What leak rates trigger a repair?

20% for commercial refrigeration, 30% for industrial process refrigeration, and 10% for comfort cooling, refrigerated transport, and other appliances (§84.106(c)(2)).

What verification tests are required after a repair?

An initial verification test within the 30/120-day repair window, and a follow-up verification test within 10 days of a successful initial test (§84.106(e)).

Can I get more time than 30 days?

Only in specific cases (radiological contamination, conflicting regulations, or parts unavailable in time), with a request signed by an authorized official and filed with the EPA within the original window (§84.106(f)).

Refrigerant Leak Repair Requirements & Deadlines (2026) — §84.106

Q: How long do I have to repair a refrigerant leak?

30 days from the leak-rate exceedance — or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required — by a certified technician (40 CFR §84.106(d)).

The clocks

Refrigerant leak repair requirements & deadlines

Once an appliance's leak rate is over its trigger, a chain of hard deadlines starts. Miss one and you're out of compliance even if the leak is fixed. Here is the full sequence under 40 CFR §84.106.

On this page Trigger rates The 30-day repair window Verification tests Post-repair inspections Extensions Retrofit or retire

Step 0 — the trigger rate that starts everything

Repair obligations begin when a leak-rate calculation comes back over the threshold for that appliance's category:

Appliance category	Trigger rate	Cite
Industrial process refrigeration	30%	§84.106(c)(2)(ii)
Commercial refrigeration	20%	§84.106(c)(2)(i)
Comfort cooling, refrigerated transport, other	10%	§84.106(c)(2)(iii)

Run the calculation →

Step 1 — repair within 30 days

Identify and repair the leaks within 30 days of the addition that showed the exceedance — or 120 days if an industrial process shutdown is required. Repairs must be done by a certified technician, and only need to bring the rate back below the trigger. §84.106(d)

Mothballing pauses the clock. If you evacuate and shut the appliance down, the repair time frames are suspended and resume when refrigerant is next added. §84.106(d)(3)

Step 2 — initial and follow-up verification tests

Initial verification test — within the same 30/120-day window, proving the repair held (performed before adding refrigerant, if the system was evacuated). §84.106(e)(1)
Follow-up verification test — within 10 days of a successful initial test (or of the system returning to normal operating conditions). §84.106(e)(2)

If either test fails, you can keep repairing and re-testing within the window — or move to a retrofit/retirement plan.

Step 3 — post-repair leak inspections

Appliance	Inspection frequency	Until	Cite
Commercial / industrial, 500+ lbs	Every 3 months	4 clean quarters in a row	§84.106(g)(1)(i)
Commercial / industrial, 15–500 lbs	Once per year	1 clean year	§84.106(g)(1)(ii)
Comfort cooling & other	Once per year	1 clean year	§84.106(g)(1)(iii)

Appliances (or portions) continuously watched by a qualifying automatic leak detection system, audited annually, are exempt from these periodic inspections. §84.106(g)(4)

Extensions to the repair deadline

You can get more than 30/120 days only in specific situations, with a request signed by an authorized official and filed with the EPA within the original window (deemed approved unless the EPA objects): §84.106(f)

Radiological contamination makes safe repair impossible in time. §84.106(f)(1)(i)
Other federal/state/local/tribal rules make timely repair impossible. §84.106(f)(1)(ii)
Replacement parts aren't available in time — up to 30 days after delivery, capped at 180 days (270 with an industrial process shutdown). §84.106(f)(1)(iii)

The alternative — retrofit or retire

Instead of repairing (or after repairs fail), you may retrofit or retire the appliance:

Create a plan within 30 days of the exceedance, signed and dated, kept at the site. §84.106(h)(1),(3)
Complete within one year of the plan date. §84.106(h)(5)(i)
Extensions beyond a year require an EPA request within seven months of discovering the exceedance. §84.106(i)

This is a lot of clocks to run by hand. LeakClock opens a compliance case the moment a calculation exceeds the trigger, and lays every one of these deadlines onto a dashboard countdown. Start a free trial →

Next: the chronically-leaking appliance report →

Refrigerant leak repair requirements & deadlines

Step 0 — the trigger rate that starts everything

Step 1 — repair within 30 days

Step 2 — initial and follow-up verification tests

Step 3 — post-repair leak inspections

Extensions to the repair deadline

The alternative — retrofit or retire

Never miss a 30-day window