§FMCSR.com
Historical textIn force on Oct. 1, 2011Source: annual CFR editions 2010–2011

§ 40.87 What are the cutoff concentrations for drug tests?

Wording in the annual edition revised as of Oct. 1, 2010, superseded by the 2012 annual edition.

govinfo, 2011 edition ↗
Before Jan. 1, 2017 the record is one snapshot per annual CFR edition, revised as of October 1. This is the 2011 edition's wording. An amendment that took effect between Oct. 1, 2011 and Oct. 1, 2011 would not appear until the next edition, so check the citations below and the Federal Register for exact effective dates.
49 CFR § 40.87 — What are the cutoff concentrations for drug tests?. Text in force on October 1, 2011. This wording effective October 1, 2010 to October 1, 2012. Source: govinfo, 2011 edition, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2011-title49-vol1/CFR-2011-title49-vol1-sec40-87. Retrieved from FMCSR.com, https://fmcsr.com/reg/40.87?asof=2011-10-01, on October 26, 2026. Unofficial compilation; verify against the official source.

(a) As a laboratory, you must use the cutoff concentrations displayed in the following table for initial and confirmatory drug tests. All cutoff concentrations are expressed in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). The table follows:

Initial test analyteInitial test cutoff concentrationConfirmatory test analyteConfirmatory test cutoff concentration
Marijuana metabolites50 ng/mLTHCA 1 15 ng/mL.
Cocaine metabolites150 ng/mLBenzoylecgonine100 ng/mL.
Opiate metabolites
Codeine/Morphine2 2000 ng/mLCodeine2000 ng/mL.
Morphine2000 ng/mL.
6-Acetylmorphine10 ng/mL6-Acetylmorphine10 ng/mL.
Phencyclidine25 ng/mLPhencyclidine25 ng/mL.
Amphetamines3
AMP/MAMP 4 500 ng/mLAmphetamine250 ng/mL.
Methamphetamine5 250 ng/mL.
MDMA 6 500 ng/mLMDMA250 ng/mL.
MDA7 250 ng/mL.
MDEA8 250 ng/mL

1 Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THCA).

2 Morphine is the target analyte for codeine/morphine testing.

3 Either a single initial test kit or multiple initial test kits may be used provided the single test kit detects each target analyte independently at the specified cutoff.

4 Methamphetamine is the target analyte for amphetamine/methamphetamine testing.

5 To be reported positive for methamphetamine, a specimen must also contain amphetamine at a concentration equal to or greater than 100 ng/mL.

6 Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).

7 Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA).

8 Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA).

(b) On an initial drug test, you must report a result below the cutoff concentration as negative. If the result is at or above the cutoff concentration, you must conduct a confirmation test.

(c) On a confirmation drug test, you must report a result below the cutoff concentration as negative and a result at or above the cutoff concentration as confirmed positive.

(d) You must report quantitative values for morphine or codeine at 15,000 ng/mL or above.

(e) On a 6-AM confirmed positive result:

(1) When a 6-AM confirmed positive result is reported and morphine for that specimen is not reported at or above the 2000 per ng/mL confirmed positive cutoff, you must confer with the MRO to determine if there was confirmed morphine below 2000 ng/mL.

(2) If morphine was not confirmed below 2000 ng/mL, you and the MRO must determine whether further testing is needed to quantify the amount of morphine concentration present.

(3) If you find no detectable morphine at LOD upon further testing, you must report that fact to ODAPC immediately.

[65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010]

Amendment history

7 distinct wordings on file since Oct. 1, 2001
  1. June 1, 2023 → presenteCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 69 FR 64867, Nov. 9, 2004. Redesignated and amended at 88 FR 27643, May 2, 2023]
  2. May 2, 2023 → June 1, 2023eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012; 82 FR 52244, Nov. 13, 2017]
  3. Jan. 1, 2018 → May 2, 2023eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012; 82 FR 52244, Nov. 13, 2017]
  4. Nov. 13, 2017 → Jan. 1, 2018eCFR, day-precisediff vs. previous
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012]
  5. Oct. 1, 2012 → Nov. 13, 2017annual editions 2012–2016diff vs. previous
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012]
  6. Oct. 1, 2010 → Oct. 1, 2012annual editions 2010–2011diff vs. previousviewing
    [65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010]
  7. Oct. 1, 2001 → Oct. 1, 2010annual editions 2001–2009

A new entry appears whenever the regulatory words change between government snapshots. Day-precise from the eCFR (2017 onward); before that, one snapshot per annual CFR edition (revised as of October 1). Bracketed citations are the Federal Register history printed with the section.