← District of Columbia medical records custodian and retention laws

District of Columbia — Medical Records Checklist

For a practice that is closing, being sold, relocating or whose physician is retiring. Prepared 21 September 2026.

How long records must be kept

Adult patients
A minimum of 5 years.
Patients who were minors
A minimum of 5 years after the minor reaches the age of majority.
Clock starts
The date of last contact.
Also
Amended 10 March 2023 by D.C. Law 24-290.

What District of Columbia does not require

Stated so nobody infers a duty that is not there.

What you may charge for copies

Where this comes from

Read this before you act on it. Every statement above was taken from the state's own published rule or statute and is quoted or closely paraphrased from it. It is a working checklist, not legal advice, and it is a snapshot: retention periods change, and several states adjust their copying fees every year. Confirm the current text with the source listed above, or with your attorney, before you rely on a date or a dollar figure.

Figures stated as of: Fee figures as published; D.C. adjusts them - confirm before billing. Verified September 2026

Prepared by Morgan Records Management for District of Columbia. Checklist built 21 September 2026.