diff --git a/docs/release.md b/docs/release.md
index 1f439a9c..46198256 100644
--- a/docs/release.md
+++ b/docs/release.md
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+* Fix compression and decompression of structured arrays containing datetime or
+  timedelta fields with Zstd, LZ4, and Blosc ({issue}`755`). Preserve record sizes
+  and reject object-containing records and read-only destination buffers.
+
 (release_0.17.0)=
 
 * Allow building against a system Zlib. Note, this is only required if blosc is still
diff --git a/src/numcodecs/blosc.pyx b/src/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
index 8c52dd95..7c1269d6 100644
--- a/src/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
+++ b/src/numcodecs/blosc.pyx
@@ -370,6 +370,8 @@ def decompress(source, dest=None):
         dest_1d = dest = PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(NULL, nbytes)
     else:
         dest_1d = ensure_contiguous_ndarray(dest)
+        if not dest_1d.flags.writeable:
+            raise ValueError("destination buffer is read-only")
 
     # obtain dest memoryview
     dest_mv = memoryview(dest_1d)
diff --git a/src/numcodecs/compat.py b/src/numcodecs/compat.py
index d1844e10..0909b08c 100644
--- a/src/numcodecs/compat.py
+++ b/src/numcodecs/compat.py
@@ -102,6 +102,17 @@ def ensure_contiguous_ndarray_like(buf, max_buffer_size=None, flatten=True) -> N
     if arr.dtype.kind in "Mm":
         arr = arr.view(np.int64)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
 
+    # NumPy cannot export the buffer format of some structured dtypes, including
+    # datetime/timedelta fields. Keep each record's itemsize (used by Blosc's
+    # shuffle filter) and expose its bytes without copying or changing the input.
+    if isinstance(arr, np.ndarray) and arr.dtype.fields is not None:
+        if arr.dtype.hasobject:
+            raise TypeError("object arrays are not supported")
+        try:
+            memoryview(arr)
+        except ValueError:
+            arr = arr.view(np.dtype((np.void, arr.dtype.itemsize)))
+
     # check memory is contiguous, if so flatten
     if arr.flags.c_contiguous or arr.flags.f_contiguous:
         if flatten:
diff --git a/src/numcodecs/lz4.pyx b/src/numcodecs/lz4.pyx
index 6eac246b..bb361cf3 100644
--- a/src/numcodecs/lz4.pyx
+++ b/src/numcodecs/lz4.pyx
@@ -166,6 +166,8 @@ def decompress(source, dest=None):
             dest_1d = dest = PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(NULL, dest_size)
         else:
             dest_1d = ensure_contiguous_ndarray(dest)
+            if not dest_1d.flags.writeable:
+                raise ValueError("destination buffer is read-only")
 
         # obtain dest memoryview
         dest_mv = memoryview(dest_1d)
diff --git a/src/numcodecs/zstd.pyx b/src/numcodecs/zstd.pyx
index 7b6ff3c0..59782f6d 100644
--- a/src/numcodecs/zstd.pyx
+++ b/src/numcodecs/zstd.pyx
@@ -245,6 +245,8 @@ def decompress(source, dest=None):
             dest_1d = dest = PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(NULL, dest_size)
         else:
             dest_1d = ensure_contiguous_ndarray(dest)
+            if not dest_1d.flags.writeable:
+                raise ValueError("destination buffer is read-only")
 
