diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index fcecef2..9e150e3 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ class panels_allowed_layouts {
    */
   function save() {
     if (!is_null($this->module_name)) {
-      variable_set($this->module_name . "_allowed_layouts", serialize($this));
+      variable_set($this->module_name . '_allowed_layouts', serialize($this));
     }
   }
 
@@ -272,7 +272,11 @@ function panels_common_settings($form, &$form_state, $module_name = 'panels_comm
     // each type its own checkboxes set unless it's 'single' in which
     // case it can go into our fake other set.
     $available_content_types = ctools_content_get_all_types();
-    $allowed_content_types = variable_get($module_name . '_allowed_types', array());
+    $allowed_content_types = db_select('panels_allowed_types', 'pat')
+      ->fields('pat', array('type', 'allowed'))
+      ->condition('module', $module_name)
+      ->execute()
+      ->fetchAllKeyed();
 
     foreach ($available_content_types as $id => $types) {
       foreach ($types as $type => $info) {
@@ -354,21 +358,21 @@ function panels_common_settings_submit($form, &$form_state) {
   if (!$form_state['skip']) {
     // Merge the broken apart array neatly back together.
     $allowed_content_types = array();
-    foreach ($form_state['values']['allowed'] as $allowed) {
-      $values = $form_state['values']['content_types'][$allowed]['options'];
-      // If new content of the type is not added, storing a lisy of disabled
-      // content is not needed.
-      if (!$form_state['values']['panels_common_default'][$allowed]) {
-        $values = array_filter($values);
+    $content_types = $form_state['values']['allowed'];
+    foreach ($content_types as $content_type) {
+      $allowed_content_types = array_merge($allowed_content_types, $form_state['values']['content_types'][$content_type]['options']);
+      foreach ($allowed_content_types as $type => $allowed) {
+        $allowed = empty($allowed) ? 0 : 1;
+        db_merge('panels_allowed_types')
+          ->key(array('module' => $module_name, 'type' => $type))
+          ->fields(array(
+            'module' => $module_name,
+            'type' => $type,
+            'allowed' => $allowed,
+          ))
+          ->execute();
       }
-      $allowed_content_types = array_merge($allowed_content_types, $values);
     }
-    // Values from checkboxes are the same string as they key, but we only need
-    // to store the boolean value.
-    foreach ($allowed_content_types as &$value) {
-      $value = (bool) $value;
-    }
-    variable_set($module_name . '_allowed_types', $allowed_content_types);
   }
   drupal_set_message(t('Your changes have been saved.'));
 }
@@ -378,9 +382,13 @@ function panels_common_settings_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  */
 function panels_common_get_allowed_types($module, $contexts = array(), $has_content = FALSE, $default_defaults = array(), $default_allowed_types = array()) {
   // Get a list of all types that are available
-
   $default_types = variable_get($module . '_default', $default_defaults);
-  $allowed_types = variable_get($module . '_allowed_types', $default_allowed_types);
+  $allowed_types = db_select('panels_allowed_types', 'pat')
+    ->fields('pat', array('type', 'allowed'))
+    ->condition('module', $module)
+    ->execute()
+    ->fetchAllKeyed();
+  $allowed_types = !empty($allowed_types) ? $allowed_types : $default_allowed_types;
 
   // By default, if they haven't gone and done the initial setup here,
   // let all 'other' types (which will be all types) be available.
@@ -465,7 +473,7 @@ function panels_common_allowed_layouts_form_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  * Get the allowed layout object for the given module.
  */
 function panels_common_get_allowed_layout_object($module_name) {
-  $allowed_layouts = unserialize(variable_get($module_name . "_allowed_layouts", serialize('')));
+  $allowed_layouts = unserialize(variable_get($module_name . '_allowed_layouts', serialize('')));
 
   // if no parameter was provided, or the variable_get failed
   if (!$allowed_layouts) {
diff --git a/panels.install b/panels.install
index ebb93e0..87eaefe 100644
--- a/panels.install
+++ b/panels.install
@@ -47,9 +47,42 @@ function panels_requirements_install() {
 function panels_schema() {
   // This should always point to our 'current' schema. This makes it relatively
   // easy to keep a record of schema as we make changes to it.
-  return panels_schema_8();
+  return panels_schema_9();
 }
 
+function panels_schema_9() {
+  $schema = panels_schema_8();
+  $schema['panels_allowed_types'] = array(
+    'fields' => array(
+      'module' => array(
+        'description' => 'The name of the module requiring allowed type settings.',
+        'type' => 'varchar',
+        'length' => 255,
+        'not null' => TRUE,
+        'default' => '',
+      ),
+      'type' => array(
+        'description' => 'Ctools content type to allow.',
+        'type' => 'varchar',
+        'length' => 255,
+        'not null' => TRUE,
+        'default' => '',
+      ),
+      'allowed' => array(
+        'description' => 'A boolean for if the type is allowed or not.',
+        'type' => 'int',
+        'size' => 'tiny',
+        'default' => 1,
+      ),
+    ),
+    'indexes' => array(
+      'type_idx' => array('type'),
+    ),
+  );
+
+  return $schema;
+ }
+
 function panels_schema_8() {
   $schema = panels_schema_7();
 
@@ -532,8 +565,8 @@ function panels_update_7304() {
     'panels_pane' => array('subtype', 'panel', 'type'),
   );
 
-  foreach($update_fields as $table => $fields) {
-    foreach($fields as $field_name) {
+  foreach ($update_fields as $table => $fields) {
+    foreach ($fields as $field_name) {
       db_change_field($table, $field_name, $field_name, $schema[$table]['fields'][$field_name]);
     }
   }
@@ -588,3 +621,38 @@ function panels_update_7306() {
     }
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * Add a custom table for allowed types.
+ */
+function panels_update_7307() {
+  $schema = panels_schema_9();
+
+  $table_name = 'panels_allowed_types';
+  if (!db_table_exists($table_name)) {
+    db_create_table($table_name, $schema[$table_name]);
+  }
+
+  // Read existing allowed settings and store them in a new table.
+  $variables = db_select('variable', 'v')
+    ->fields('v', array('name'))
+    ->condition('name', '%' . db_like('_allowed_types'), 'LIKE')
+    ->execute()
+    ->fetchCol();
+  foreach ($variables as $name) {
+    $module = str_replace('_allowed_types', '', $name);
+    $variable = variable_get($name);
+    foreach ($variable as $type => $allowed) {
+      $allowed = empty($allowed) ? 0 : 1;
+      db_merge('panels_allowed_types')
+        ->key(array('module' => $module, 'type' => $type))
+        ->fields(array(
+          'module' => $module,
+          'type' => $type,
+          'allowed' => $allowed,
+        ))
+        ->execute();
+    }
+    variable_del($name);
+  }
+}