Welf. & Inst. Code, § 5541 · Article 5. Access to Records
Welf. & Inst. Code, § 5541
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) A specific authorization by the client or by the guardian ad litem is necessary for a county patients’ rights advocate to have access to, copy or otherwise use confidential records or information pertaining to the client. Such an authorization shall be given knowingly and voluntarily by a client or guardian ad litem and shall be in writing or be reduced to writing. The client or the guardian ad litem, whoever has entered into the agreement, may revoke such authorization at any time, either in writing or by oral declaration to the advocate.
(b) When specifically authorized by the client or the guardian ad litem, the county patients’ rights advocate may inspect and copy confidential client information and records.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Stats. 1981, Ch. 841, Sec. 7.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=5541.
- Text hash
- sha256 3e45b56a8a9f602f7f22dda3162ed06d5a64d11f695327cb47d195e235350a81
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.