What schedule is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance under US federal law and a Class A drug in the United Kingdom. On the DEA list its Controlled Substances Code Number is 9801, and the narcotic column says Y. Its status is Schedule II on the DEA list and Class A, Schedule 2 on the Home Office list.

What is fentanyl, medically?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid. The DEA fact sheet says it was introduced into medical practice as an intravenous anesthetic under the trade name Sublimaze in the 1960s. Brand names on the DEA list include Duragesic, Actiq, Oralet, Sublimaze and Innovar.

The reference label used on this site is Fentanyl Citrate Injection from Hospira, published on DailyMed on August 25, 2026. Its Indications section lists short-acting pain relief during anesthesia, premedication and the recovery period, and use as an opioid supplement in general or regional anesthesia. Section 12.1 says fentanyl is an opioid agonist. That is the label's own class, and it answers the common question is fentanyl an opioid: yes. For the wider category, see what is an opioid.

The DEA adds that prescription fentanyl is used to manage moderate to severe pain or as a component of anesthesia in surgeries, and that pharmaceutical products come in several forms, including injections and transdermal patches.

What schedule is fentanyl in the United States?

Fentanyl sits in Schedule II, listed at 21 CFR 1308.12(c)(9) with code 9801. The DEA fact sheet states the same under its Control Status heading. Section 9.1 of the Hospira label agrees: it says the product contains fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Under 21 U.S.C. 812(b), a Schedule II placement requires findings of a high potential for abuse, a currently accepted medical use in the United States (or one accepted with severe restrictions), and that abuse may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. All schedules are laid out on the drug schedules page. In practice the schedule shows up in prescription rules. Under 21 CFR 1306.12(a), the refilling of a Schedule II prescription is prohibited. A new prescription is needed each time. The same section lets a practitioner issue multiple prescriptions covering up to a 90-day supply, if a list of conditions is met, including that state law allows it. Section 1306.11 sets out the prescription requirement for Schedule II drugs, with a narrow emergency exception for oral authorization.

Because the DEA list marks fentanyl as a narcotic (Y), it counts as a narcotic in the legal sense used by US drug law. That legal meaning is covered in what is a narcotic.

Is fentanyl carbamate the same?

No. The DEA list has a second fentanyl row for fentanyl carbamate, code 9851, in Schedule I with the narcotic flag Y. The eCFR Schedule I list (21 CFR 1308.11(b)(45)) names it as its own substance. Under 21 U.S.C. 812(b), a Schedule I placement requires a finding of no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States. Pharmaceutical fentanyl, which has one, stays in Schedule II.

What did the HALT Fentanyl Act change?

Public Law 119-26, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, is dated July 16, 2025. Section 2 amends the Controlled Substances Act to add a class listing to Schedule I for any substance "structurally related to fentanyl" by listed chemical modifications, with a fentanyl-related substance defined by the statute itself. The text excludes substances already controlled by the Attorney General or listed in another schedule. Fentanyl itself stays in Schedule II on the DEA list (code 9801), and the class of fentanyl-related substances is listed in Schedule I. The Act also contains registration provisions for Schedule I research, which this page does not cover.

Pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly made fentanyl

The two are discussed separately by public health agencies. The DEA fact sheet says:

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl has increasingly infiltrated the United States illicit opioid supply and has been implicated in an unprecedented number of fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses.

NIDA says on its fentanyl page:

Although it is approved as a prescription pain medicine, most of the fentanyl contributing to the current overdose crisis is made illegally.

This site does not describe illicit products. If you or someone near you may be in an opioid overdose, NIDA says to call 911 and use naloxone if it is available. Poison Help in the US is 1-800-222-1222, and 988 is the US number for a mental health crisis.

What does the Hospira label say about abuse and dependence?

Section 9.2 of the Hospira label says fentanyl is a substance with high potential for misuse and abuse, which can lead to substance use disorder, including addiction. It also warns that misuse and abuse increase the risk of overdose, and that the risk rises with alcohol or other CNS depressants. Section 9.3 states that tolerance and physical dependence can develop during opioid therapy, and that a withdrawal syndrome may follow abrupt discontinuation in a physically dependent patient. The boxed warning opens with risks of addiction, abuse and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death. Anyone with questions about their own treatment should ask the prescriber or pharmacist.

What is fentanyl's status in the UK?

The Home Office list of most commonly encountered controlled drugs (updated April 1, 2025) shows fentanyl as Class A under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and Schedule 2 under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001. The classes are explained on UK drug classes. The Home Office list is not exhaustive, so the legislation itself is the final reference.

Related pages

• What is an opioid?
• What is a narcotic?
• Is tramadol a controlled substance?
• What schedule is Suboxone?
• DEA drug schedules I to V

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