How often do you need a tetanus shot?

Every 10 years for adults, on repeat, for life. The CDC recommends that adults get a tetanus booster dose every 10 years, because the vaccine works well but protection decreases over time and the booster restores it. The childhood series (DTaP for young children, then Tdap for preteens) sets the foundation, and after that it is Tdap or Td every decade. Two practical wrinkles. First, wounds change the schedule: if you get a deep or dirty wound, like a puncture from something rusty, a bite, or a burn, and it has been more than 5 years since your last dose, a doctor will usually give a booster then rather than waiting for the decade mark, which is why every urgent care visit for a wound starts with the when-was-your-last-shot question Second, most people have no idea when their last dose was, and that is fixable: your GP's record, a state vaccine registry, or a pharmacy record can usually date it, and if nobody can prove it, getting a booster is safe. There is no prize for being overdue: tetanus is rare but brutal, and the shot is cheap and stocked everywhere from GP offices to pharmacies.