Where to send a request, what a provider can charge, and how long they have to respond — state by state. Every figure is sourced; any field we have not verified shows "Not stated" rather than a guess.
51 of 51 states & DC have published rules. The rest show "Not stated" until verified.
The HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR § 164.524) gives a patient a right of access that every state rule sits on top of. Where a state is silent or less protective, the federal floor governs the patient's own request.
A covered entity must act on a patient's access request within 30 days, with one 30-day extension permitted on written notice. Many states impose a shorter deadline, which then controls.
For a patient's own copy, a provider may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee — labor for copying, supplies, and postage. A common safe-harbor flat rate of $6.50 is permitted for electronic copies of records held electronically.
Following Ciox Health v. Azar (2020), the $6.50 flat fee and the patient-rate cap apply to copies a patient receives directly; records a patient directs to a third party (e.g., an attorney) are not bound by that federal cap, so state fee schedules typically govern attorney requests.
Patients may request records electronically and have them sent to a designated person; the provider must accommodate a reasonable requested format if the records are readily producible that way.
Primary source: 45 CFR § 164.524 · HHS right-of-access guidance
About this guide. This guide is general information, not legal advice, and is not a substitute for the controlling statute or your own counsel's review. Laws and fees change; verify the current rule with the state authority before relying on it. Fields marked "Not stated" have not yet been published here and should not be read as the absence of a rule. Every published value is drawn from the controlling state statute or regulation and dated on the state's page. If you spot something out of date, let us know via the contact options on our pricing page.
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