SB 1323 strengthens patient access notices and immigration-response procedures

What happened

California enacted SB 1323 on September 27 as Chapter 698. The amended Health and Safety Code section 24250 requires visitor-monitoring, documentation, and reception procedures and a notice to authorities at the designated main public entrance. The notice states the limits on immigration-enforcement access to nonpublic areas, including state or federal law and valid physical judicial warrants or court orders. Personnel must immediately escalate access and patient-information requests, and provide legal documents for management, administration, or counsel review. The mandatory procedure and notice terms apply until January 1, 2030, when the replacement restores the stated feasibility qualifier and encouraged notice.

Section 24251 continues to require nonpublic designation of treatment, care, and protected-information discussion areas, with mapping and signage encouraged. It restricts immigration-enforcement entry absent the stated legal exception or qualifying judicial authority, calls for witnessed and documented denials to the extent possible, and requires staff and relevant volunteers to receive response instructions. The added instruction concerns requests by a person in immigration custody to notify family or a designated support person of the current location. The January 2030 replacement omits that added instruction while retaining core nonpublic-area and escalation safeguards; the sunset is not a repeal of every patient-access protection.

Why it matters

Patients and frontline staff need accurate, consistent access and disclosure procedures.

Sources

• SB1323 enacted final textOfficial · California Legislature · 2026-09-27 · Source review 2026-10-11
• California Constitution, Article IV section 8(c), official Assembly 2023–24 editionOfficial · California State Assembly · Source review 2026-10-14