Sleep Environment Regulatory Tracker
The laws that govern what's allowed in your mattress, bedding, and bedroom — US federal, state-by-state, and international — in one place. Continuously updated. Every entry is a public regulatory source, tagged Regulatory under our evidence-tier system.
Last updated: June 28, 2026 · Maintained by Embr · Not legal advice
This tracker focuses on the chemistry of the sleep environment specifically — flame retardants, PFAS, fiberglass, and flammability standards as they apply to mattresses, upholstered furniture, and bedding. It exists because this information is otherwise scattered across agency pages, legislative databases, and law-firm bulletins. Spotted an error or an update? Tell us — corrections are logged with the date.
United States — Federal
| Jurisdiction | Rule | What it covers | Status | Key dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Federal | PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation | Maximum contaminant levels for six PFAS in public drinking water. May 2026 EPA proposals would extend the PFOA/PFOS deadline to 2031 and rescind limits for PFHxS, PFNA, GenX (HFPO-DA), and the Hazard Index mixture. | Under rollback | Rule 2024; rollback proposed May 18, 2026; comment period closed July 20, 2026 | EPA |
| US Federal | 16 CFR Part 1633 | Mandatory open-flame flammability standard for mattress sets. The federal performance standard that, in practice, drives the use of a fire barrier in every mattress sold in the US. | In effect | Effective 2007 | eCFR |
| US Federal | 16 CFR Part 1632 | Mandatory cigarette (smolder) ignition flammability standard for mattresses and mattress pads. | In effect | Amended standard, long-standing | eCFR |
United States — States
| Jurisdiction | Rule | What it covers | Status | Key dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | ECL Article 37, Title 10 | Prohibits sale of new mattresses and upholstered furniture with intentionally added covered flame retardants (halogenated, organophosphorus, organonitrogen, nanoscale). DEC enforcement discretion for certain mattress chemicals has now ended. | In effect | Sales ban Dec 1, 2024; enforcement discretion ended June 15, 2026 | NYSDEC |
| California | TB117-2013 | Furniture flammability standard. Uses a smolder test that can be met without chemical flame retardants — the regulatory shift that let manufacturers drop FRs from upholstered furniture. | In effect | Effective 2014 | CA BHGS |
| California | AB 1817 | Bans regulated PFAS in textile articles (broad enough to include bedding). Limit measured as total organic fluorine. | Phasing in | ≤100 ppm from Jan 1, 2025; steps to ≤50 ppm Jan 1, 2027 | CA Legislature |
| California | AB 1059 | Restricts fiberglass and other toxic chemicals in mattresses and upholstered furniture (including repair/reupholstery). | Takes effect 2027 | Effective Jan 1, 2027 | CA Legislature |
| California | Proposition 65 | Requires warnings for listed chemicals; several flame retardants (e.g. TDCPP, TCEP) and other substances relevant to bedding are on the list. | In effect | Ongoing; list updated periodically | OEHHA |
| Maine | LD 1537 | Products-with-intentionally-added-PFAS law: manufacturer reporting plus a phased path toward sales restrictions across product categories. | Phasing in | Reporting and phase-out staged through the decade | Maine DEP |
International
| Jurisdiction | Rule | What it covers | Status | Key dates | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | REACH universal PFAS restriction | Proposal to restrict the entire PFAS class across uses — the class-based approach, rather than regulating one compound at a time. | Under evaluation | Submitted 2023; under ECHA committee review | ECHA |
| Canada | PFAS class assessment (ECCC / Health Canada) | Draft assessment moving toward treating PFAS as a class for risk management. | Draft | Updated draft report 2024 | Canada.ca |
| Canada | TCEP prohibition | The flame retardant TCEP is prohibited in Canada — context for why its detection in new children's mattresses is notable. | In effect | Since 2014 | Health Canada |
How to read this tracker
Every row points to a public, primary regulatory source — an agency page, an eCFR section, or a legislative database — and is therefore tagged Regulatory under our evidence-tier system. Where we summarize what a rule covers, we err toward the conservative reading; where a rule's scope is still being defined by regulation, the status badge says so. This page is a reference, not legal advice — confirm specifics against the primary source before relying on them commercially.
For the narrative context behind these moves, read the latest Sleep Environment Brief and our deep dives on PFAS in 2026 and why mattresses have flame retardants.
Frequently asked
Are flame retardants banned in mattresses in the United States?
There is no nationwide ban on flame retardant chemicals. Federal law (16 CFR Part 1633) requires mattresses to meet an open-flame flammability standard, but that is a performance requirement that can be met without added flame retardant chemicals. Restrictions on the chemicals themselves are set by states: New York prohibits intentionally added covered flame retardants in new mattresses (effective December 1, 2024), and California's TB117-2013 lets manufacturers meet the flammability standard without them. Regulatory
Is PFAS banned in bedding and textiles in California?
California AB 1817 bans regulated PFAS in "textile articles," a definition broad enough to include bedding. The limit is measured as total organic fluorine: 100 ppm from January 1, 2025, tightening to 50 ppm on January 1, 2027. Regulatory
Did the EPA weaken federal PFAS drinking-water limits in 2026?
The EPA proposed on May 18, 2026 to extend the PFOA/PFOS compliance deadline from 2029 to 2031 and to rescind the limits for four other PFAS (PFHxS, PFNA, GenX/HFPO-DA, and the related Hazard Index). The proposals were open for public comment through July 20, 2026 and were not final as of mid-2026. Regulatory
Does any law require flame retardant chemicals in mattresses?
No. The federal standard (16 CFR Part 1633) requires a flammability performance outcome, not specific chemicals; it can be met with inherent fire barriers rather than added flame retardant chemicals. Regulatory