21 CFR Part 211 · Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Finished Pharmaceuticals

§ 211.56 Sanitation

Subpart C - Buildings and Facilities Official text on eCFR Amendment history

(a) Any building used in the manufacture, processing, packing, or holding of a drug product shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, Any such building shall be free of infestation by rodents, birds, insects, and other vermin (other than laboratory animals). Trash and organic waste matter shall be held and disposed of in a timely and sanitary manner.

(b) There shall be written procedures assigning responsibility for sanitation and describing in sufficient detail the cleaning schedules, methods, equipment, and materials to be used in cleaning the buildings and facilities; such written procedures shall be followed.

(c) There shall be written procedures for use of suitable rodenticides, insecticides, fungicides, fumigating agents, and cleaning and sanitizing agents. Such written procedures shall be designed to prevent the contamination of equipment, components, drug product containers, closures, packaging, labeling materials, or drug products and shall be followed. Rodenticides, insecticides, and fungicides shall not be used unless registered and used in accordance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act ( 7 U.S.C. 135 ).

(d) Sanitation procedures shall apply to work performed by contractors or temporary employees as well as work performed by full-time employees during the ordinary course of operations.

Independent copy, not an official legal edition. 21 CFR is a U.S. Government work in the public domain; this text comes from the eCFR and the annual CFR edition, and may lag recent amendments. The authoritative version is on ecfr.gov. Compliome is not affiliated with or endorsed by FDA. Not legal advice.

What FDA inspectors cite under § 211.56

Form FDA 483 observations citing this section, fiscal years 2009–2026 (Drugs).

  • Sanitation--buildings not clean, free of infestation 239
  • Written sanitation procedures lacking 111
  • Written sanitation procedures not followed 46
  • Written procedures lacking for use of pesticides etc. 43
  • Rodenticides et. al. registration and usage 2
  • Trash and organic waste timely disposal 2

Warning letters citing § 211.56

19 FDA warning letters since 2017 cite this section ; the most recent:

FDA guidance that cites § 211.56

Amendment history

Federal Register documents that created or amended this section.