How to request your medical records in District of Columbia
You have a federal right to a copy of your own medical records, in District of Columbia and everywhere else. Below is how that right works, what District of Columbia adds on top of it, and a free letter you can fill out and send.
Your federal right (applies in every state)
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164.524), you can get a copy of your own medical records without giving a reason. The rule binds HIPAA covered entities, which is most doctors, hospitals, and health plans. It must act on your request within 30 days and may take one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing why and when. It may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to.
Two limits worth knowing. Psychotherapy notes and material prepared for a lawsuit sit outside the right, and access can be denied on the narrow grounds the rule lists, some of which you can have reviewed. And the fee cap covers copies for you. When you direct a provider to send records to someone else, a 2020 federal court ruling (Ciox Health v. Azar) took that cap off, so state limits are what remain.
What District of Columbia adds
- Copy fees
- D.C. Health adjusts the maximums every year for inflation. For 2026 they are a $25.00 search and handling fee, which may be charged even if no records are found, plus 96 cents per page for paper copies and actual postage, or 72 cents per page for electronic copies, with electronic page charges capped at $94.57.
- Worth knowing
- The fee table and a 30-day deadline apply when the patient has authorized someone else, such as a family member, to receive the records. A provider that needs longer must say why in writing and send them within 60 days, and past that it must cut its fee by $15 for each late day. When you ask for your own records, HIPAA limits a covered provider to a reasonable cost-based fee, and searching and retrieval are not part of it, so the search and handling fee should not be added.
- The law
- D.C. Code § 3-1210.12 (Persons authorized by a patient or client to receive personal medical records)
HIPAA sets a floor, not a ceiling. A District of Columbia rule that gives you greater access, a faster deadline or a lower fee, is not preempted, so it stands alongside the federal right. State caps can also carry limits of their own: some apply only to certain kinds of provider, some price electronic copies differently, and some do not apply when a third party is asking. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the specifics with your provider's records office.
Source
- D.C. Code § 3-1210.12 (Persons authorized by a patient or client to receive personal medical records) →
- Copy fee schedule →
Who it covers: Health care providers and their business associates. The statute's fee table covers records sent to someone the patient has authorized to receive them; a patient's own copies fall under D.C. Code § 3-1210.11, which leaves the fee to board rules.
These figures are what the source said when we read it on September 30, 2026. Many states adjust their caps every year, so confirm the current amount before you argue one.
Your District of Columbia records-request letter
Requesting records in District of Columbia — common questions
- How do I request my medical records in District of Columbia?
- Under your federal right of access (HIPAA, 45 CFR § 164.524), you can get a copy of your own records from a HIPAA-covered provider or health plan in District of Columbia. Send a written request, and the free letter on this page works, to the provider's Health Information Management or Release of Information office, or use their patient portal if they have one.
- How much can a provider in District of Columbia charge for copies of my records?
- D.C. Health adjusts the maximums every year for inflation. For 2026 they are a $25.00 search and handling fee, which may be charged even if no records are found, plus 96 cents per page for paper copies and actual postage, or 72 cents per page for electronic copies, with electronic page charges capped at $94.57. HIPAA separately limits what a covered provider may charge for your own copy to a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to. Searching and retrieving are not on that list. Whichever rule protects you more is the one to cite. That federal cap covers copies for you. When you direct records to a third party, a 2020 federal court ruling took the cap off, and state limits are what remain.
- Is this records-request letter free?
- Yes. The generator builds a HIPAA records-request letter you can download and print for free. Nothing you type is saved or sent to anyone but you.
Records rules in another state?
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