diff --git a/src/cache/memcache.c b/src/cache/memcache.c
index 9877aabd..b8f646b9 100644
--- a/src/cache/memcache.c
+++ b/src/cache/memcache.c
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ static int oidc_cache_memcache_post_config(server_rec *s) {
 	apr_uint32_t min = 0;
 	apr_uint32_t smax = 0;
 	apr_uint32_t hmax = 0;
-	apr_uint32_t ttl = 0;
+	apr_interval_time_t ttl = 0;
 
 	if (oidc_cfg_cache_memcache_servers_get(cfg) == NULL) {
 		oidc_serror(s, "cache type is set to \"memcache\", but no valid " OIDCMemCacheServers
@@ -148,9 +148,6 @@ static int oidc_cache_memcache_post_config(server_rec *s) {
 			smax = 1;
 		}
 	}
-	if (ttl == 0) {
-		ttl = apr_time_from_sec(60);
-	}
 	if (smax > hmax) {
 		smax = hmax;
 	}
@@ -181,11 +178,11 @@ static int oidc_cache_memcache_post_config(server_rec *s) {
 		if (port == 0)
 			port = 11211;
 
-		oidc_sdebug(s, "creating server: %s:%d, min=%d, smax=%d, hmax=%d, ttl=%d", host_str, port, min, smax,
+		oidc_sdebug(s, "creating server: %s:%d, min=%d, smax=%d, hmax=%d, ttl=%" APR_TIME_T_FMT, host_str, port, min, smax,
 			    hmax, ttl);
 
 		/* create the memcache server struct */
-		rv = apr_memcache_server_create(p, host_str, port, min, smax, hmax, ttl, &st);
+		rv = apr_memcache_server_create(p, host_str, port, min, smax, hmax, (apr_uint32_t)ttl, &st);
 		if (rv != APR_SUCCESS) {
 			oidc_serror(s, "failed to create cache server: %s:%d", host_str, port);
 			return HTTP_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR;
diff --git a/src/cfg/cache.c b/src/cfg/cache.c
index 90140a47..82ce9c51 100644
--- a/src/cfg/cache.c
+++ b/src/cfg/cache.c
@@ -97,22 +97,28 @@ const char *oidc_cmd_cache_type_set(cmd_parms *cmd, void *ptr, const char *arg)
 		return OIDC_CONFIG_DIR_RV(cmd, rv);                                                                    \
 	}
 
-#define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT_EXT(member, parse, def_val)                                                    \
+#define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_PARSE(member, type, parse, def_val)                                                \
 	const char *oidc_cmd_cache_##member##_set(cmd_parms *cmd, void *ptr, const char *arg) {                        \
 		oidc_cfg_t *cfg =                                                                                      \
 		    (oidc_cfg_t *)ap_get_module_config(cmd->server->module_config, &auth_openidc_module);              \
-		int v = -1;                                                                                            \
+		type v = -1;                                                                                            \
 		const char *rv = parse;                                                                                \
 		if (rv == NULL)                                                                                        \
 			cfg->cache.member = v;                                                                         \
 		return OIDC_CONFIG_DIR_RV(cmd, rv);                                                                    \
 	}                                                                                                              \
                                                                                                                        \
-	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNC_CACHE_TYPE_GET(member, int, def_val)
+	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNC_CACHE_TYPE_GET(member, type, def_val)
+
+#define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT_EXT(member, parse, def_val)                                                     \
+	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_PARSE(member, int, parse, def_val)
 
 #define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT(member, min, max, def_val)                                                     \
 	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT_EXT(member, oidc_cfg_parse_int_min_max(cmd->pool, arg, &v, min, max), def_val)
 
+#define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_TIMEOUT(member, min, max, def_val)                            \
+	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_PARSE(member, apr_interval_time_t, oidc_cfg_parse_timeout_min_max(cmd->pool, arg, &v, min, max), def_val)
+
 #define OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_BOOL(member, def_val)                                                              \
 	OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT_EXT(member, oidc_cfg_parse_boolean(cmd->pool, arg, &v), def_val)
 
@@ -235,11 +241,17 @@ OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT(memcache_smax, OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_S
 OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT(memcache_hmax, OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_HMAX_MIN,
 				OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_HMAX_MAX, OIDC_DEFAULT_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_HMAX)
 
-#define OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MIN 0
-#define OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MAX 3600 * 24 * 7
-#define OIDC_DEFAULT_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL 0
+#define OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MIN (apr_interval_time_t)0
+/*
+ *  Due to a design error in the apr-util 1.x apr_memcache_server_create prototype
+ *  (it uses an apr_uint32_t instead of an apr_interval_time_t) we need to limit
+ *  the maximum value to 4292 seconds which is the maximum value in microseconds
+ *  that can be represented by an apr_uint32_t.
+ */
+#define OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MAX apr_time_from_sec(4294)
+#define OIDC_DEFAULT_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL apr_time_from_sec(60)
 
-OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_INT(memcache_ttl, OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MIN,
+OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_CACHE_TIMEOUT(memcache_ttl, OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MIN,
 				OIDC_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL_MAX, OIDC_DEFAULT_CACHE_MEMCACHE_CONNECTIONS_TTL)
 
 static void oidc_cfg_cache_memcache_create_server_config(oidc_cfg_t *c) {
@@ -247,7 +259,7 @@ static void oidc_cfg_cache_memcache_create_server_config(oidc_cfg_t *c) {
 	c->cache.memcache_min = OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET;
 	c->cache.memcache_smax = OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET;
 	c->cache.memcache_hmax = OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET;
-	c->cache.memcache_ttl = OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET;
+	c->cache.memcache_ttl = OIDC_CONFIG_POS_TIMEOUT_UNSET;
 }
 
 static void oidc_cfg_cache_memcache_merge_server_config(oidc_cfg_t *c, oidc_cfg_t *base, oidc_cfg_t *add) {
@@ -260,7 +272,7 @@ static void oidc_cfg_cache_memcache_merge_server_config(oidc_cfg_t *c, oidc_cfg_
 	c->cache.memcache_hmax = add->cache.memcache_hmax != OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET ? add->cache.memcache_hmax
 										       : base->cache.memcache_hmax;
 	c->cache.memcache_ttl =
-	    add->cache.memcache_ttl != OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET ? add->cache.memcache_ttl : base->cache.memcache_ttl;
+	    add->cache.memcache_ttl != OIDC_CONFIG_POS_TIMEOUT_UNSET ? add->cache.memcache_ttl : base->cache.memcache_ttl;
 }
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/cfg/cache.h b/src/cfg/cache.h
index 80f78750..98f4b0ce 100644
--- a/src/cfg/cache.h
+++ b/src/cfg/cache.h
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_servers, const char *)
 OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_min, int)
 OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_smax, int)
 OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_hmax, int)
-OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_ttl, int)
+OIDC_CFG_MEMBER_FUNCS_DECL(cache_memcache_ttl, apr_interval_time_t)
 
 #endif // USE_MEMCACHE
 
diff --git a/src/cfg/cfg.h b/src/cfg/cfg.h
index 8367829d..8e34f987 100644
--- a/src/cfg/cfg.h
+++ b/src/cfg/cfg.h
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@
 #include "cache/cache.h"
 
 #define OIDC_CONFIG_POS_INT_UNSET -1
+/* -1 might be used for unlimited timeout */
+#define OIDC_CONFIG_POS_TIMEOUT_UNSET (apr_interval_time_t)-2
 
 #define OIDCPublicKeyFiles "OIDCPublicKeyFiles"
 #define OIDCDefaultLoggedOutURL "OIDCDefaultLoggedOutURL"
diff --git a/src/cfg/cfg_int.h b/src/cfg/cfg_int.h
index 701a1a73..6873ec0b 100644
--- a/src/cfg/cfg_int.h
+++ b/src/cfg/cfg_int.h
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ struct oidc_cfg_cache_t {
 	int memcache_hmax;
 	/* cache_type= memcache: maximum time in microseconds a connection to a memcache server can be idle before being
 	 * closed */
-	int memcache_ttl;
+	apr_interval_time_t memcache_ttl;
 #endif
 
 	/*
diff --git a/src/cfg/parse.c b/src/cfg/parse.c
index 5f9c5ce6..6acdb016 100644
--- a/src/cfg/parse.c
+++ b/src/cfg/parse.c
@@ -196,6 +196,29 @@ const char *oidc_cfg_parse_int_min_max(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, int *i
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+/*
+ * parse a timeout string via ap_timeout_parameter_parse into an
+ * apr_interval_time_t if it is in a valid min/max range
+ */
+const char *oidc_cfg_parse_timeout_min_max(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, apr_interval_time_t *timeout_value,
+				       apr_interval_time_t min_value, apr_interval_time_t max_value) {
+       apr_interval_time_t timeout;
+
+       if (ap_timeout_parameter_parse(arg, &timeout, "s") != APR_SUCCESS) {
+               return apr_psprintf(pool, "not a valid timeout parameter: %s", arg);
+       }
+       if (timeout < min_value) {
+               return apr_psprintf(pool, "timeout value %" APR_TIME_T_FMT " is smaller than the minimum allowed value %" APR_TIME_T_FMT, timeout,
+                                   min_value);
+       }
+       if (timeout > max_value) {
+               return apr_psprintf(pool, "timeout value %" APR_TIME_T_FMT " is greater than the maximum allowed value %" APR_TIME_T_FMT, timeout,
+                                   max_value);
+       }
+       *timeout_value = (int)timeout;
+       return NULL;
+}
+
 /*
  * check if a string is a valid URL starting with either scheme1 or scheme2 (if not NULL)
  */
diff --git a/src/cfg/parse.h b/src/cfg/parse.h
index 4a046f48..6f3148ea 100644
--- a/src/cfg/parse.h
+++ b/src/cfg/parse.h
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ const char *oidc_cfg_parse_is_valid_encrypted_response_enc(apr_pool_t *pool, con
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_boolean(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, int *bool_value);
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_int(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, int *int_value);
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_int_min_max(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, int *int_value, int min_value, int max_value);
+const char *oidc_cfg_parse_timeout_min_max(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, apr_interval_time_t *timeout_value,
+				       apr_interval_time_t min_value, apr_interval_time_t max_value);
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_dirname(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, char **value);
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_filename(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, char **value);
 const char *oidc_cfg_parse_relative_or_absolute_url(apr_pool_t *pool, const char *arg, char **value);