hours, and at least one fully trained technician on the premises whenever the pharmacy department is open; signed staffing reports and the permit holder's corrective-action records must be kept at least 3 years.

Georgia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e), re-read from the Board's own copy, still caps a pharmacist at four registered pharmacy technicians under direct supervision, requiring at least one certified technician to staff three and at least two to staff four, and O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 as amended by HB 382 still counts only technicians located in the licensed area of the pharmacy toward that four. Pharmacy interns and externs sit outside the four-technician cap.

Kansas's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026, re-read from the Secretary of State's authenticated Kansas Administrative Regulations. Under K.A.R. 68-5-16 a pharmacy may have no more than 4 pharmacy technicians per pharmacist, and a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 technicians at a time who have not passed a Board-approved certification examination. The rule was last amended February 7, 2020.

Kentucky sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio and no maximum shift length, minimum rest between shifts or limit on consecutive days for pharmacy staff. Pharmacy permit holders can be disciplined for failing to provide "appropriate staffing, training, and appropriately requested rest and meal periods as permitted by KRS 337.355 and KRS 337.365" (201 KAR 2:450 Section 2(3)), and Kentucky law gives employees a 10-minute rest period for each four hours worked (KRS 337.365) plus a reasonable lunch period (KRS 337.355). All three were re-read today from the Legislative Research Commission's official texts.

Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), read from the Board's official text, a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination. Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026 and read today from the Board's own page, remains the current ratio guidance, including its tier of up to 6 support personnel at a pharmacy providing vaccination services when at least three of them are certified technicians or interns, no more than two of those three being interns.

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026: under Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1, re-read today from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, a pharmacist may supervise up to three technicians, and the pharmacy may have one more technician on duty at any given time when at least one technician holds a valid national certification. Minn. R. 6800.2160 is also unchanged: a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, intern or technician to work longer than 12 continuous hours per day, and staff working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted break.

Mississippi's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rules (Miss. Admin. Code tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. XL § 4.D) still allow a pharmacist to supervise no more than 3 pharmacy technicians, and the Board's rule says pharmacy interns and externs are not included in that count. The Pharmacy Practice Act's definitions, Miss. Code Ann. § 73-21-73, were re-enacted in 2025 and run to July 1, 2029.

Montana requires that a pharmacist working alone take a meal or rest break of up to 30 minutes per shift, on the premises, without closing the pharmacy (ARM 24.174.411). Since December 6, 2025 a pharmacy technician may hold the pharmacy during that break but may not be left in charge for more than 30 minutes (ARM 24.174.703(10)). Montana sets no numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio, no maximum shift length and no required rest period between shifts. The adopted text was re-read today from the Board of Pharmacy's own rulemaking notices.

North Carolina's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under G.S. 90-85.15A(c), re-read from the General Assembly's official text, a pharmacist may not supervise more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager has the Board's written approval, and any technicians beyond two must be certified. Under 21 NCAC 46 .2512 a pharmacist may not be required to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day and must be allowed a 30-minute meal break and a 15-minute break when working longer than six continuous hours. The Board's rules are scheduled for readoption by May 1, 2031; that process has not started.

North Dakota's limit is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under N.D. Admin. Code 61-02-07.1-04, re-read from the Legislative Branch's official text, a pharmacist may supervise no more than four pharmacy technicians in a retail or hospital pharmacy and no more than five in a closed-door pharmacy that does not deal directly with patients, and pharmacy interns and other supportive personnel are not counted.

Nebraska's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01 as amended by LB912 (operative April 15, 2026) a pharmacist may supervise no more than 4 technicians and interns combined, with a certified technician required once a pharmacist has more than 3 technicians, and the Secretary of State's docket shows no proposed rule against the Department's pharmacy regulations.

New Jersey's pharmacy technician limits are unchanged as of October 16, 2026, re-read from the State's own online New Jersey Administrative Code, current through the New Jersey Register of October 5, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rule N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 still provides that a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 pharmacy technicians at a time unless the pharmacy meets the conditions for a higher ratio: each technician working above that ratio must hold a qualifying credential (the national certification exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved program with a testing component), and the pharmacy must keep written job descriptions and task protocols, document in-service training, provide immediate personal supervision, and maintain a technician policy and procedure manual reviewed at least every two years. A technician in in-service training, for up to 210 days, is outside the 2-per-pharmacist count, and a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 such trainees at a time. The rule was last amended in 2013.

No change to New York's staffing limits as of October 16, 2026. Under 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21), re-read from the State Education Department's own text, a pharmacist may have no more than four support people assisting at one time, no more than two of whom may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks, and pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count while still requiring pharmacist supervision. Education Law 6841(4) states the same limits.

Ohio's pharmacy workload rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2, re-read today from the State's official Administrative Code, an outpatient pharmacy may not require pharmacy personnel to work more than 13 hours in a workday, must allow at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and must allow anyone working more than six continuous hours a 30-minute uninterrupted rest break.

Oklahoma's limit is unchanged as of October 16, 2026: a retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every licensed pharmacist under 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C), re-read from the Legislature's compiled statutes, and OAC 535:15-13-5(c), pharmacy interns do not affect that ratio, and the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy lists no proposed rule changes.

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b), re-read today from the Legislature's official Code of Laws, one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, no more than 2 of them non-state-certified, and staff doing only clerical work are not counted. Pharmacy interns are not technicians under Section 40-43-30(48), and a pharmacist may supervise only one intern at a time under Section 40-43-84(C).

South Dakota allows up to three registered pharmacy technicians on duty for every pharmacist on duty, and a pharmacy intern does not count in that ratio (ARSD 20:51:29:19, re-read today from the Legislature's official rules service); a pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy interns at one time (ARSD 20:51:02:11.01). Hospital, mail order and long-term care pharmacies are excepted and set their ratio through the pharmacist-in-charge under conditions (ARSD 20:51:29:19.02).

Tennessee's technician ratio is unchanged and was re-confirmed against the Secretary of State's official text on October 16, 2026. Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) a pharmacist may supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians, technicians beyond that 6:1 ratio are permitted when they are certified pharmacy technicians, and paragraph (12) states that a pharmacy intern is not considered a pharmacy technician.

No change in Texas as of October 16, 2026. One on-site pharmacist may still supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, with no more than 3 of them trainees, under Texas State Board of Pharmacy rule 22 TAC 291.32(d)(3)(A), and pharmacist-interns are still not counted in that ratio under 22 TAC 283.5(b)(5). Both were re-read today from the Board's own rules compilation.

Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Under 18VAC110-20-112(A), re-read from the Commonwealth's Administrative Code, a pharmacist may supervise no more than four persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time, and under 18VAC110-20-110(B) a pharmacist may not be required to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day, must be allowed six hours off between shifts, and must be allowed a 30-minute break when working longer than six continuous hours. The Board's proposed permanent rule for remote access and central fill is scheduled for publication in the Virginia Register on October 19, 2026 and would not change the four-person limit on site.

Vermont's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. Vermont sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under Board of Pharmacy rule 8-9(a), re-read from the Secretary of State's rules effective February 1, 2026, 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, and a pharmacy staffed by a single pharmacist closes for that pharmacist's 30-minute break.

West Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 16, 2026. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-7-5.3, re-read from the Secretary of State's filing, allows no more than six pharmacy technicians and technician trainees combined for each pharmacist on duty, with pharmacy interns outside that six. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-15-8 limits a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours in a 24-hour period including breaks, with a 30-minute meal break for a shift of eight continuous hours or longer and an additional 20 minutes at twelve.

Massachusetts pharmacy staffing ratios are unchanged as of October 15, 2026. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3) a pharmacist may supervise up to 3 support personnel when at least one is a certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern, and up to 4 when at least two are certified technicians or interns in any combination, with no condition stated for one or two support personnel; a technician whose certification has lapsed counts as an uncertified technician (247 CMR 8.04(3)(c)). Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, remains the Board's current ratio guidance, including its higher limit of up to 6 support personnel at pharmacies providing vaccination services when its certification conditions are met.

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 15, 2026: under Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1 a pharmacist may supervise up to three technicians, and the pharmacy may have one more technician on duty at any given time when at least one technician holds a valid national certification. The Board of Pharmacy has been discussing technician ratios, but no rule change has been formally proposed, and the statute's limit applies unless the Legislature changes it or the Board adopts a higher ratio by rule for specific functions. Minn. R. 6800.2160 is also unchanged: a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, intern or technician to work longer than 12 continuous hours per day, and staff working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted break.

New Jersey's pharmacy technician limits are unchanged as of October 15, 2026. Board of Pharmacy rule N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 still provides that a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 pharmacy technicians at a time unless the pharmacy meets the conditions for a higher ratio: each technician must hold a qualifying credential (the national certification exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved program with a testing component), and the pharmacy must keep written job descriptions and task protocols, document in-service training, provide immediate personal supervision, and maintain a technician policy and procedure manual reviewed at least every two years. The Board readopted its rules without change in March 2024, and they remain in effect until March 2031.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Under NAC 639.250, re-read on October 15, 2026 from the Legislative Counsel Bureau's official Nevada Administrative Code, one pharmacist in a retail pharmacy may supervise up to 3 pharmacy technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians in training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25 remains unadopted: the Legislature's register lists only its initial and proposed drafts, and the Board's list of adopted regulations does not include it.

In Nebraska one pharmacist may supervise any combination of pharmacy technicians and pharmacist interns at any time up to a total of four people, and when a pharmacist supervises four pharmacy technicians at least one of them must be a certified pharmacy technician; since April 15, 2026 that certification requirement applies only when four technicians are supervised, so a team of three technicians and one intern does not need a certified technician (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01, as amended by LB912).

Alaska sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise, no maximum shift length, no required rest period or meal break for pharmacy staff, and no staffing-schedule record-keeping rule in the Board of Pharmacy's regulations (12 AAC 52, compilation revised September 20, 2026). It does limit interns: under 12 AAC 52.220(e)(5) more than one pharmacist intern may not dispense simultaneously under the direct supervision of the same supervising pharmacist, and the pharmacist-in-charge must be physically present long enough to provide supervision and control (12 AAC 52.200(c)).

Arkansas's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 12, 2026. 17 CAR 160-907 still lets each pharmacist on duty use up to four support staff, counting pharmacy technicians, licensed interns and externs together, while interns on an assigned college rotation, graduate interns, clerks, secretaries, messengers and delivery staff stay outside the count. The Board's June and July 2026 meeting minutes, now posted, contain no change to this rule, and no amendment is pending.

