← New Hampshire medical records custodian and retention laws

New Hampshire — 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: At least 7 years.
Patients who were minors: No separate minors period located in the Board's rules.
Clock starts: The date of the patient's last contact with the licensee.
Also: The clock stops early if, before that date, the patient asks for the file to be transferred to another health provider.

Before you close — what this state requires

Med 501.02(c)(8) carries a built-in off-ramp: the 7-year clock stops if the patient asks for the file to be transferred to another provider before then.

What New Hampshire does not require

Stated so nobody infers a duty that is not there.

No affirmative closure-notice or custodian-appointment duty located anywhere in Med 100-600.

Where this comes from

N.H. Code Admin. R. Med 501.02(c)(8) (Board of Medicine)
https://gc.nh.gov/rules/state_agencies/med100-600.html
RSA 332-I:1 (patient access and copy costs - NOT retention)
https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/xxx/332-I/332-I-1.htm

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: Verified September 2026

Prepared by Morgan Records Management for New Hampshire. Checklist built 21 September 2026.