Enforcement
The Board's Enforcement Program protects California consumers through the vigorous, objective enforcement of the Medical Practice Act.
Enforcement Public Document Search
This section of the Medical Board's website contains scanned, public-record documents relating to administrative actions taken by the Board against licensed and unlicensed individuals. The law authorizes the Board to post information about licensed physicians on the website indefinitely, except for public letters of reprimand and citations. Public letters of reprimand are posted for 10 years from the effective date of the decision. Citations are posted for three years from the date they are resolved. Some information, e.g., suspensions, temporary restraining orders, etc., are only posted while the licensee is actively subjected to the enforcement action or proceeding.
You should not use this section as your only means of determining if a physician has had any action taken against their license or to verify the license status. If you wish to check a physician's profile, please visit the BreEZe Online License Lookup.
All imaged documents provided by the Medical Board are being made available to provide immediate access for the convenience of interested persons. While the Medical Board believes the information to be reliable, human or mechanical error remains a possibility, as does delay in the posting or updating of information. Therefore, the Medical Board makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, currency, or correct sequencing of the information. The Medical Board shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the use or results obtained from the use of this information. The type of documents which are available include, but are not limited to, accusations, decisions, suspension/restriction orders, public letters of reprimand and citations.
Obtaining Enforcement Documents
If enforcement or disciplinary action has been taken against an individual's license or registration by the Board, the public documents related to the action are available and posted on the Board's website. Business and Professions Code Section 2027 requires that the Board remove public letters of reprimand from the website 10 years from the effective date of the decision. The public letters of reprimand that are removed from the website are still available to the public upon written request.
The following documents are available from the Board:
- Accusation: The document stating the charges the Board has filed against the physician.
- Decision: The document describing legal and factual findings and disposition of the charges filed in the Accusation and identifying any conditions or limitations imposed on the physician's license.
- Suspension Orders: Issued by either a Superior Court judge or administrative law judge to suspend or limit a physician's practice immediately.
- Public Letter of Reprimand: A form of discipline that can include a requirement for specified training or education.
- Citation: A sanction that usually includes a fine imposed by the Board for technical violations of the law. Note: Citations are not considered disciplinary action and are only available for three years after the citation has been resolved.
Request a Historical Enforcement Document
To request a copy of a historical enforcement document no longer available on the website, please use our online Public Document Request form.
A request for documents can also be sent by fax to: MBC Central File Room at (916) 263-2420 or by contacting the Board staff by phone at (916) 263-2525.
Requesting Certified Copies of Board Documents
The Board will produce certified copies of public enforcement documents for either official government business or to use as evidence in court upon request. Documents will be mailed to the requestor through the United States Postal Service within 10 days of receipt of the request, excluding weekends and holidays.
Requests for documents can be submitted to:
Medical Board of California
Attention: Central File Room
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815-5401
Fax: (916) 263-2473
Please contact the Medical Board staff by phone at (916) 263-2525 for questions.
Request for Certified Public Enforcement Documents