Arizona does not set a pharmacist-to-technician ratio and does not set a maximum shift length, a required rest period, a meal or rest break, or a limit on consecutive days worked for pharmacy staff in its Board of Pharmacy rules (4 A.A.C. 23). What it does limit is how many people may work in the prescription area at once, by floor space: "A maximum of three pharmacy personnel may practice or work simultaneously in the minimum area" of 300 square feet, with 60 additional square feet required for each additional person (R4-23-609(A)). A pharmacy must also notify the Board within ten days of employing or terminating a pharmacist (R4-23-608(A)).

California's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 12, 2026. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The Board of Pharmacy's October 2026 summary of new 2026 pharmacy legislation includes no bill that changes this ratio, and no ratio regulation is pending.

Connecticut allows two pharmacy technicians per supervising pharmacist in a community pharmacy, and three only if at least one of the three is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and the supervising pharmacist has not filed a written refusal, or when the work is IV admixture, sterile products, unit dose or bulk compounding (Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 20-576-36). Connecticut sets no pharmacy-specific maximum shift length, rest period or meal break; the general employee meal-period law (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 31-51ii) applies as it does to other workers, and a pharmacy must keep each pharmacist's written refusal on file where it can be produced to the department.

The District of Columbia sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise; 17 DCMR § 9900.5 says only that no pharmacist may supervise more technicians and trainees than he or she can safely supervise. A licensed pharmacist must be on duty at all times a pharmacy is open, and a pharmacy with only one pharmacist on duty must close during that pharmacist's meal period and breaks (22-B DCMR § 1901.2); the Department of Health proposed a pharmacy working-conditions rule in November 2024 and no final rule was located as of October 12, 2026.

Delaware sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. Its Board of Pharmacy working-conditions rule (24 Del. Admin. Code 2500, section 21.0, published 29 DE Reg. 625 on January 1, 2026) requires a pharmacist working 6 or more continuous hours to be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break and a 15-minute break, an additional 15-minute break at 12 continuous hours, and at least one fully trained technician on the premises whenever the pharmacy department is open; signed staffing reports and the permit holder's corrective-action records must be kept at least 3 years.

Georgia re-checked October 12, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 as amended by HB 382 caps on-site technicians at four per pharmacist and does not count technicians working remotely, Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician to staff three and at least two to staff four, and pharmacy interns and externs sit outside the four-technician cap. The Board's only new statement this week concerns emergency prescription refills during the hurricane state of emergency and does not affect staffing.

Hawaii sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise, no maximum shift length, no required rest period or meal break for pharmacy staff, and no staffing-schedule record-keeping rule in its pharmacy statutes (HRS chapter 461) or Board of Pharmacy rules (HAR chapter 16-95). A pharmacist must "immediately supervise" interns and technicians, which HAR 16-95-2 defines as being physically present in the area where they are working, and since January 1, 2026 every pharmacy technician must hold a certificate of registration from the Board (HRS 461-9.5).

Kansas limits pharmacy technicians to four per pharmacist in any pharmacy, and separately provides that a pharmacist may not supervise at any time more than two pharmacy technicians who have not passed a certification examination approved by the Board (K.A.R. 68-5-16, last amended effective February 7, 2020). The Kansas Pharmacy Act and the Board's rules set no maximum shift length, minimum rest period, required break or consecutive-day limit for pharmacy staff; a 2026 law (HB 2068, effective April 30, 2026) lets pharmacies employ remote pharmacists, interns and technicians, applies the same K.A.R. 68-5-16 ratio to remote supervision, and requires pharmacies that use remote workers to keep their pharmacy-act records for five years.

Kentucky sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio and no maximum shift length, minimum rest between shifts or limit on consecutive days for pharmacy staff. Pharmacy permit holders can be disciplined for failing to provide "appropriate staffing, training, and appropriately requested rest and meal periods as permitted by KRS 337.355 and KRS 337.365" (201 KAR 2:450 Section 2(3)), and Kentucky law gives employees a 10-minute rest period for each four hours worked (KRS 337.365) plus a reasonable lunch period (KRS 337.355).

No change to Louisiana's staffing rules as of October 12, 2026. One pharmacist may still supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, with no more than 2 candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B)), and anyone credentialed by the Board still needs a rest break after more than six hours of practice (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)). The Board's Project 2025-454, which updates Section 907's limits on sterile compounding by technician candidates but does not change the ratio, is not among the Board rules queued for the October 20, 2026 Louisiana Register, so it is not expected to take effect on that date. A separate Board rule queued for that issue lowers the experience a pharmacist needs to supervise a pharmacy intern from two years of licensure to one (LAC 46:LIII.705); it does not change the ratio.

Maryland sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise; a registered technician must work under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist who is physically available onsite (COMAR 10.34.34.03E(1) and .02B(4)). The Board's rules do limit how many pharmacy interns one pharmacist may directly supervise at one time (COMAR 10.34.38.05), and no pharmacy-specific maximum shift length, rest period or required meal break for pharmacy staff was found in the Board's regulations.

Maine sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise; instead the Board's technician rule requires the pharmacy to ensure that "the number of pharmacy technicians on duty can be satisfactorily supervised by the pharmacist in charge and the pharmacists on duty" (02-392 CMR ch. 7, § 7-A). We found no Maine pharmacy rule setting a maximum shift length, a minimum rest between shifts or a required meal break for pharmacy staff; Maine's general meal-break law (26 MRSA § 601) applies to pharmacy employees like other workers.

Missouri sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio and no maximum shift length, minimum rest between shifts, required break or limit on consecutive days for pharmacy staff. Pharmacies must provide "adequate staffing and resources" to safely provide services (20 CSR 2220-2.010(1)(C)), must have policies for regularly reviewing staffing needs with the pharmacist-in-charge (20 CSR 2220-2.090(1)(D)), and, under a rule effective August 30, 2026, may authorize technician dispensing while a pharmacist is temporarily absent for no more than 60 minutes in a rolling 12-hour period (20 CSR 2220-2.197).

Mississippi allows a pharmacist to supervise no more than three pharmacy technicians at one time, and externs and interns are not included in that count (Miss. Admin. Code tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. VIII, § 1.C(5) and art. XL, § 4.D). Mississippi pharmacy law sets no maximum shift length, no minimum rest between shifts and no required meal or rest break; it does require the pharmacist-in-charge to be on site at least 20 hours a week or half the pharmacy's open hours and to keep a record of those hours for the Board (art. VII, § 1.B(6)).

North Carolina's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 12, 2026. A pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager holds written Board of Pharmacy approval for more, and any technician above two must be certified (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)); students enrolled in a Board-approved school of pharmacy are outside that limit. The Board's rules, including its pharmacist work-conditions rule (21 NCAC 46 .2512), are scheduled for routine readoption by May 1, 2031, and no change to them has been proposed.

Nebraska lets one pharmacist supervise any combination of pharmacy technicians and pharmacist interns at any time up to a total of four people, and when a pharmacist supervises four pharmacy technicians at least one must be a certified pharmacy technician (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01, as amended effective April 15, 2026). The Pharmacy Practice Act and the Department's pharmacy rules set no maximum shift length, minimum rest period, required break or consecutive-day limit; a pharmacy must employ "a sufficient number of licensed pharmacists to safely meet the needs of the individuals seeking services at the pharmacy" (175 NAC 8-006.01(A)) and must file an annual Pharmacy Quality Assurance Report listing its pharmacists, interns and technicians (175 NAC 8-004.01).

New Jersey's pharmacy technician limits are unchanged as of October 12, 2026. The State's own statute, N.J.S.A. 45:14-80, still provides that a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacy meets the conditions for a higher ratio: each technician must hold a qualifying credential (the national certification exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved program with a testing component), and the pharmacy must keep written job descriptions and task protocols, document in-service training, provide immediate personal supervision, and maintain a technician policy-and-procedure manual reviewed at least every two years. The statute has not been amended since it was enacted in 2003, and the Board rule that carries the same limits, N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15, has not been amended since 2013.

New Mexico does not set a general pharmacist-to-technician ratio: 16.19.22.10 NMAC leaves the permissible ratio of technicians to pharmacists on duty to the pharmacist-in-charge and reserves the Board's right to impose one. The only numeric supervision limit is for vaccines: a pharmacist may not supervise more than two technicians administering vaccines in a pharmacy setting, or more than six when dedicated to vaccination (16.19.22.16(C)(4)). The Board's rules set no maximum shift length, required rest period, meal or rest break, or limit on consecutive days worked for pharmacy staff, but they do make it dishonorable conduct for a pharmacy business to fail to provide a work environment, including sufficient staffing to prevent fatigue and distraction, that lets pharmacists perform their duties (16.19.27.7(B)(18)). The Board has noticed a rule hearing for October 22, 2026 on technician product-verification changes to 16.19.22 NMAC.

No change to New York's staffing limits. A pharmacist may have no more than four support people assisting at one time, no more than two of whom may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks, and pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count while still requiring pharmacist supervision (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4); 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21)). Separately, the Education Department finalized its shared pharmacy services rule (8 NYCRR 63.8 and 63.18, effective September 30, 2026) and proposed conforming immunization changes to 8 NYCRR 63.9; neither changes who may assist a pharmacist or how many.

Ohio's pharmacy workload rules are unchanged as of October 12, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2 an outpatient pharmacy may not require pharmacy personnel to work more than 13 hours in a workday, must allow at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and must allow anyone working more than six continuous hours a 30-minute uninterrupted rest break. The Board of Pharmacy has no pending proposal to change these rules.

Oklahoma's limit is unchanged as of October 12, 2026: a retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every licensed pharmacist under 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C) and OAC 535:15-13-5(c), pharmacy interns do not affect that ratio, and the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy lists no proposed rule changes.

Oregon does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise; the pharmacist decides using reasonable professional judgment (OAR 855-115-0122). Oregon also sets no maximum shift length or fixed break schedule, but a pharmacy must provide sufficient personnel to prevent fatigue and appropriate opportunities for uninterrupted rest periods and meal breaks, and can be disciplined for failing to (OAR 855-041-1010 and 855-041-1170).

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 12, 2026: under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b) one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, no more than 2 of them non-state-certified, and staff doing only clerical work are not counted. The Board met again on October 8 about compounding and collaborative practice regulations, which do not change these numbers.

South Dakota allows up to three registered pharmacy technicians on duty for every pharmacist on duty, and a pharmacy intern does not count in that ratio (ARSD 20:51:29:19); hospital, mail order and long-term care pharmacies are excepted and set their ratio through the pharmacist-in-charge under conditions (ARSD 20:51:29:19.02). South Dakota pharmacy rules set no maximum shift length, no minimum rest between shifts and no required meal or rest break.

