Nevada Medical Records Request Rules for Practices (2026)

Nevada caps copy charges at 60 cents per page for photocopies plus postage, bans administrative and service fees, and applies the same rule to a representative with the patient's written authorization, such as an attorney. Records must be available for inspection within 10 working days. For subpoenas, a practice can comply by sending an authenticated copy to the court clerk, and Nevada counts medical bills as part of the record.

At a glance

Question	Answer
Deadline for a patient's request	Inspection within 10 working days (20 if the records are kept outside Nevada). The state statute sets no separate deadline for copies, so HIPAA's 30 days applies.
Copy fees a practice can charge	Actual cost, up to 60 cents per page for photocopies, plus postage and a reasonable cost for x-ray copies. No administrative or service fee of any kind.
Requests from the patient's attorney	A representative with the patient's written authorization has the same inspection and copy rights, and the same 60-cent cap applies.
Subpoenas	A practice complies by delivering an authenticated copy with a custodian affidavit to the court clerk by the return date, then notifying the attorney who issued the subpoena.
Records that need extra consent	Communicable disease information reported or gathered under the public health law cannot be disclosed, even by subpoena, without the person's written consent or another listed exception.
How long to keep records	5 years after the record is created or received, and never destroy records of a patient under 23.
Recent changes (2023–2026)	A 2023 amendment requires health care records to be created, kept and exchanged electronically as the state's health information rules require, with a waiver available.

When the patient asks

Under NRS 629.061, a custodian of health care records must make a patient's records available for physical inspection to the patient or a representative with the patient's written authorization. Records kept in Nevada must be available within 10 working days after the request. Records kept outside Nevada must be made available in Nevada within 20 working days.

The custodian must also give a copy to anyone with an inspection right who asks and pays. The charge is limited to actual postage and the cost of making the copy, up to 60 cents per page for photocopies and a reasonable cost for copies of x-rays and similar images. The statute says "no administrative fee or additional service fee of any kind" may be charged.

NRS 629.061 sets a deadline for inspection, not for copies, except one case: records needed for a Social Security claim or appeal, or a federal or state needs-based benefit program, must be provided free within 30 days when the request includes documentation of the claim. A second copy for the same claim can be charged at up to 60 cents per page. For ordinary copy requests from a patient, HIPAA's 30-day deadline applies.

When the patient's attorney asks

NRS 629.061 gives the same rights to "a representative with written authorization from the patient." An attorney with the patient's signed authorization fits that wording, so the 10-working-day inspection deadline, the 60-cent-per-page cap and the ban on administrative fees apply to the attorney's request too. Nevada's doctor-patient privilege (NRS 49.225) does not cover written medical records furnished under NRS 629.061 (NRS 49.245).

Subpoenas

Under NRS 52.325, a custodian of medical records fully complies with a subpoena for records by delivering a true copy to the clerk of the court that issued it, in person or by mail, at or before the return time. This does not apply to x-ray films or other parts of the record that cannot be photocopied. The copy must come with an affidavit signed by the custodian stating that it is a true and complete copy and that the original was made at or near the time of the events by a person with knowledge, in the regular course of business. The affidavit follows the form in NRS 52.260.

After delivery, the custodian must promptly notify the attorney who caused the subpoena to be issued, and sending a copy of the custodian's certificate is enough (NRS 52.345). These rules do not change any subpoena fee requirements (NRS 52.375).

The "custodian of medical records" for these rules includes chiropractic physicians, physicians, registered physical therapists and licensed nurses who keep records, and their employees or agents (NRS 52.320). In a case where the patient's condition is an element of a claim or defense, such as an injury lawsuit, there is no doctor-patient privilege for written medical records relevant to that condition (NRS 49.245).

Records that need extra consent

NRS 441A.220 makes personal information about a person with a communicable disease, drug overdose or suicide attempt confidential when it was reported under the public health law, provided by the person or found in a health authority investigation. It "must not be disclosed to any person under any circumstances, including pursuant to any subpoena," except in listed cases, one of which is the person's written consent.

Billing records and medical bills

Nevada counts bills as part of the record in two places. For copy rights and fees, "health care records" include any billing statement, ledger or other record of amounts charged (NRS 629.061). For subpoenas, "medical records" include bills, ledgers, statements and other accounts showing the cost of care (NRS 52.320). An itemized bill requested by a patient or an authorized attorney is subject to the same 60-cent cap.

How long to keep records

NRS 629.051 requires a custodian to keep health care records for 5 years after they are received or produced, unless federal law requires longer. Records of a patient who is under 23 on the date of proposed destruction may not be destroyed. Practices must also post a sign and give new patients a written statement that their records may be destroyed after the retention period.

Recent changes

NRS 629.051 was amended in 2023 to require that health care records be created, maintained, transmitted and exchanged electronically as required by NRS 439.589, which lets a provider without the necessary infrastructure apply for a waiver. We could not confirm the compliance date for this requirement in a primary source. NRS 629.061, the copy and fee rule, has not been amended since 2017.

What this means for your practice

Bill copies at no more than 60 cents per page plus postage, and drop any flat retrieval, processing or "administrative" fee for Nevada requests.
Treat an attorney with a signed patient authorization like the patient for fee purposes.
Track inspection requests against the 10-working-day clock and copy requests against HIPAA's 30 days.
Keep a custodian affidavit in the NRS 52.260 form ready, and send the attorney a copy of the certificate after delivering records to the court clerk.
Include itemized bills and ledgers when a request or subpoena asks for "medical records."
Do not purge records of anyone under 23, and keep the required sign posted and the written retention notice in new-patient paperwork.

Sources

How we verified: statute text read from the 2025 Nevada Revised Statutes as published by Justia on November 12, 2026, because the Legislature's official site blocked automated access.