         # obtain dest memoryview
         dest_mv = memoryview(dest_1d)
diff --git a/tests/test_structured_buffers.py b/tests/test_structured_buffers.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f9162972
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_structured_buffers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import numpy as np
+import pytest
+
+from numcodecs import LZ4, Blosc, Zstd, blosc
+from numcodecs.compat import ensure_contiguous_ndarray
+
+temporal_dtypes = [
+    np.dtype([('date', 'M8[D]'), ('value', 'i8')]),
+    np.dtype([('duration', '>m8[ns]'), ('value', '<i2')]),
+    np.dtype([('nested', [('date', '>M8[ms]'), ('duration', '<m8[us]')]), ('tag', 'S3')]),
+    np.dtype([('nested', [('dates', 'M8[D]', (2,)), ('value', '>i4')], (2,))]),
+    np.dtype(
+        {'names': ['date', 'value'], 'formats': ['M8[D]', 'u1'], 'offsets': [1, 12], 'itemsize': 16}
+    ),
+]
+codecs = [Zstd(), LZ4(), Blosc(), Blosc(shuffle=Blosc.BITSHUFFLE)]
+
+
+def make_array(dtype, shape, order):
+    arr = np.zeros(shape, dtype=dtype, order=order)
+    # Fill padding too, so raw-byte comparisons detect accidental field-wise copies.
+    raw = arr.reshape(-1, order='A').view('u1')
+    raw[:] = np.arange(raw.size, dtype='u1')
+    return arr
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('dtype', temporal_dtypes)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('shape', [(), (0,), (2, 3)])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('order', ['C', 'F'])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('flatten', [False, True])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('writeable', [False, True])
+def test_structured_temporal_buffer_view(dtype, shape, order, flatten, writeable):
+    arr = make_array(dtype, shape, order)
+    arr.setflags(write=writeable)
+    expected = arr.tobytes(order='A')
+    result = ensure_contiguous_ndarray(arr, flatten=flatten)
+
+    assert memoryview(result).tobytes(order='A') == expected
+    assert result.dtype.itemsize == dtype.itemsize
+    assert result.shape == ((arr.size,) if flatten else shape)
+    if not flatten:
+        assert result.strides == arr.strides
+    assert result.ctypes.data == arr.ctypes.data
+    assert result.flags.writeable == writeable
+    assert arr.dtype == dtype
+    assert arr.tobytes(order='A') == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', codecs)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('dtype', temporal_dtypes)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('shape', [(), (2, 3)])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('order', ['C', 'F'])
+def test_structured_temporal_roundtrip(codec, dtype, shape, order):
+    arr = make_array(dtype, shape, order)
+    expected = arr.tobytes(order='A')
+    arr.setflags(write=False)
+    encoded = codec.encode(arr)
+    assert codec.decode(encoded) == expected
+    if isinstance(codec, Blosc):
+        typesize, _, _ = blosc._cbuffer_metainfo(encoded)
+        assert typesize == dtype.itemsize
+
+    # An unaligned buffer is still contiguous and must be written without a copy.
+    backing = bytearray(arr.nbytes + 2)
+    out = np.ndarray(shape, dtype=dtype, buffer=backing, offset=1, order=order)
+    assert codec.decode(memoryview(encoded), out=out) is out
+    assert out.dtype == dtype
+    assert out.shape == shape
+    assert out.tobytes(order='A') == expected
+    assert backing[0] == backing[-1] == 0
+    assert arr.dtype == dtype
+    assert arr.tobytes(order='A') == expected
+
+    # Byte-format memoryviews remain valid inputs and outputs.
+    assert codec.decode(codec.encode(memoryview(expected))) == expected
+    raw_out = memoryview(bytearray(arr.nbytes))
+    assert codec.decode(encoded, out=raw_out) is raw_out
+    assert raw_out.tobytes() == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', codecs)
+def test_issue_755(codec):
+    arr = np.array(
+        [('19000101', 123), ('19021201', 321)], dtype=[('date', 'datetime64[D]'), ('num', 'i8')]
+    )
+    out = np.empty_like(arr)
+    assert codec.decode(codec.encode(arr), out=out) is out
+    np.testing.assert_array_equal(out, arr)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', codecs)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('dtype', [np.dtype('i8'), temporal_dtypes[0]])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('as_memoryview', [False, True])
+def test_decode_readonly_output(codec, dtype, as_memoryview):
+    arr = make_array(dtype, (3,), 'C')
+    encoded = codec.encode(arr.tobytes())
+    out = np.zeros_like(arr)
+    expected = out.tobytes()
+    out.setflags(write=False)
+    if as_memoryview:
+        out = memoryview(out.view(f'V{out.dtype.itemsize}'))
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match='read-only'):
+        codec.decode(encoded, out=out)
+    assert out.tobytes() == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    'dtype',
+    [
+        np.dtype([('object', 'O')]),
+        np.dtype([('nested', [('object', 'O'), ('date', 'M8[D]')])]),
+        np.dtype([('objects', 'O', (2,))]),
+    ],
+)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', codecs)
+def test_structured_object_buffers_rejected(codec, dtype):
+    arr = np.zeros(3, dtype=dtype)
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match='object arrays are not supported'):
+        codec.encode(arr)
+    encoded = codec.encode(bytes(arr.nbytes))
+    with pytest.raises(TypeError, match='object arrays are not supported'):
+        codec.decode(encoded, out=arr)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('codec', codecs)
+def test_structured_temporal_buffer_guards(codec):
+    arr = make_array(temporal_dtypes[0], (6,), 'C')
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match='contiguous'):
+        codec.encode(arr[::2])
+    encoded = codec.encode(arr.tobytes())
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match='contiguous'):
+        codec.decode(encoded, out=np.zeros(12, dtype=arr.dtype)[::2])
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match='destination buffer too small'):
+        codec.decode(encoded, out=np.zeros(5, dtype=arr.dtype))
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match='Codec does not support buffers'):
+        ensure_contiguous_ndarray(arr, max_buffer_size=arr.nbytes - 1)
+
+
+def test_regular_structured_buffer_unchanged():
+    dtype = np.dtype([('nested', [('value', '>i8')]), ('tag', 'S3')])
+    arr = make_array(dtype, (2, 3), 'F')
+    result = ensure_contiguous_ndarray(arr, flatten=False)
+    assert result.dtype == dtype
+    assert result is arr
+    assert ensure_contiguous_ndarray(memoryview(arr), flatten=False).dtype == dtype