AEDs: state laws and maintenance (US)
A list of checks and obligations with their cadence, ready to add to your agenda.
For anyone who keeps an automated external defibrillator at a US site: no federal law requires you to have one, so the kit starts by asking which state law applies and then carries the only two rules read on primary sources — the California 30-day readiness check and the New York public access defibrillation provider duties. Then come the deadlines that run anyway, battery and pads, which the manufacturer sets model by model and which expire even if the AED is never used. It closes with battery disposal, which is federal universal waste.
Questions about this product?
Ask what is in the manuals, how often the maintenance is due and what it takes to do it.
What it already has at hand
- No manual on this page
- 8 planned checks, the most frequent every month since the last inspection
Planned checks
Informative summary verified on 12/09/2026. It does not replace legal advice: the regulation cited prevails. If you spot an error, report it.
Some checks are only mandatory in certain countries: pick yours and the list follows.
In Italy this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In France this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Germany this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Switzerland this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Austria this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In United Kingdom this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Spain this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
In Portugal this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
- 01
California: AED readiness check every 30 days
In California a health studio that keeps an AED must have it checked after each use and in any case at least once every 30 days if it has not been used in the preceding thirty days: the status indicator, the battery charge, the pad expiry and the kit contents are verified and the outcome is recorded. The duty falls on the health studio operator; the check is done by designated, trained staff — no technician is required. This rule is Californian: in another state it may not exist or may run on a different cadence, and must be looked up before being applied.
every month since the last inspectionLegal obligationCal. Health & Safety Code §104113United States onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 02
Battery replacement as the manufacturer specifies
An AED battery typically lasts two to five years, and on some models up to seven: the date that matters is not that range but the one printed on the battery or given in the instructions for the model, and heavy use or storage temperature can shorten it. The reminder is set to twenty-four months as a cautious default — if you know the real expiry, use it instead. The device owner is responsible; designated staff do the swap following the manual.
every 24 months since the last jobRecommendedUnited States only - 03
Check which state law applies to the site
No federal law in the US requires you to have an AED: the duties — registration, staff training, maintenance, signage, notice to the emergency system — come from the law of the state where the site is, and sometimes from a municipal ordinance or a sector rule (schools, gyms, youth sports). The person responsible is the site operator, working with the safety manager and, where needed, local counsel. The check repeats every year because this is the area of state law that moves most often; this kit does not carry a fifty-state map, only the two examples read on primary sources, California and New York.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsCompany ruleUnited States only - 04
Battery end of life: handle it as universal waste
What triggers this rule is a battery swap or the retirement of the AED. At federal level batteries fall in the universal waste category: no hazardous waste manifest is needed, but the container must be labelled, accumulation time is limited, and the batteries must go to an authorised destination facility or recycler, with a receipt. The party responsible is whoever discards them, as the handler. States may apply stricter rules than the federal baseline — check your state programme before shipping.
continuous checkLegal obligation40 CFR part 273 (universal waste, categoria "battery"); 40 CFR 273.2United States onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 05
New York: trained responders available while the site is open
The PAD provider designates and trains at least one person in the use of the AED and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and keeps that person available during the hours the programme says it covers; every use of the device must be reported to the emergency system. The duty is the operator’s; training comes from a recognised body, and it is that body — typically on a two-year cycle — not state law, that sets how long the certificate lasts. Reviewing the roster and the expiry dates once a year is the housekeeping that holds the rest together.
continuous check, confirm every 12 monthsLegal obligationN.Y. Public Health Law §3000-bUnited States onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026 - 06
Status indicator check as the manufacturer directs
Every AED runs its own self-test — daily, weekly or monthly depending on the model — and shows the result on a status indicator: whoever looks after the unit checks it at the frequency the manufacturer sets in the instructions for use and reacts at once to an alarm. This is not a statutory cadence, and outside the states that fix one (California, every thirty days) it stays a recommendation: the reference is the manual of the installed model, which is worth attaching here.
continuous check, confirm every 1 monthsRecommendedUnited States only - 07
Pad replacement and the paediatric set
Single-use pads carry an expiry date printed on the pouch, typically two years, and must be replaced after any use, even if the defibrillator never delivered a shock. Where children may be treated, the paediatric set or the model’s dedicated mode is needed, with its own expiry to watch. This cadence comes from the manufacturer, not from a statute: the date on the pouch always beats the twenty-four-month reminder.
every 24 months since the last jobRecommendedUnited States only - 08
New York: registering as a public access defibrillation provider
In New York State, anyone who chooses to keep an AED becomes a public access defibrillation provider and takes on three standing duties: registering with the department through the regional emergency medical services system, holding a collaborative agreement with an emergency health care provider who approves the programme, and maintaining the device as the manufacturer directs. §3000-b governs those who equip themselves voluntarily; it does not order any class of business to own an AED — a sector-specific mandate, if it exists, lives in another state statute.
continuous checkLegal obligationN.Y. Public Health Law §3000-bUnited States onlySourceverified on 12/09/2026
In Other country this product has no planned checks: the ones listed apply to other countries.
Something not right on this page?
Help us keep it accurate: every report is read by a person.