How do I request my medical records in Texas?

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 Texas. 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 Texas charge for copies of my records?

Licensed hospital fees are capped by statute and adjusted yearly for inflation. The schedule effective September 1, 2025 is $61.79 for the first 10 pages, $2.09 per page for pages 11–60, $1.02 for pages 61–400, and 56 cents for the rest, plus the actual cost of delivery. Records delivered digitally carry a retrieval fee of up to $111.94 instead. A hospital may not charge you anything to examine your own records, and may not charge at all when the records are for a disability-based benefits or assistance claim. 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.

Medical records request

How to request your medical records in Texas

You have a federal right to a copy of your own medical records, in Texas and everywhere else. Below is how that right works, what Texas 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 Texas adds

Copy fees: Licensed hospital fees are capped by statute and adjusted yearly for inflation. The schedule effective September 1, 2025 is $61.79 for the first 10 pages, $2.09 per page for pages 11–60, $1.02 for pages 61–400, and 56 cents for the rest, plus the actual cost of delivery. Records delivered digitally carry a retrieval fee of up to $111.94 instead. A hospital may not charge you anything to examine your own records, and may not charge at all when the records are for a disability-based benefits or assistance claim.
Worth knowing: Mental-health records follow a separate regime (Tex. Health & Safety Code ch. 611): the provider must respond within 15 days and may withhold portions a professional judges harmful to the patient.
The law: Tex. Health & Safety Code § 241.154 (hospital record fees); § 161.202 (fee waiver for disability-benefit requests). The Texas Medical Board rule 22 Tex. Admin. Code § 165.2 was repealed effective Jan. 9, 2025.

HIPAA sets a floor, not a ceiling. A Texas 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

Who it covers: General and special hospitals licensed under Chapter 241. Clinics and private practices are not covered by this schedule.

These figures are what the source said when we read it on September 9, 2026. Many states adjust their caps every year, so confirm the current amount before you argue one.

Requesting records in Texas — common questions

How do I request my medical records in Texas?: 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 Texas. 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 Texas charge for copies of my records?: Licensed hospital fees are capped by statute and adjusted yearly for inflation. The schedule effective September 1, 2025 is $61.79 for the first 10 pages, $2.09 per page for pages 11–60, $1.02 for pages 61–400, and 56 cents for the rest, plus the actual cost of delivery. Records delivered digitally carry a retrieval fee of up to $111.94 instead. A hospital may not charge you anything to examine your own records, and may not charge at all when the records are for a disability-based benefits or assistance claim. 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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