Your Own Medical Records
Health & Saf. Code 123110 — inspection within five working days, copies within 15 days
In California, an adult patient, a minor authorized by law to consent to the treatment involved, and a patient's personal representative are entitled to inspect the patient's records on presenting a request and paying reasonable costs. The provider permits the inspection during business hours within five working days after receiving the request, and the person inspecting may bring one other person of their choosing.
The same people are entitled to a paper or electronic copy of all or any portion of the records they may inspect, on a request specifying the records and a fee to cover producing the copy. The provider transmits the copies within 15 days after receiving the request, in the form and format requested if readily producible, and electronically if the records are kept that way and an electronic copy is asked for.
One copy at no charge, to support a benefits claim or appeal. A patient, a nonprofit legal services employee representing them, or their personal representative is entitled to one copy of the relevant portion of the records at no charge, on a written request with proof the records are needed for a claim or appeal for a public benefit program, such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh, Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income, or for certain immigration petitions. This does not apply to a patient whose private attorney is paying the costs of the claim.
X-rays and certain tracings need not be copied for the patient if the originals are sent to another provider the patient names within 15 days. The fee limits and the grounds for withholding records are in the section and in other sections and are not reproduced in full here. Whether a refusal or a fee was proper is a question for a court and for a licensed California attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Health & Saf. Code 123110 — Patient access to health records
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed California attorney.