Vermont sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio in its pharmacy statute or in the Board of Pharmacy rules effective February 1, 2026. Rule 8-9 requires a pharmacy to ensure that any pharmacist, technician, trainee or intern working 8 or more hours takes at least one 30-minute and one 15-minute break, requires a pharmacy staffed by a single pharmacist to close for that pharmacist's 30-minute break, and requires the pharmacy to employ staff sufficient for safe practice and to give staff a way to report staffing concerns without retaliation.

Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 5, 2026: two technicians per pharmacist when none are certified, three when at least one is certified, and four when at least two are certified, with four as the hard ceiling, under rule 680-X-2-.14(5). The amendment published on September 30, 2026 takes effect November 14, 2026 and only corrects a statutory reference in paragraph (10).

Arkansas's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 5, 2026. 17 CAR 160-907 still lets each pharmacist on duty use up to four support staff, counting pharmacy technicians, licensed interns and externs together, while interns on an assigned college rotation, graduate interns, clerks, secretaries, messengers and delivery staff stay outside the count. No amendment has been filed since the rule was rewritten effective October 10, 2025, and none is pending.

California's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged as of October 5, 2026. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The Board of Pharmacy has no pending regulation on the ratio, and the Pharmacy Technician Advisory Committee created by AB 1503 has not yet met.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 5, 2026: up to 6 pharmacy technicians and interns combined per pharmacist, no more than 2 of them interns, with a certified majority required once 3 or more technicians are on duty, under C.R.S. 12-280-122(1). On October 1, 2026 the State Board of Pharmacy adopted rules letting trained technicians and interns perform final product verification on most non-controlled prescriptions under HB 26-1336; those rules do not change the ratio and take effect after state review and publication.

Georgia re-checked October 5, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 as amended by HB 382 caps on-site technicians at four per pharmacist and does not count technicians working remotely, and Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician to staff three and at least two to staff four. The Board has not published any guidance on how the 2026 intern and extern limit relates to the technician ratio.

No change to Illinois pharmacy hours or staffing law as of October 5, 2026. Illinois sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio, and under 225 ILCS 85/15.1 a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work more than 12 continuous hours a day including breaks, while a pharmacist who works 6 continuous hours or more must be allowed a 30-minute meal break and a 15-minute break, with one more 15-minute break at 12 hours. None of the laws passed by the General Assembly in 2025 and 2026 changes these limits.

No change to Louisiana's staffing rules as of October 5, 2026. One pharmacist may still supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, with no more than 2 candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B)), and anyone credentialed by the Board still needs a rest break after more than six hours of practice (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)). The Board's pending Project 2025-454, which updates Section 907's limits on sterile compounding by technician candidates but does not change the ratio, has not yet been published as a final rule; the Board expects it to take effect October 20, 2026.

Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing rules. A pharmacist may supervise up to 4 support personnel when at least two are certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns (or one of each), up to 3 when at least one is, and a pharmacist preceptor may supervise no more than two pharmacy interns at a time (247 CMR 8.06(3), 8.01(16)). Board Policy 2026-02, adopted September 3, 2026, remains the Board's current guidance on ratios, including the higher limit for pharmacies providing vaccination services. The 12-hour limit in any 24-hour period, with eight consecutive hours of rest before returning, is unchanged (247 CMR 9.01(17)).

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of October 5, 2026: under Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1 a pharmacist may supervise up to three technicians, and the pharmacy may have one more on duty when at least one technician holds a national certification. The Board of Pharmacy is discussing technician ratios, with "technician ratio solutions" on its October 7, 2026 agenda and a task force recommendation to eliminate the ratio or raise it to 1 to 6, but no rule change has been formally proposed, and the statute's limit of three would still apply to most pharmacy work unless the Legislature changed it. Minn. R. 6800.2160 is unchanged: no required shift over 12 continuous hours including breaks, and a 30-minute break for anyone working longer than six continuous hours.

North Carolina's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 5, 2026. A pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager holds written Board of Pharmacy approval for more, and any technician above two must be certified (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)); students enrolled in a Board-approved school of pharmacy are outside that limit. A pharmacy may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, and a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break and one additional 15-minute break (21 NCAC 46 .2512).

North Dakota's limit is unchanged: under N.D. Admin. Code section 61-02-07.1-04 a pharmacist may supervise no more than four pharmacy technicians in a retail or hospital pharmacy and no more than five in a closed-door pharmacy that does not deal directly with patients, pharmacy interns and other supportive personnel are not counted, and the Board of Pharmacy reports no proposed rule changes.

New Jersey's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 5, 2026. Under N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 a pharmacist may supervise up to 2 pharmacy technicians in any mix. To go above 2 there is no stated numeric ceiling, but every technician on duty must hold a qualifying credential (passing the PTCB exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved employer training program with a testing component) and the pharmacy must meet the rule's other conditions: written job descriptions and task protocols, a technician policy-and-procedure manual reviewed at least every two years, documented in-service training, and immediate personal supervision. Technicians in their first 210 days of in-service training are not counted toward the base of 2, and a pharmacist may supervise no more than 2 trainees at once. The rule has not been amended since 2013 and no change has been found pending.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Under NAC 639.250, re-read on October 5, 2026 from the Legislative Counsel Bureau's official Nevada Administrative Code, one pharmacist in a retail pharmacy may supervise up to 3 pharmacy technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians in training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25 remains unadopted: the Board's own regulation log, updated September 30, 2026, still lists it as tabled since June 4, 2026.

No change to New York's staffing limits. A pharmacist may have no more than four support people assisting at one time, no more than two of whom may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks, and pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count while still requiring pharmacist supervision (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4); 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21)). A pending Senate bill that would require a second pharmacist at high-volume pharmacies (S5625) has not advanced.

Ohio's pharmacy workload rules are unchanged as of October 5, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2 an outpatient pharmacy may not require pharmacy personnel to work more than 13 hours in a workday, must allow at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and must allow anyone working more than six continuous hours a 30-minute uninterrupted rest break. Only pharmacists may volunteer to work past 13 hours, and the pharmacy must document the extra time and the reason and keep that record for three years.

Oklahoma's limit is unchanged: a retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every licensed pharmacist under 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C) and OAC 535:15-13-5(c), pharmacy interns do not affect that ratio, and the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy lists no proposed rule changes.

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of October 5, 2026. Under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b), one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, and no more than 2 of those may be non-state-certified; staff doing only clerical work, including data entry up to the point of dispensing, are not counted. Pharmacy interns are not technicians under Section 40-43-30(48), and a pharmacist may supervise only one intern at a time. Institutional pharmacies serving facility in-patients follow a separate 1-to-3 employment ratio. The Board is working on new compounding and collaborative practice regulations, which do not change these numbers.

Tennessee's technician ratio is unchanged and was re-confirmed against the Secretary of State's official text on October 5, 2026. Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) a pharmacist may supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians, and technicians beyond that 6:1 ratio are permitted when they are certified pharmacy technicians. Paragraph (12) states that a pharmacy intern is not considered a pharmacy technician. The Board's 2026 rulemaking has concerned compounding, not the technician ratio.

No change in Texas as of October 5, 2026. One on-site pharmacist may still supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, with no more than 3 of them trainees, under Texas State Board of Pharmacy rule 22 TAC 291.32(d)(3)(A), and pharmacist-interns are still not counted in that ratio under 22 TAC 283.5(b)(5). Neither rule has been amended in the past year, and no change to either is proposed.

Virginia's limit is unchanged: under 18VAC110-20-112(A) no pharmacist may supervise more than four persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time, and Board Guidance 110-33 counts interns acting as technicians but not an intern gaining required practical-experience hours. The Board's permanent rule for remote database access and central fill pharmacies, which would allow larger numbers only in those settings, is scheduled for publication in the Virginia Register on October 19, 2026, with a public hearing on December 8, 2026.

West Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of October 5, 2026. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-7-5.3 allows no more than six pharmacy technicians and technician trainees combined for each pharmacist on duty, with pharmacy interns outside that six. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-15-8 limits a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours in a 24-hour period including breaks, with a 30-minute meal break for a shift of eight continuous hours or longer and an additional 20 minutes at twelve. A pending amendment to the permits rule concerns alternate delivery of completed prescriptions and does not change these limits.

Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is not changing. The Board of Pharmacy's certified amendment to rule 680-X-2-.14, adopted September 16, 2026 and effective November 14, 2026, changes only a statutory reference in paragraph (10). The rule still allows two technicians per pharmacist when none are certified, three when at least one is certified, and four when at least two are certified, with four as the hard ceiling, in both retail and institutional pharmacies.

California's pharmacy technician ratio is unchanged. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The Board of Pharmacy's September 17, 2026 meeting did not take up the ratio. The Pharmacy Technician Advisory Committee that AB 1503 created is still being formed: the Board has received applications but the committee has not yet met.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of September 28, 2026: up to 6 pharmacy technicians and interns combined per pharmacist, no more than 2 of them interns, with a certified majority required once 3 or more technicians are on duty, under C.R.S. 12-280-122(1) as published in the 2026 Colorado Revised Statutes. A 2026 law (HB 26-1336) added new rules on final product verification to the same section but did not change the ratio, and the State Board of Pharmacy's public hearing on its implementing rules is still set for October 1, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Mountain time.

Georgia re-checked September 28, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician on duty to staff three technicians, and at least two to staff four, even though HB 382 (Act 476) removed those tiers from O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 effective July 1, 2026; the Board is still hearing requests to waive that rule, so it remains in force. The ceiling of four on-site technicians per pharmacist is unchanged, and remote technicians still do not count toward it. Some Board FAQ answers still describe the law as it stood before 2026, so rely on the statute and the rule.

No change to Illinois pharmacy hours or staffing law as of September 28, 2026. Illinois still sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio, and under 225 ILCS 85/15.1 a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work more than 12 continuous hours a day including breaks, while a pharmacist who works 6 continuous hours or more must be allowed a 30-minute meal break plus a 15-minute break, with one more 15-minute break at 12 hours. Separately, a 2026 law (Senate Bill 3223, Public Act 104-0530) takes effect January 1, 2027 and requires every Illinois pharmacy to post a sign with a QR code near the counter and drive-up window telling patients how to sign up for FDA medication recall alerts. It does not change hours, breaks or staffing.

