Arkansas
Medical Records Custodian & Retention Laws
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Arkansas Medical Record Retention Law:
Arkansas Medical Practices Act and Regulations (Arkansas State Medical Board)
- Adult patients: Arkansas sets NO retention period. The Medical Practices Act and the Board's rules were searched in full and contain no retention provision.
- Patients who were minors: None set by Arkansas law.
- The retention period runs from: Not applicable - no state clock exists.
- The operative floors are HIPAA's 6 years and the malpractice limitation period.
- The Arkansas Medical Society recommends at least 10 years from last treatment; that is a recommendation, not law.
If you are closing, selling or relocating your practice Arkansas sets out what has to happen to patient records. The points below are taken from the source above.
- Board rule (adopted 2010-06-03, eff. 2010-07-01; amended 2017 and 2022-03-22): on changing practice, the healthcare provider must inform the Board of the new location, address and practice setting, AND
- Must further inform the Board of WHERE THE PATIENT RECORDS ARE STORED, WHO IS THE CUSTODIAN of those records, and HOW PATIENTS OR OTHERS MAY OBTAIN THEM
- Rule 33 (Notification of Change of Practice) separately bars an employing entity from misleading patients about, or withholding, a departing provider's new location; 'Existing Patient' = seen within the previous 12 months
Arkansas closing-practice checklist
The same requirements as a checklist you can print and work through, with the retention periods, the notice each rule requires and what you may charge for copies.
Open the Arkansas checklist →
Cost
No state copying-fee schedule was located for Arkansas. Charges should be reasonable and cost-based.
Verified September 2026
This page summarises the source above and is not legal advice. Retention periods change and several states adjust their copying fees every year, so confirm the current text before you rely on a date or a figure.