State medical records law
Alabama medical records laws
How do I get my medical records in Alabama, and what can a provider charge?
Alabama sets no state deadline, so HIPAA applies: the provider must act within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing. Alabama's statute caps copy charges at $1.00 per page for the first 25 pages and $0.50 per page after that, plus a $5 search fee, actual mailing cost, and actual cost for X-rays and special records; payment may be required before delivery. For a patient's own HIPAA access request, HIPAA limits the charge to a reasonable cost-based fee (labor, supplies, postage), and the Board rule says charges may not exceed what state and federal law allow.
- Response deadline
- 30 days (HIPAA)
- Copy fees
- $1.00/page
- Retention — hospitals
- At least 5 years; minors' records at least 5 years after the patient reaches the age of majority
How Alabama differs from federal HIPAA
- No state response deadline — HIPAA's 30 days (plus one 30-day extension) applies.
- State fee statute allows a $5 search fee and per-page charges; for a patient's own request HIPAA permits only cost-based labor, supplies and postage, with no search/retrieval fee.
- Physician records must be kept at least 7 years from last contact (HIPAA has no medical-record retention rule).
How long a provider has to respond
Alabama sets no state deadline, so HIPAA applies: the provider must act within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing.(Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10, 45 CFR § 164.524)
Under 45 CFR § 164.524, a provider may take one 30-day extension only if it tells you in writing, within the first 30 days, why and when you will get the records.
What a provider can charge
Alabama's statute caps copy charges at $1.00 per page for the first 25 pages and $0.50 per page after that, plus a $5 search fee, actual mailing cost, and actual cost for X-rays and special records; payment may be required before delivery. For a patient's own HIPAA access request, HIPAA limits the charge to a reasonable cost-based fee (labor, supplies, postage), and the Board rule says charges may not exceed what state and federal law allow.(Ala. Code § 12-21-6.1, Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10, 45 CFR § 164.524)
- Paper copies
- $1.00 per page for pages 1–25; $0.50 per page after 25
- search fee
- Up to $5.00
A provider cannot refuse to give you your records because you owe money for treatment. Compare every state on the medical records fees by state page.
How long records must be kept
- Hospitals: At least 5 years; minors' records at least 5 years after the patient reaches the age of majority(Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-7-.13)
- Physician offices: At least 7 years from the physician's last professional contact; minors' records the longer of 7 years from last contact or 2 years after reaching the age of majority; X-rays/imaging at least 5 years; mammography 10 years(Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10)
Minors and sensitive records
- Minors: A minor 14 or older (or one who has graduated high school, is or was married, or is pregnant) can consent to their own medical, dental, health and mental health services. Alabama's physician and hospital retention rules keep minors' records until at least 2 years (physicians) or 5 years (hospitals) after the age of majority.(Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10, Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-7-.13, Ala. Code § 22-8-4)
If a provider doesn't comply
No state private right of action for denied record access was found; HIPAA has none — file with HHS OCR. Physician record-handling complaints go to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners.(Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — Investigations & Misconduct)
Alabama Board of Medical Examiners
physicians (written complaints)
HIPAA violations by any covered entity, within 180 days
How to request your records in Alabama
- Ask the provider's medical records (health information) department for its request form, or write your own request with your name, date of birth, dates of care, the records you want, and the format (paper or electronic).
- Keep a copy and note the date — the 30 days (HIPAA) clock runs from when the provider receives it.
- If the deadline passes or the bill exceeds the rules above, use the complaint routes on this page.
Templates and step-by-step help are on the records-access hub. Find a Alabama hospital's records office, or browse hospitals in Alabama.
Common questions about Alabama medical records
How long does a provider in Alabama have to give me my records?
Alabama has no state-specific deadline, so HIPAA applies: the provider must act within 30 days of receiving your request and may take one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing why.(45 CFR § 164.524)
How much can I be charged for copies in Alabama?
Alabama law caps copies at $1.00 per page for the first 25 pages and $0.50 per page after that, plus a $5 search fee and actual mailing cost. For your own HIPAA access request, the fee is limited to a reasonable cost-based amount for labor, supplies and postage.(Ala. Code § 12-21-6.1, 45 CFR § 164.524)
Can a provider make me pay before sending my records?
Alabama's fee statute says the requester pays reproduction and delivery fees before records are delivered unless other arrangements are made.(Ala. Code § 12-21-6.1)
How long do Alabama doctors and hospitals keep medical records?
Physicians must keep records at least 7 years from the last professional contact. Hospitals must keep records at least 5 years. Minors' records are kept longer — at least 2 years (physicians) or 5 years (hospitals) after the patient reaches the age of majority.(Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10, Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-7-.13)
Can a teenager in Alabama consent to their own care?
Yes. Alabama lets a minor who is 14 or older — or who has graduated high school, is or was married, or is pregnant — consent to their own medical, dental, health and mental health services.(Ala. Code § 22-8-4)
Where do I complain if an Alabama provider won't release my records?
You can send a written complaint about a physician to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, and file a HIPAA complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights within 180 days.(Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — Investigations & Misconduct)
Sources
Checked against official sources on November 3, 2026.
- Ala. Code § 12-21-6.1 — Reproduction and delivery of medical records — fees (official text via a public mirror)
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-9-.10 — Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — medical records rule (amended eff. Jan. 14, 2022)
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 420-5-7-.13 — State Board of Health hospital rules — medical records services
- Ala. Code § 22-8-4 — When minor may give consent generally (official text via a public mirror)
- Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — Investigations & Misconduct — ALBME complaint process
- 45 CFR § 164.524 — HIPAA right of access