No change to Louisiana's staffing rules. One pharmacist may still supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, with no more than 2 candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B)), and anyone credentialed by the Board still needs a rest break after more than six hours of practice (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)). A pending Board rulemaking, Project 2025-454, updates Section 907's limits on sterile compounding by technician candidates but does not change the ratio; it had not been published as a final rule as of the September 20, 2026 Louisiana Register, and the Board now expects it to take effect October 20, 2026.

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of September 28, 2026: under Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1 a pharmacist may supervise up to three technicians, and the pharmacy as a whole may have one more on duty when at least one technician holds a valid national certification; registered pharmacist-interns do not count. In August 2026 the Board of Pharmacy placed its technician rule, Minn. R. 6800.3850, including the older 2-to-1 ratio text in subpart 6 that the statute has superseded, on a list of rules to discuss for possible future rulemaking. No rule change has been formally proposed. Minnesota's work-conditions rule, Minn. R. 6800.2160 (no required shift over 12 continuous hours including breaks, and a 30-minute break past six hours), is unchanged and is not on that list.

North Carolina's staffing rules are unchanged as of September 28, 2026. A pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager holds written approval from the Board of Pharmacy for a higher ratio (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)); the Board continues to grant such approvals case by case, including 1:6 for one pharmacy in July 2026. Students enrolled in a Board-approved school of pharmacy remain outside that limit; other registered pharmacy interns are not exempted by the statute. A pharmacy may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, and a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break and one additional 15-minute break (21 NCAC 46 .2512).

North Dakota's limit is unchanged: under N.D. Admin. Code section 61-02-07.1-04 a pharmacist may supervise no more than four pharmacy technicians in a retail or hospital pharmacy and no more than five in a closed-door pharmacy that does not deal directly with patients, and the rule states that the ratio "does not include other supportive personnel or interns". The Board of Pharmacy reports that no rule changes are being proposed at this time.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Under NAC 639.250 one pharmacist may supervise up to 3 pharmacy technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians in training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25 remains unadopted and does not appear on the Board's October 14-15, 2026 agenda. That agenda does include a general review of all Board regulations under Governor's Executive Order 2026-003, with recommendations due to the Governor by December 31, 2026; no specific change to the technician ratio has been proposed through it.

No change to New York's staffing limits. A pharmacist may still have no more than four support people assisting at one time, no more than two of whom may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks, and pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4); 8 NYCRR 29.7(a)(21)). Other New York pharmacy rules have moved this year without touching those numbers. A patient's prescription can now be transferred to another pharmacy with all remaining refills, not one refill at a time (8 NYCRR 63.6(a)(8)). Shared pharmacy services rules took effect May 22, 2026 (8 NYCRR 63.8 and 63.18) and have since been revised. The State Education Department has also proposed updating the pharmacist immunization rule (8 NYCRR 63.9) to follow a 2026 state immunization law, with permanent adoption expected in January 2027.

Ohio's pharmacy workload rules are unchanged as of September 28, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2 an outpatient pharmacy may not require pharmacy personnel to work longer than 13 hours in any workday, must allow at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and must allow anyone working longer than six continuous hours a 30-minute uninterrupted rest break. The Board of Pharmacy's own guidance says the 13-hour limit counts actual hours worked, not on-call time, and that only pharmacists may volunteer to work past 13 hours, with the overage and reason documented and kept for three years.

Oklahoma's limit is unchanged: a retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every licensed pharmacist under 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C), and no rule changes are pending before the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy. Oklahoma's rules on pharmacy interns and their preceptors are separate from the technician ratio, so check the Board's current intern and preceptor requirements directly.

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of September 28, 2026. Under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b), one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, including state-certified technicians, and no more than 2 of those may be non-state-certified; staff doing only clerical work, including data entry up to the point of dispensing, are not counted as technicians. Pharmacy interns are not technicians under Section 40-43-30(48), and a pharmacist may supervise only one intern at a time (Section 40-43-84). Institutional pharmacies serving facility in-patients follow a separate 1-to-3 employment ratio based on staff employed at the site (40-43-86(B)(4)(c)). The 2026 amendment to Section 40-43-86 renamed a state agency and did not change these numbers.

Tennessee's technician ratio is unchanged and was re-confirmed against the Secretary of State's official text on September 28, 2026. Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) a pharmacist may supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians, and technicians beyond that 6:1 ratio are permitted when they are certified pharmacy technicians. Paragraph (12) states that a pharmacy intern is not considered a pharmacy technician, so interns sit outside the count. The rule was last amended effective October 16, 2025, and that amendment did not change the ratio.

No change in Texas. One on-site pharmacist may still supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, with no more than 3 of them trainees, under Texas State Board of Pharmacy rule 22 TAC 291.32(d)(3)(A), and pharmacist-interns are still not counted in that ratio under 22 TAC 283.5(b)(5). Neither rule has been amended in the past year, and the Board's only new proposal this month concerns delivering prescriptions to a prescriber's office, not staffing.

Virginia's limit is unchanged: under 18VAC110-20-112(A) no pharmacist may supervise more than four persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time. The Board's Guidance Document 110-33, effective March 26, 2026, confirms that a pharmacy intern acting as a technician, and a technician trainee doing technician tasks, each count toward those four. Separate emergency rules that allow larger limits for remote database access and central fill pharmacies have been extended to June 14, 2027, and the Board's permanent version has not yet been published for public comment.

West Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-7-5.3 still allows no more than six pharmacy technicians and technician trainees combined for each pharmacist on duty, with pharmacy interns outside that six, and W. Va. C.S.R. 15-15-8 still limits a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours in any 24-hour period including breaks, with a 30-minute meal break for a shift of eight continuous hours or longer and a further 20 minutes at twelve. The amendment the Board filed in mid-2026 concerns alternate delivery of completed prescriptions and does not change any of those limits.

Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is not changing. The Alabama Board of Pharmacy held its public hearing on rule 680-X-2-.14 on September 16, 2026 and adopted the amendment without change, effective November 14, 2026. The amendment corrects a statutory reference and leaves every staffing number exactly as it is: two technicians per pharmacist when none are certified, three when at least one is certified, four when at least two are certified, and four remains the hard ceiling however many technicians hold certification.

Arkansas's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged. 17 CAR 160-907 still allows each pharmacist on duty up to four support staff, counting pharmacy technicians, licensed interns and externs together, and still leaves rotation interns, graduate interns, clerks, secretaries, messengers and delivery staff outside that count. No amendment has been filed since the rule was rewritten effective October 10, 2025, and no change is pending. The Board's next regular meeting is October 7-8, 2026.

California's pharmacy staffing ratio is unchanged and was re-confirmed against the official statute text on September 21, 2026. Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 effective January 1, 2026, allows 3 pharmacy technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. The Board of Pharmacy has three rulemakings open (on fee schedules, remote processing and central fill pharmacies), and none of them changes the technician ratio.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of September 21, 2026: up to 6 technicians and pharmacy interns combined per pharmacist, no more than 2 of them interns, under C.R.S. 12-280-122, with a majority-certified requirement once 3 or more technicians are on duty. The State Board of Pharmacy has now formally proposed a broad set of rule changes, published in the September 10, 2026 Colorado Register, with a public hearing on October 1, 2026. Nothing in the Board's published description of that rulemaking proposes a change to supervision limits or staffing numbers, and a pharmacy owner wanting to comment should note the October 1 hearing date.

Georgia re-checked September 21, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician on duty to staff three, and at least two to staff four, even though HB 382 (Act 476) removed those tiers from O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 effective July 1, 2026. The Board has not proposed conforming its rule and has no rules hearing on its calendar through December 2026, so keep scheduling to the certification tiers. The flat ceiling of four on-site technicians per pharmacist is unchanged, and technicians working from a remote location still do not count toward it.

No change to Illinois law. There is still no pharmacist to technician ratio in Illinois, and under 225 ILCS 85/15.1 a pharmacy still may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day including breaks, while a pharmacist who works 6 continuous hours or more must still be allowed a 30 minute uninterrupted meal break plus a 15 minute break, with one more 15 minute break at 12 hours. HB4243, the only 2026 bill that would have set on site staffing requirements for busy retail pharmacies, never got a floor vote and is now tracked as dead, so nothing new is coming for Illinois pharmacies to prepare for. Two other 2026 amendments to the Pharmacy Practice Act, on pharmacist examination scheduling and on adding a missing device to a prescription, do not change hours, breaks or staffing.

No change to Louisiana's staffing rules this week. One pharmacist may still supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, with no more than 2 technician candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, 907(A)(1) and 709(B), unchanged since September 1, 2023), and anyone credentialed by the Board still needs a rest break once they have practiced longer than six hours (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)). A Board rulemaking now in final review does amend Section 907, but only its compounding wording; the ratio sentence is untouched.

Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing rules. A pharmacist may supervise up to 4 support personnel once at least two of them are certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns, up to 3 once at least one is, and a registered pharmacist preceptor may not directly supervise more than two pharmacy interns at one time (247 CMR 8.06(3), 8.01(16)). Worth knowing if you track certifications: under 247 CMR 8.04(3)(c), a technician whose certification has lapsed is counted as a plain pharmacy technician in the ratio, so a lapse can quietly cost you a staffing slot. The 12-hour limit on practice in any 24-hour period, with eight consecutive hours of rest before returning, is also unchanged (247 CMR 9.01(17)).

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1 still allows a pharmacist to supervise up to three technicians, with one additional technician for the pharmacy as a whole when at least one technician holds a valid national certification, and registered pharmacist-interns still do not count. Minnesota's separate work-conditions rule, Minn. R. 6800.2160, is also unchanged: no pharmacy may require a pharmacist, pharmacist-intern or pharmacy technician to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a day including breaks, and anyone working more than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted break. No bill or rulemaking to change either was pending as of September 21, 2026.

North Carolina's staffing rules are unchanged. A pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager holds written approval from the Board of Pharmacy for a higher ratio, and the Board cannot approve a higher ratio unless every technician above the second is a certified pharmacy technician (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)). Students enrolled in a Board-approved school of pharmacy remain outside the ratio; other registered pharmacy interns, including graduates awaiting the NAPLEX, are not exempted by the statute. Separately, a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, and a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break plus one 15-minute break (21 NCAC 46 .2512).

North Dakota's limit is unchanged: no more than four pharmacy technicians per pharmacist in a retail or hospital pharmacy, and no more than five in a closed-door pharmacy that does not deal directly with patients, under N.D. Admin. Code section 61-02-07.1-04. The rule states that the ratio "does not include other supportive personnel or interns". The Board of Pharmacy reports that no rule changes are being proposed at this time. The Board did adopt an emergency rule effective August 5, 2026 on 7-OH and related alkaloids, which concerns drug scheduling and does not change any staffing requirement.

