Illinois
Medical Records Custodian & Retention Laws
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Illinois Medical Record Retention Law:
210 ILCS 85/6.17 (Hospital Licensing Act)
- Adult patients: Not less than 10 years - but note this is the HOSPITAL Licensing Act, which binds hospitals, not physician offices.
- Patients who were minors: No separate minors period in this section.
- The retention period runs from: Set by hospital policy, subject to the 10-year floor.
- A litigation hold applies where an attorney gives written notice before the 10 years expire: the record is then kept until the case concludes or for 12 years from when the record was produced, whichever comes FIRST. The 12 years is the outer bound of that hold - it is not a general retention period and it is not a maximum.
- No Illinois physician-office retention rule was located.
If you are closing, selling or relocating your practice Illinois sets out what has to happen to patient records. The points below are taken from the source above.
- None located in 210 ILCS 85/6.17 - it is a hospital confidentiality and preservation section.
- The Illinois physician-office retention rule was NOT located; 210 ILCS 85 does not supply one.
Illinois 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 Illinois checklist →
Cost
No state copying-fee schedule was located for Illinois. 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.