§FMCSR.com
Historical textIn force on Sept. 30, 2016Source: annual CFR editions 2012–2016

§ 40.87 What are the cutoff concentrations for drug tests?

Wording in the annual edition revised as of Oct. 1, 2012, superseded November 13, 2017.

govinfo, 2015 edition ↗
Before Jan. 1, 2017 the record is one snapshot per annual CFR edition, revised as of October 1. This is the 2015 edition's wording. An amendment that took effect between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016 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 September 30, 2016. This wording effective October 1, 2012 to November 13, 2017. Source: govinfo, 2015 edition, https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2015-title49-vol1/CFR-2015-title49-vol1-sec40-87. Retrieved from FMCSR.com, https://fmcsr.com/reg/40.87?asof=2016-09-30, 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 analyte Initial test cutoff concentration Confirmatory test analyte Confirmatory test cutoff concentration
Marijuana metabolites50 ng/mLTHCA 115 ng/mL.
Cocaine metabolites150 ng/mLBenzoylecgonine100 ng/mL.
Opiate metabolites
Codeine/Morphine 22000 ng/mLCodeine2000 ng/mL.
Morphine2000 ng/mL.
6-Acetylmorphine10 ng/mL6-Acetylmorphine10 ng/mL.
Phencyclidine25 ng/mLPhencyclidine25 ng/mL.
Amphetamines 3
AMP/MAMP 4500 ng/mLAmphetamine250 ng/mL.
Methamphetamine 5250 ng/mL.
MDMA 6500 ng/mLMDMA250 ng/mL.
MDA 7250 ng/mL.
MDEA 8250 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.

[65 FR 79526, Dec. 19, 2000, as amended at 75 FR 49862, Aug. 16, 2010; 77 FR 26473, May 4, 2012]

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. previousviewing
    [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. previous
    [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.