New Jersey's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of September 21, 2026. Under N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 a pharmacist may supervise up to 2 pharmacy technicians in any mix. To run above 2 there is no stated numeric ceiling, but every technician on duty must hold a qualifying credential (passing the PTCB exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved employer training program with a testing component) and the pharmacy must meet the rule's other conditions, including a written technician policy-and-procedure manual reviewed at least every two years. One technician on duty without a qualifying credential puts the whole crew back to 2 per pharmacist. No amendment to this rule has been filed since 2013 and nothing is pending.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Under NAC 639.250 one pharmacist may supervise up to 3 pharmacy technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians in training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25, which would raise the cap and add prescription-volume staffing minimums, remains unadopted: the Nevada Legislature's register of administrative regulations shows only a draft and a proposed version of it on file, with no adopted or approved regulation. It was tabled at the Board's June 4, 2026 hearing and has not returned to a Board agenda. The Board's next meeting is October 14-15, 2026.

No change in New York. A pharmacist may still have no more than four support people assisting at one time, and no more than two of those may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4)); pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count, and a preceptor pharmacist may supervise no more than one full-time or two part-time interns (8 NYCRR 63.2). Separately, New York's rules on shared pharmacy services changed effective May 22, 2026 (8 NYCRR 63.8 and the new 63.18), which affects registration for pharmacies participating in shared services but does not change the staffing numbers. The bill that would require a second pharmacist above 200 prescriptions in any 14-hour period, S5625, is still sitting in committee with no vote and is not law.

Ohio's pharmacy workload rules are unchanged as of September 21, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2 a pharmacy may not require pharmacy personnel to work longer than 13 hours in any workday and must allow at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and anyone working more than 6 continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted break. Only a pharmacist may volunteer to work past 13 hours, and the pharmacy must document the overage and the reason and keep it available for inspection for 3 years. Nothing on these rules is pending; their next scheduled review is May 1, 2029.

Oklahoma's limit is unchanged: a retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every one licensed pharmacist, under 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C), effective November 1, 2025, and the hospital limit is also four under Board rule OAC 535:15-5-7.2. No rule changes are pending before the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy. One caution for anyone checking this themselves: free online copies of the Board's rule 535:15-13-5 still show the old limit of two technicians, which the statute replaced.

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged as of September 21, 2026. Under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b) one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, and no more than 2 of those may be non-state-certified. State-certified technicians still count toward the 4. Institutional pharmacies serving facility in-patients follow a separate 1-to-3 employment ratio under 40-43-86(B)(4)(c). The Board is working on new compounding regulations, with a working draft dated August 18, 2026; that draft does not change staffing or supervision numbers.

Tennessee's technician ratio is unchanged. Under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) a pharmacist may supervise up to 6 non-certified pharmacy technicians, and certified technicians (CPhT) are not counted against that limit at all. Paragraph (12) of the same rule states that a pharmacy intern is not considered a pharmacy technician, so interns sit outside the count. No rulemaking to change the ratio is pending: the Board's September 24, 2026 Rules Committee meeting was cancelled, which makes October 22, 2026 the next date at which a rule change could be started.

No change in Texas. One on-site pharmacist may still supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, with no more than 3 of the 6 being trainees, under Texas State Board of Pharmacy rule 22 TAC 291.32(d)(3)(A), and pharmacist-interns are still not counted in that ratio under 22 TAC 283.5(b)(5). Nothing to change the ratio is pending before the Board, no amendment to either rule was filed in the past 12 months, and the Board's published rule review schedule does not revisit the community pharmacy chapter that contains the ratio until late 2027.

Virginia's pharmacist-to-technician limit is unchanged: under 18VAC110-20-112(A) no pharmacist may supervise more than four persons performing the duties of a pharmacy technician at one time. The Board's guidance document 110-33, "Pharmacy Interns as Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Technician Ratio", took effect on March 26, 2026 and is consistent with that limit counting the work rather than the credential: a pharmacy intern acting as a technician, and a technician trainee performing technician tasks, each occupy one of the four slots.

West Virginia's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged. W. Va. C.S.R. 15-7-5.3 still allows no more than six pharmacy technicians and technician trainees combined for each pharmacist on duty, with pharmacy interns outside that six, and W. Va. C.S.R. 15-15-8 still limits a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours in any 24-hour period including breaks, with a 30-minute meal break at eight hours and a further 20 minutes at twelve. The amendment the Board filed in mid-2026 concerns alternate delivery of completed prescriptions and does not change any of those limits.

Indiana sets no maximum shift length, no weekly hours cap, no minimum rest between shifts, no required meal or rest break and no limit on consecutive days worked for pharmacists, technicians or interns. A 2025 bill that would have capped pharmacists at 13 hours a day with 8 hours off between shifts (SB 506) was introduced on January 16, 2025, referred to committee and never advanced. Indiana does require a pharmacy to report each pharmacist's weekly hours, including hours worked at other pharmacies, on its permit application, and to keep a register of opening and closing times when it operates without a pharmacist on duty under IC 25-26-13-19.

Pennsylvania sets no maximum shift length, no limit on consecutive days, and no required rest period between shifts for pharmacy staff. Its one break rule, 49 Pa. Code § 27.11(c), permits a sole pharmacist on duty to take up to a 30-minute break while the pharmacy stays open, provided the pharmacist stays in the building and remains reachable for emergencies or counseling. It is an allowance, not an entitlement, and it does not cover pharmacy technicians. Pennsylvania also imposes no duty to keep or produce staffing schedules or hours-worked records.

Virginia's pharmacy working-conditions rules are unchanged since they took effect on August 27, 2025. Under 18VAC110-20-110(B) a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, must allow at least six hours of off-time between consecutive shifts, and must allow a 30-minute break to a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours; a pharmacist may volunteer to work longer. Under 18VAC110-20-113 a completed Staffing Requests or Concerns Form must be kept in the pharmacy for three years and produced for the board within 48 hours of request. None of the numeric hour, rest or break limits apply to pharmacy technicians or interns.

Washington sets no maximum shift length, no minimum rest between shifts, no pharmacy-specific meal or rest break and no limit on consecutive days worked for pharmacists or technicians. What it does require is that a pharmacy be "staffed sufficiently to allow appropriate supervision, operate safely and, if applicable, remain open during posted hours of operation" (WAC 246-945-410(3), amended effective August 16, 2026), and that compliance records be kept in a readily retrievable form for at least two years and be made available to the Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission on request (WAC 246-945-020). Washington pharmacy staff are covered by the state's general meal and rest break rule (WAC 296-126-092) like other employees, not by a pharmacy-specific one.

Alaska sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise; 12 AAC 52 instead requires technicians to work under pharmacist supervision, and requires the pharmacist-in-charge to be present enough to provide real supervision and control.

Alabama's pharmacy rules do not set a maximum shift length, a required break or a minimum rest period between shifts; rule 680-X-2-.28 instead permits a pharmacist to step away for up to 30 minutes and requires the pharmacy to have written policies covering that absence.

Arkansas does not limit how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, and sets no required break, minimum rest between shifts or schedule-display duty. Its only hours provision concerns pharmacy interns earning practical experience toward licensure, which may not exceed forty hours per week.

Arizona does not set a pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Its pharmacy rules (4 A.A.C. 23) limit how many staff may work in the prescription area by the pharmacy's floor space: a minimum 300 square feet allows three pharmacy personnel to work at once, with 60 additional square feet required for each additional person (R4-23-609(A)).

Not for publication: nothing found.

Not for publication: nothing found.

The District of Columbia does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. DCMR 17-9900.5 instead requires that no pharmacist supervise more technicians and trainees than he or she can safely supervise, and holds the pharmacist fully responsible for each one.

Delaware does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. It sets the opposite kind of requirement: at least one fully trained technician must be immediately available whenever the pharmacy department is open for business (24 Del. Admin. Code 2500, section 3.8).

Florida sets no maximum shift length, no required rest period between shifts and no mandatory break for pharmacy staff. Rule 64B16-27.1001(6) instead PERMITS a pharmacist to take a meal break of up to 30 minutes without the prescription department counting as closed, provided a sign is posted showing the hours during which meal breaks may be taken and a pharmacist stays on the premises.

Not for publication: nothing found.

Hawaii sets no numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise; HAR 16-95-79 instead requires the pharmacist to immediately supervise all pharmacy activities, meaning physically present. Separately, since January 1, 2026 Act 93 requires every Hawaii pharmacy technician to hold a certificate of registration from the Board of Pharmacy.

Iowa sets no maximum shift length, no required rest period between shifts and no mandatory break for pharmacy staff. Iowa's re-made pharmacy rules instead let a pharmacy keep designated staff performing delegated tasks while a pharmacist is off site for up to two hours outside institutional settings (rule 481-552.8(1)(a)), and require the pharmacy department to be closed and secured whenever the pharmacist is away from the facility (rule 481-552.3(3)).

Idaho sets no maximum shift length, no required rest period between shifts and no mandatory break for pharmacy staff. Its only staffing requirement is a general one in statute. Idaho Code 54-1730(4) requires a drug outlet to "maintain staff sufficient to operate safely and remain open during the hours posted to the public", which sets a professional-judgment standard rather than any number.

Kansas limits pharmacy technicians to four per pharmacist, and separately limits any one pharmacist to supervising no more than two technicians who have not passed an approved certification examination (K.A.R. 68-5-16). That rule was last amended effective February 7, 2020.

Kentucky does not set a pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Its technician regulation, 201 KAR 2:045, was amended effective October 22, 2025 and instead controls what a technician may do by the level of pharmacist supervision required and by whether the technician is registered or nationally certified.

Louisiana requires a rest break for anyone credentialed by the Board of Pharmacy (pharmacists, interns and pharmacy technicians) after six hours of practice (LAC 46:LIII.1107(C)); separately, a pharmacist's temporary absence from the prescription department may not exceed 30 minutes at a time or 60 minutes in a 12-hour period (LAC 46:LIII.1109).

Massachusetts limits pharmacists, pharmacy interns and pharmacy technicians alike to 12 hours of practice in any 24-hour period, and requires eight consecutive hours of rest before returning to work (247 CMR 9.01(17)); working past 12 hours is permitted only for a documented extenuating circumstance.

Maryland does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. COMAR 10.34.34.03 requires a registered pharmacy technician to perform delegated pharmacy acts under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist who is physically available onsite, without capping how many technicians a pharmacist may supervise.

