Licensing & Credentialing
DEA Form 224
The DEA application a retail pharmacy uses to register to dispense controlled substances. The resulting registration must be renewed every three years.
In depth
Under the Controlled Substances Act (21 USC 822; implementing rules at 21 CFR Part 1301), a pharmacy that dispenses controlled substances must hold a DEA registration, obtained via Form 224 and renewed with Form 224a. The registration is location-specific, must reflect the correct schedules, and underpins recordkeeping duties such as biennial inventories, accurate Schedule II ordering (historically DEA Form 222 / now CSOS), and secure storage. Lapsed or mismatched registrations are a common inspection finding.