Maine's pharmacy statute sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio, and the Board's technician rule (02-392 CMR ch. 7, amended effective January 1, 2025) appears to place responsibility on the pharmacy and pharmacist in charge to ensure technicians on duty can be satisfactorily supervised rather than fixing a number, a reading we are still confirming against the rule text itself.

Michigan does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. State law instead requires that technicians work under the supervision and personal charge of a pharmacist (MCL 333.17739), which is a judgment-based standard rather than a headcount.

Minnesota limits pharmacy shifts for everyone, not just pharmacists. Under Minn. R. 6800.2160 a Minnesota pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, pharmacist-intern or pharmacy technician to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a day, and that 12 hours counts the breaks. Anyone in those three roles working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute uninterrupted break, and everyone must get adequate time for a restroom within each four consecutive hours of work. The limits do not apply during an emergency that must be handled to minimise immediate health risks to patients.

Missouri does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Instead, 20 CSR 2220-2.710 requires that a Missouri-licensed pharmacist be readily and immediately available whenever technicians or intern pharmacists perform delegated tasks, and 20 CSR 2220-2.010(1)(C) requires adequate staffing to provide pharmacy services safely and accurately.

Montana requires that a pharmacist working alone take a meal or rest break of up to 30 minutes per shift, on the premises, without closing the pharmacy (ARM 24.174.411). Since December 6, 2025 a pharmacy technician may hold the pharmacy during that break but may not be left in charge for more than 30 minutes (ARM 24.174.703(10)). Montana sets no maximum shift length and no required rest period between shifts.

North Carolina limits pharmacist shifts. Under Board rule 21 NCAC 46 .2512 a pharmacy permit holder may not require a pharmacist to work longer than 12 continuous hours in a work day, and a pharmacist working longer than six continuous hours must be allowed a 30-minute meal break plus one additional 15-minute break during that time. The rule applies to pharmacists only, not to pharmacy technicians, and North Carolina sets no minimum rest between shifts and no limit on consecutive days worked.

North Dakota does not cap how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, does not require time off between shifts, does not mandate a meal or rest break, and does not limit consecutive days worked. It does require that at least one registered pharmacist be on duty and physically present whenever the prescription area is open for business, under N.D. Admin. Code section 61-02-01-13, and that the pharmacy tell the Board the names of its pharmacist-in-charge, pharmacists, interns, technicians and supportive personnel and keep that information current.

New Hampshire does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. It does set a numeric break requirement: no pharmacist may work more than 8 hours without a 30-minute rest break, and a single pharmacist may take that break without closing the pharmacy if certain conditions are met (N.H. Admin. Code Ph 703.01).

New Jersey does not limit how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, does not require time off between shifts, and does not limit consecutive days worked. Its one break rule, N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.4, does not entitle anyone to a break; it permits a sole pharmacist on duty to take restroom breaks and a 30-minute meal break while the pharmacy stays open, provided the pharmacist remains in the pharmacy and accessible for emergencies and counselling, an employee stays present, and a sign is posted.

New Mexico does not set a general pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under 16.19.22.10 NMAC the permissible ratio is determined by the pharmacist-in-charge, though the Board of Pharmacy reserves the right to impose one. A separate numeric limit applies to technicians administering vaccines.

Nevada does not cap how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, does not require time off between shifts, and does not limit consecutive days worked. It does require every pharmacy to keep a written record of which pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and technicians in training were on duty during business hours, readily retrievable and kept for two years, under NAC 639.245, and NAC 639.556 sets out how a meal or rest period is taken when only one pharmacist is on duty.

New York does not cap how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, does not require time off between shifts, does not mandate a meal or rest break, and does not limit consecutive days worked. A bill has been introduced in four consecutive legislative sessions, most recently S5625 in 2025, that would require a second licensed pharmacist whenever a pharmacy dispenses more than 200 prescriptions in any fourteen-hour period. It has never come to a vote and is not law.

Oklahoma does not limit how many hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, and sets no required break or minimum rest between shifts. It does require a pharmacy to conspicuously display a work schedule showing who is working as a technician, who is working as an auxiliary supportive person, the hours each works, and the ratio of technicians to supervising pharmacists.

Oregon does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. Oregon does, however, require pharmacies to provide sufficient personnel to prevent fatigue and to give staff real opportunities for uninterrupted rest periods and meal breaks, and a pharmacy's licence can be disciplined for failing to do so (OAR 855-041-1010).

Pennsylvania does not set a numeric limit on how many pharmacy technicians one pharmacist may supervise. State regulation instead requires that technicians work only under a pharmacist's direct and immediate personal supervision (49 Pa. Code § 27.12), which is a judgment-based standard rather than a headcount.

Rhode Island requires every pharmacy to keep enough pharmacists and technicians on duty to meet its workload and to provide adequate rest periods for staff, and to hand staffing information to the Department of Health on request, including prescription volume, hours of operation and staff schedules (216-RICR-40-15-1.6.1(E)). Rhode Island sets no maximum shift length, no fixed break length and no required rest period between shifts.

South Carolina pharmacy regulations do not set a maximum number of hours a pharmacist or technician may work, a minimum rest period between shifts, or a required meal break. The Board's Policy and Procedure #146 sets out what a pharmacy must have in place if it allows its pharmacist a 30-minute meal break, including written policies, a posted sign, the pharmacist remaining in the facility and available for emergencies, and a log of all transactions that occur while the pharmacist is on break.

South Dakota allows up to three pharmacy technicians on duty for every pharmacist on duty, and a pharmacy intern does not count toward that number (ARSD 20:51:29:19). Hospital, mail order and long-term care pharmacies are excepted and have their ratio set by the pharmacist-in-charge, subject to conditions (ARSD 20:51:29:19.02).

Tennessee Board of Pharmacy rules do not set a maximum number of hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, a minimum rest period between shifts, or a required break. The one hours rule in the Board's regulations concerns the pharmacist-in-charge: under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-03-.14 the PIC must be on duty at least 50 percent of the hours the pharmacy is in operation, and may not be required to be on duty more than an average of 40 hours per week.

Texas pharmacy rules do not set a maximum number of hours a pharmacist or pharmacy technician may work, a minimum rest period between shifts, or a required meal break. What Texas does regulate is what must happen when a pharmacist steps away: under 22 TAC 291.33(b)(3) a single pharmacist may leave the prescription department only on stated conditions, pharmacies with two or more pharmacists must stagger breaks so the department is never left uncovered, and the pharmacy must keep documentation of its pharmacists' absences.

Utah does not cap how many pharmacy technicians a pharmacist may supervise (the old one-to-three limit was repealed in 2010), but Utah Admin. Code R156-17b-601 still limits pharmacy technician trainees to one per pharmacist, or two if a licensed technician or intern is working the same shift.

Virginia limits a pharmacist to 12 continuous hours in a work day unless the pharmacist volunteers or there is an emergency, requires at least six hours off between consecutive shifts, and entitles a pharmacist working more than six continuous hours to a 30-minute break, under 18VAC110-20-110(B). A separate rule, 18VAC110-20-113, requires pharmacies to act on written staffing concerns and to keep those forms on site for three years, available to the board within 48 hours.

Vermont's pharmacy statute (26 V.S.A. chapter 36) sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio, and the Board of Pharmacy adopted a consolidated set of administrative rules effective February 1, 2026 that we are still reviewing. Separately, 26 V.S.A. § 2053 makes it unprofessional conduct to fail to provide mandated rest periods or to repeatedly fail to provide resources appropriate for a pharmacist to safely complete professional duties.

Washington does not set a fixed pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Under WAC 246-945-460 the responsible pharmacy manager decides how many technicians are on duty and must ensure the pharmacists on duty can satisfactorily supervise them; the state's previous 3-to-1 limit was removed effective September 14, 2019.

Wisconsin sets no maximum shift length, no required break, and no minimum rest period between shifts for pharmacy staff. A temporary emergency rule that would have required pharmacies to determine safe staffing levels and allow enough time to complete work (Phar 6.09) expired on July 2, 2026 and was not made permanent. What remains is Wis. Admin. Code s. Phar 10.03(23), effective June 1, 2026, which makes failure to provide competent supervision to a board-credentialed subordinate unprofessional conduct.

West Virginia limits a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician to 12 continuous hours in any 24-hour period, and that 12 hours includes the required breaks. Anyone working eight continuous hours or longer must get at least one 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, with an additional 20-minute break at 12 hours, and nobody may be required to work more than five continuous hours before being offered the meal break. The pharmacy must keep a record of its pharmacists' daily break periods. The rule is W. Va. C.S.R. 15-15-8, effective July 1, 2026.

Wyoming makes the pharmacy license holder responsible for providing a working environment with sufficient staffing to provide pharmacy services competently and safely, and with appropriate opportunities for meal breaks (Board of Pharmacy Rules ch. 2, § 5(a)(vi)). Wyoming sets no maximum shift length, no required break length and no minimum rest period between shifts.

Connecticut allows two pharmacy technicians per supervising pharmacist, and a third only when at least one of the three is a Certified Pharmacy Technician and the supervising pharmacist has not filed a written refusal to supervise three, or when the work is IV admixture, sterile products, unit dose or bulk compounding (Conn. Agencies Regs. § 20-576-36). Institutional pharmacies follow a separate rule that lets the Commission of Pharmacy grant a higher ratio on petition.

Florida no longer sets a fixed pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Effective January 2026 the Board of Pharmacy repealed the old 1:1 / 3:1 / 6:1 / 8:1 limits (rule 64B16-27.410) and replaced them with rule 64B16-27.4001, which leaves the number of technicians to the supervising pharmacist's professional judgment based on eleven listed factors, and requires any pharmacy using more than one registered technician to keep written policies defining technician scope and documented job-specific training.

Iowa does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. Iowa rescinded and re-made its pharmacy rule chapters in July 2025, and the current chapters contain no ratio. RxShift does not model an Iowa ratio because there is none to model; whether Iowa has hour, break or documentation rules RxShift could support has not yet been researched.

Idaho does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. RxShift does not model an Idaho ratio because there is none to model; whether Idaho has hour, break or documentation rules RxShift could support has not yet been researched.

Indiana law caps supervision at eight people per pharmacist: under IC 25-26-13-18.5(c) a pharmacist may not supervise more than eight pharmacy interns, pharmacy technicians, or pharmacy technicians in training at any one time, and no more than three of those eight may be technicians in training. Interns count toward the eight, and a technician's national certification does not raise the number.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy confirmed on September 16, 2026 how the condition on its 1-to-6 vaccination ratio should be read: at least three of the six support personnel must be certified pharmacy technicians or pharmacy interns taken together, and no more than two of them may be interns. A pharmacist working with two certified technicians, one intern and three other support personnel therefore meets the condition. RxShift is building this tier against the Board's own written answer rather than an interpretation, and until it ships the product continues to apply the stricter four-per-pharmacist ladder.

Mississippi allows a pharmacist to supervise no more than three pharmacy technicians at a given time, and a pharmacist who exceeds that is subject to Board disciplinary action. Support personnel used solely for clerical duties such as filing prescriptions and general record keeping do not count toward the ratio (Miss. Admin. Code tit. 30, pt. 3001, art. XL, § 4.D).

Montana does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. The Board of Pharmacy eliminated its former 1:4 ratio in 2022. RxShift does not model a Montana ratio because there is none to model; whether Montana has hour, break or documentation rules that RxShift could support has not yet been researched.

North Dakota allows no more than four pharmacy technicians per pharmacist in a retail or hospital pharmacy, and no more than five in a closed-door pharmacy that does not deal directly with patients, under N.D. Admin. Code section 61-02-07.1-04. That rule says in terms that the ratio "does not include other supportive personnel or interns", so clerks and pharmacy interns are outside the count. A technician's national certification does not raise the number, since North Dakota already requires certification to register as a technician. Telepharmacy remote sites are handled separately: the technician ratio does not apply there, and instead a pharmacist may oversee no more than four remote sites.

Nebraska lets one pharmacist supervise up to four people at a time, counting pharmacy technicians and pharmacist interns together in the same total, and requires at least one of them to be a certified pharmacy technician when all four are technicians (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 38-2866.01, as amended effective April 15, 2026).

An Oklahoma retail pharmacy may have no more than four pharmacy technicians for every one licensed pharmacist. That cap is in the statute itself, 59 O.S. Section 353.18A(C), added by Senate Bill 906 and effective November 1, 2025, and it replaced a Board rule that had allowed only two. The hospital limit is also four, under Board rule OAC 535:15-5-7.2. A pharmacy intern working in the pharmacy does not count toward the ratio, and a technician's national certification does not change the number, because Oklahoma licenses technicians by Board permit.

Rhode Island does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. RxShift does not model a Rhode Island ratio because there is none to model; whether Rhode Island has hour, break or documentation rules RxShift could support has not yet been researched.

Virginia limits a pharmacist to supervising no more than four people performing pharmacy technician duties at one time (18VAC110-20-112). The limit counts the work being done, not the badge: registered technicians, technician trainees and pharmacy interns doing technician work all count toward the same four. Certification does not raise the limit, and there is no waiver. Separate higher limits apply only to remote database access and central fill pharmacies under a Board emergency regulation effective June 16, 2025.

Wisconsin does not set a pharmacist-to-technician ratio. The Pharmacy Examining Board repealed its old cap of one intern plus four technicians per pharmacist in 2019, and the current rules (Wis. Admin. Code chs. Phar 6, 7 and 19) contain no numeric staffing limit; staffing is a matter of the pharmacist's professional judgment. As of June 1, 2026 the Board added Phar 10.03(23), which makes failure to provide competent supervision to a board-credentialed subordinate unprofessional conduct.

West Virginia allows no more than six pharmacy technicians and pharmacy technician trainees combined for each pharmacist on duty, under W. Va. C.S.R. § 15-7-5.3. Pharmacy interns do not count toward that six, and a technician's national certification does not raise it. The rule also gives the pharmacist-in-charge final approval of the ratio actually worked, and says that decisions overriding the pharmacist-in-charge may be grounds for disciplinary action against the pharmacy permit. This version of the rule took effect July 1, 2026, and the six was carried forward unchanged from the previous version.

Wyoming does not set a numeric pharmacist-to-technician ratio. RxShift does not model a Wyoming ratio because there is none to model; whether Wyoming has hour, break or documentation rules RxShift could support has not yet been researched.

Pharmacy interns do not count against Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ratio: Ala. Admin. Code r. 680-X-2-.14(5) counts technicians only. A separate rule, r. 680-X-2-.16(7), limits a preceptor to three interns or externs at any one time.

Pharmacy interns do not count against California's pharmacist-to-technician ratio: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code 4115(g)(1) counts pharmacy technicians (4038), and an intern pharmacist holds a different licence. A separate section, 4114, limits a pharmacist to two intern pharmacists at any one time.

Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacist-to-technician ratio. The Board adopted a new policy on September 3, 2026 restating it: 2 support staff per pharmacist, 3 once at least one is a certified technician or pharmacy intern, and 4 once at least two are. The new policy also confirms a separate limit RxShift does not yet apply, that a pharmacist preceptor may directly supervise no more than two pharmacy interns at a time in a pharmacy, and describes a higher 1-to-6 allowance for pharmacies providing vaccination services. Both are under review before any change is made.

In Minnesota, a registered pharmacist-intern does not count toward the pharmacist-to-technician ratio, including a graduate intern who has finished the 1,600 internship hours and is waiting to sit the licensing exams. Minn. Stat. 151.01, subd. 15a defines a pharmacy technician as a person "not licensed as a pharmacist or registered as a pharmacist intern," and Minn. R. 6800.5300 keeps an intern's registration in effect until they are licensed as a pharmacist. Minn. R. 6800.3850, subp. 7 says the same thing for interns submitting hours toward the 1,600-hour requirement.

Pharmacy interns do not count against New Jersey's pharmacist-to-technician ratio: N.J.A.C. 13:39-1.2 excludes interns and externs from the definition of a pharmacy technician, and 13:39-6.15(d) counts technicians. A separate rule, 13:39-2.6, limits an intern preceptor to one pharmacy intern at a time.

Ohio's 13-hour limit on a pharmacy workday (OAC 4729:5-5-02.2) is measured in actual hours worked, not scheduled hours. The Board's own Outpatient Pharmacy Minimum Standards FAQ states that the rule references "hours worked," that the limit applies only to hours actually worked in the pharmacy or engaged in the practice of pharmacy, and that it does not reach time a pharmacist is merely on call. Note the separate wrinkle: where a solo pharmacist stays on the premises and remains available for emergencies during the required 30-minute break, that time is not duty-free and a pharmacy should think carefully before excluding it from the 13 hours. Verified September 15, 2026; the rule is unchanged since May 1, 2024 and its next scheduled review is May 1, 2029.

Pharmacy interns do not count against South Carolina's pharmacist-to-technician ratio: S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-30(48) defines a technician as an individual other than an intern or extern, and 40-43-86(B)(4) counts technicians. A separate section, 40-43-84, limits a pharmacist to one intern at a time.

Alabama's pharmacy technician ratio has not changed. Board rule 680-X-2-.14(5) still allows two technicians per pharmacist when none are certified, three when at least one is certified, and four when at least two are certified, and four remains the hard ceiling however many technicians hold certification. The Alabama Board of Pharmacy has now published the agenda for its September 16, 2026 meeting, and the public hearing on this rule is on it. The proposed change corrects a statutory reference and leaves every staffing number as it is. Written comments were due to the Board by the end of business on September 15, 2026.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged. Under NAC 639.250 one pharmacist may supervise up to 3 pharmaceutical technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians in training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25, which would raise the cap and add prescription-volume staffing minimums, was tabled at the Board's June 4, 2026 hearing and has not been adopted. The Board's newly published minutes of its July 2026 meeting confirm the proposal was not taken up again in July, and it was not on the September agenda either. The Board's next scheduled meetings are October 14-15 and December 2-3, 2026.

Arkansas allows each pharmacist on duty up to four support staff under 17 CAR 160-907, and since October 10, 2025 that four counts licensed interns and externs alongside pharmacy technicians rather than technicians alone. The separate hospital and ambulatory care ratio was removed at the same time, so one rule now covers every permitted pharmacy. Interns working an assigned college rotation, graduate interns, and clerks, secretaries, messengers and delivery staff are still outside the count.

Louisiana allows one pharmacist to supervise up to 4 support people at a time, counting certified pharmacy technicians, technician candidates and pharmacy interns together, and no more than 2 of those may be technician candidates (La. Admin. Code tit. 46, Pt LIII, §907 and §709). Interns on rotation with a board-approved college of pharmacy are separately limited to 3 per pharmacist.

Minnesota's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged: under Minn. Stat. 151.102, subd. 1, one pharmacist may supervise up to three technicians, and a pharmacy may exceed that by one additional technician at any given time if at least one technician in the pharmacy holds a valid national certification. Two 2026 bills that would have repealed the ratio, SF 5234 and HF 4966, died in committee when the Legislature adjourned on May 18, 2026.

In Texas, one on-site pharmacist may supervise up to 6 pharmacy technicians and technician trainees, and no more than 3 of them may be trainees, under Texas State Board of Pharmacy rule 22 TAC 291.32(d)(3)(A). Pharmacist-interns do not count toward that limit. The rule is unchanged since December 2020, apart from a May 28, 2025 amendment that exempts central fill pharmacies with no patient contact, and no change to the ratio is pending before the Board.

Alabama's pharmacy technician ratio has not changed. Board rule 680-X-2-.14(5) still lets a pharmacist supervise two technicians when none are certified, three when at least one is certified, and four when at least two are certified, and four remains the hard ceiling however many technicians hold certification. The current version of the rule took effect April 13, 2026. A change the Board proposed in July goes to a public hearing on September 16, 2026, but it only corrects a statutory reference and leaves every staffing number as it is.

California's pharmacy staffing ratio is unchanged and was re-confirmed against the official statute text on September 7, 2026: Business and Professions Code 4115, as amended by AB 1503 (effective January 1, 2026), allows 3 technicians for the first pharmacist on duty plus 3 more for each additional pharmacist. Separately, the Board's rule on which technician certification programs it approves (16 CCR 1793.65) took effect July 8, 2026; it does not change the ratio.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of September 7, 2026: up to 6 technicians and pharmacy interns combined per pharmacist, no more than 2 of them interns, under C.R.S. 12-280-122, with a majority-certified requirement once 3 or more technicians are on duty. The State Board of Pharmacy still has not published a formal proposed rule implementing HB26-1336's final product verification provisions; the next Colorado Register issue is due September 10, 2026 and the Board's statutory deadline is December 31, 2026.

Georgia re-checked September 7, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician on duty to staff three, and at least two to staff four, even though HB 382 (Act 476) removed those tiers from O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 effective July 1, 2026. The Board has not proposed conforming its rule and has no rule hearing on its calendar, so keep scheduling to the certification tiers. The flat ceiling of four on-site technicians per pharmacist is unchanged, and technicians working from a remote location still do not count toward it.

No change in Illinois. There is still no pharmacist to technician ratio in Illinois law. Under 225 ILCS 85/15.1 a pharmacy still may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day including breaks, and a pharmacist who works 6 continuous hours or more must still be allowed a 30 minute uninterrupted meal break plus a 15 minute break, with one more 15 minute break at 12 hours. The pharmacy may stay open during that break if the pharmacist stays on the premises and available. The separate requirement to keep a record of pharmacists' daily break periods remains repealed, effective January 1, 2024.

Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing ratio. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. Separately, 247 CMR 8.01(16) limits a pharmacist preceptor to directly supervising two pharmacy interns at one time, and a Board policy adopted September 5, 2024 appears to allow more than two in defined circumstances, so a pharmacy training several interns at once should read that policy before relying on the two-intern figure.

North Carolina's staffing rule is unchanged. A pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager has written approval from the Board of Pharmacy, and by statute the Board cannot approve a higher ratio unless every technician above the second is a certified pharmacy technician (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)). Board staff can approve 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5; 1:6 and above goes to the full Board, which must answer within 60 days. Pharmacy students in a Board-approved school are outside the ratio, and health care facility pharmacies keep their separate allowance for qualified Validating Technicians under 21 NCAC 46 .1418.

New Jersey's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged. Under N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 a pharmacist may supervise up to 2 pharmacy technicians in any mix. To run above 2 there is no stated numeric ceiling, but every technician on duty must hold a qualifying credential (passing the PTCB exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved employer training program with a testing component) and the pharmacy must meet the rule's other conditions, including a written technician policy-and-procedure manual reviewed at least every two years. One technician on duty without a qualifying credential puts the whole crew back to 2 per pharmacist.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged: under NAC 639.250 one pharmacist may supervise up to 3 pharmaceutical technicians, or 1 technician plus 2 technicians-in-training, at one time. Proposed rule R072-25, which would raise the cap to 4 technicians and add prescription-volume staffing minimums, was tabled at the Board's June 4, 2026 hearing, was not on the September 2-3, 2026 agenda, and has not been adopted or approved by the Legislative Commission. The Board's next scheduled meetings are October 14-15 and December 2-3, 2026.

No change in New York. A pharmacist may still have no more than four support people helping at one time, and no more than two of those may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4)). Pharmacy interns remain exempt from that count, and the State Education Department rules updated on April 29, 2026 to let registered pharmacy technicians work in any registered pharmacy are unchanged and in force. A separate rule at 8 NYCRR 63.2 limits a preceptor pharmacist to one full-time intern or two part-time interns and allows one intern for each 5,000 prescriptions the pharmacy dispenses a year.

Ohio's pharmacy staffing rules are unchanged as of September 7, 2026. Ohio sets no pharmacist-to-technician ratio. What it does set, under OAC 4729:5-5-02.2, is a 13-hour limit on any single workday, at least 8 hours off between consecutive shifts, and a 30-minute uninterrupted break for anyone working more than 6 continuous hours. Only a pharmacist may volunteer to work past 13 hours, and the pharmacy must document the overage and the reason and keep it available for inspection for at least 3 years. No amendment to these rules is pending; their next scheduled review is May 1, 2029.

South Carolina's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged. Under S.C. Code Ann. 40-43-86(B)(4)(b) one pharmacist may supervise at most 4 pharmacy technicians at a time in a community or retail pharmacy, and no more than 2 of those may be non-state-certified. State-certified technicians still count toward the 4. Institutional pharmacies serving facility in-patients follow a separate 1-to-3 employment ratio under 40-43-86(B)(4)(c), with day-to-day supervision set by the pharmacist-in-charge.

Tennessee's technician ratio is unchanged, re-confirmed against the rule text on September 7, 2026: under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1140-02-.02(7)(a) a pharmacist may supervise up to 6 non-certified technicians, and certified technicians (CPhT) are not counted against that limit at all. No rulemaking to change it is pending; the Board's next rules committee meeting is October 22, 2026 after the September 24 meeting was cancelled.

Alabama's pharmacy technician ratio has not changed. Under Board rule 680-X-2-.14(5) a pharmacist may supervise two technicians with none certified, three with at least one certified, and four with at least two certified, and four remains the hard ceiling no matter how many technicians are certified. A rule change the Board proposed in July is scheduled for a hearing on September 16, 2026, but it only corrects a statutory reference and leaves the staffing numbers untouched.

Massachusetts has not changed its pharmacy staffing ratio. Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. A separate Board policy adopted September 5, 2024 says the Board will not enforce those ratios at pharmacies providing vaccination services, so long as the pharmacist supervises no more than six support staff and at least three of them are licensed interns or certified technicians.

Illinois does not set a pharmacist to technician ratio. It limits the shift instead: under 225 ILCS 85/15.1 a pharmacy may not require a pharmacist, student pharmacist or pharmacy technician to work more than 12 continuous hours in a day including breaks, and a pharmacist who works 6 continuous hours or more must be allowed a 30 minute uninterrupted meal break plus a 15 minute break, with one more 15 minute break at 12 hours. Two points are often reported incorrectly: the break entitlement in subsection (b) covers pharmacists only, and the separate requirement that a pharmacy keep a record of its pharmacists' daily break periods was repealed effective January 1, 2024.

In Nevada the pharmacist-to-technician limit in NAC 639.250 counts registered pharmaceutical technicians and technicians in training only, and a pharmacy intern is a separate registration under NRS 639.137, so an intern working under an intern certificate does not take up one of those three slots; the intern would only count if that same person is also registered as a pharmaceutical technician and is working in that role. Nevada sets no numeric limit on how many interns one pharmacist may supervise. Separately, effective July 1, 2026 the Board lowered the minimum age to register as a pharmaceutical technician in training from 18 to 16 and now accepts current enrollment in high school instead of a diploma (NAC 639.242, as amended by LCB File No. R010-26).

In New York a pharmacist may have no more than four support people helping at one time, and no more than two of those may be registered pharmacy technicians performing licensed technician tasks (N.Y. Education Law 6841(4)). Pharmacy interns do not count toward that limit. As of November 21, 2025 registered pharmacy technicians may work in any registered pharmacy, not just hospital pharmacies, and the State Education Department's rules were permanently updated to match on April 29, 2026.

Colorado's pharmacist-to-technician ratio is unchanged as of September 3, 2026: up to 6 technicians and pharmacy interns combined per pharmacist (no more than 2 interns) under C.R.S. 12-280-122, with a majority-certified requirement once 3 or more technicians are on duty. The State Board of Pharmacy has started early stakeholder work on rules implementing HB26-1336's final product verification provisions but has not yet published a formal proposed rule; its statutory deadline is December 31, 2026.

Georgia re-checked September 3, 2026 with no change for pharmacies. Board of Pharmacy rule 480-15-.03(e) still requires at least one certified technician on duty to staff three, and at least two to staff four, even though HB 382 (Act 476) removed those tiers from O.C.G.A. 26-4-82 effective July 1, 2026. The Board has not proposed conforming its rule, so keep scheduling to the certification tiers. If you are considering applying for a higher technician ratio as a closed-door pharmacy, note that at its June 24, 2026 meeting the Board held that allowing any patient to pick up a prescription disqualifies a pharmacy from closed-door status, however rare the pick-up, and that it intends to send future requests to GDNA for an inspection first.

In both Alabama and Massachusetts the technician ceiling is written per pharmacist, and when more than one pharmacist is on duty the staffing limits add up across the prescription area rather than locking specific technicians to a specific pharmacist (Ala. Admin. Code r. 680-X-2-.14(5); 247 CMR 8.06(3)). Massachusetts treats pharmacy interns differently: an intern works under an assigned Board-approved preceptor, and 247 CMR 8.01(16) says a preceptor may not directly supervise more than two interns at one time, so interns cannot simply be pooled the way technicians are.

Under 247 CMR 8.06(3), a Massachusetts pharmacist needs at least one certified pharmacy technician or pharmacy intern among the support staff to have a 3rd, and at least two to have a 4th. The regulation states no condition for one or two support staff. A separate Board policy allows up to 6 support staff only when providing vaccinations. The Board has disciplined pharmacies for exceeding these limits, including a pharmacy found in a 2013 inspection operating at 1 pharmacist to 6 support staff, 50% over the 4-person ceiling, which was placed on three-year probation (License No. DS3349).

In North Carolina a pharmacist may supervise no more than two pharmacy technicians unless the pharmacist-manager has written approval from the Board of Pharmacy, and by statute the Board cannot approve a higher ratio unless every technician above the second is a certified pharmacy technician (N.C. Gen. Stat. 90-85.15A(c)). Board staff can approve 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5; anything at 1:6 or above goes to the full Board, and the Board has 60 days to approve, approve as amended, or explain a denial. Hospital and other health care facility pharmacies have a separate standing allowance for qualified "Validating Technicians" under 21 NCAC 46 .1418, which was broadened effective May 1, 2026.

New Jersey's pharmacy staffing rule is unchanged. Under N.J.A.C. 13:39-6.15 a pharmacist may supervise up to 2 pharmacy technicians in any mix. To run above 2 there is no stated numeric ceiling, but every technician on duty must hold a qualifying credential (passing the PTCB exam, a Board-approved certification program, or a Board-approved employer training program with a testing component) and the pharmacy must meet the rule's other conditions, including a written technician policy-and-procedure manual reviewed at least every two years.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio remains 1 pharmacist to 3 technicians (or 1 technician plus 2 technicians-in-training) under NAC 639.250. Proposed rule R072-25 -- which would raise the cap to 4 technicians and add volume-based staffing minimums -- was tabled by the Board in June and was not taken up at the Board's September 2026 meeting. It has not been adopted.

Alabama's pharmacist-to-technician ceiling is unchanged: 2 technicians per pharmacist with none certified, 3 with one certified, 4 with two certified (a hard ceiling of 4). A Board rulemaking open this fall only corrects a statutory cross-reference in the rule and does not change these staffing numbers; its public hearing is set for September 16, 2026.

California's pharmacy staffing ratio is unchanged: under Business & Professions Code 4115 (as amended by AB 1503, effective January 1, 2026) one pharmacist may oversee up to 3 technicians, with 3 more allowed for each additional pharmacist on duty.

Nevada's pharmacist-to-technician ratio remains 1 pharmacist to 3 technicians (or 1 technician plus 2 technicians-in-training) under NAC 639.250. Proposed staffing rule R072-25 remains a proposal and has not been adopted.