CA Medical License Lookup: Status, Discipline, and Limits

To run a California medical license lookup, go to the Medical Board of California’s License Verification page at mbc.ca.gov and search by the physician’s name or license number.1Medical Board of California. License Verification The free tool shows whether the license is active, when it expires, and whether the doctor has any public disciplinary history. California law also requires the Board to release a broader set of enforcement and malpractice information on request, so what you see in the profile is often more detailed than what other states publish.2California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 803.1

How to Run the Search

Open the License Verification page and pick a license type before you search. For medical doctors (M.D.s) and doctors of osteopathic medicine (D.O.s), choose “Physician and Surgeon.” The same tool covers a handful of other provider types the Board regulates directly, including licensed midwives, postgraduate training licensees, polysomnographic technologists, and research psychoanalysts.3Medical Board of California. License Verification Lookup Disclosure

You can search by full or partial name, or by license number if you have it. Optional filters narrow the results by practice city or zip code, self-reported specialty, or foreign language spoken. Click the correct match to open the full public profile.

What the Profile Shows

Each physician profile is a single page containing:4Medical Board of California. License Verification Sample

  • Full legal name and California license number
  • License type
  • Primary status (active, inactive, revoked, and so on) and secondary status, which flags specific actions, court orders, or out-of-state discipline
  • Issuance date and current expiration date
  • Medical school and year of graduation
  • Address of record reported to the Board
  • Links to public documents from any disciplinary proceedings — accusations, stipulated settlements, and decisions

The Board’s own field-by-field description page explains each item if you want more detail on what you’re reading.3Medical Board of California. License Verification Lookup Disclosure

Reading the License Status

The primary status is the quickest read on whether the doctor can legally practice in California right now:4Medical Board of California. License Verification Sample

  • Current (Active): Valid license; the physician can practice unless the secondary status says otherwise.
  • Inactive: Voluntarily placed on inactive status. No practice allowed.
  • Delinquent: Renewal fee unpaid. No practice until resolved.
  • Probation: Practice permitted under restrictions from a disciplinary action, often with monitoring, practice limits, or required education for a set period.
  • Suspended: Ability to practice temporarily restricted by a court order or administrative proceeding. No practice while in effect.
  • Revoked: License taken away through discipline. No practice.
  • Surrendered: License given up, often during an investigation or with charges pending.

Don’t stop at the primary status. A license can read “Current” while the secondary status carries a notation like “Accusation Filed and Pending” or “Limitations on Practice” that changes the picture completely.

Revocation is not always the end. Under Business and Professions Code section 2307, a physician whose license was revoked or surrendered can petition the Board for reinstatement, which the Board may grant with or without conditions.5California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 2307 A profile that once showed a revocation but now shows an active or probationary license has been through that process. The disciplinary history stays on the profile.

Disciplinary and Malpractice Disclosures

For most people, this is the part that matters. Business and Professions Code section 803.1 requires the Board to release the following to any member of the public who asks:2California Legislative Information. California Code BPC 803.1

  • Disciplinary orders, including revocations, suspensions, probation, practice limitations, public letters of reprimand, and citations or fines
  • Temporary restraining orders and interim suspension orders
  • Enforcement actions from other states or jurisdictions
  • Civil malpractice judgments of any amount for death or personal injury, even if later settled after judgment
  • Arbitration awards of any amount in malpractice claims
  • Malpractice settlements over $30,000 tied to the physician’s alleged negligence

Settlements have a wrinkle. Insurers must report qualifying settlements to the Board, but the Board uses a risk-category system to decide which ones appear on the public profile. For physicians in a low-risk category, settlements only show up when there are three or more within the past ten years.6Medical Board of California. Frequently Asked Questions – Medical Malpractice Reporting So an empty settlement history on a profile doesn’t guarantee there have been none.

The “Public Documents” section links to the underlying filings. An “Accusation” is the formal charging document alleging violations of the Medical Practice Act. A “Stipulated Settlement” is an agreement between the physician and the Board on discipline without a full hearing. A “Decision” is the outcome after an administrative hearing. Reading the documents themselves gives you far more context than the status label.

What the Lookup Does Not Cover

The MBC profile will not tell you whether a doctor is board certified in a specialty. Licensure and board certification are different things: a state license is the legal minimum to practice, while board certification is a voluntary credential showing the physician passed extra exams and training in a field like cardiology or psychiatry. California doesn’t require it. To check certification, use the American Board of Medical Specialties’ tool at certificationmatters.org.7Certification Matters. Is My Doctor Board Certified?

The profile also doesn’t show industry payments. If you want to see whether a physician has received consulting fees, speaking payments, meals, travel, research funding, or ownership interests from pharmaceutical or medical device companies, search the federal Open Payments database run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.8CMS. Open Payments A payment appearing there doesn’t mean anything improper occurred, but sizable or repeated payments from a company whose products your doctor prescribes are worth asking about.

And the MBC only covers the provider types listed above. Other California healthcare licensees fall under separate boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs, each with its own lookup:9Department of Consumer Affairs. Public Information – Licensee Lists Overview

  • Registered nurses, licensed vocational nurses, and nurse practitioners: Board of Registered Nursing
  • Dentists: Dental Board of California
  • Physician assistants: Physician Assistant Board
  • Pharmacists: California State Board of Pharmacy
  • Psychologists: Board of Psychology
  • Chiropractors: Board of Chiropractic Examiners

The information each board publishes varies. The DCA site links to all of them from one directory.

Telehealth Doctors From Other States

A physician treating a patient located in California through telehealth generally needs a California license, so you can run them through the MBC lookup the same way you would an in-person doctor. If you also want to see whether that physician has been disciplined elsewhere, each state’s medical board maintains its own public verification tool; you’d need to check the states where the doctor has practiced.

If Something Looks Wrong

If the lookup surfaces something concerning, or if you’ve had a negative experience with a physician, you can file a complaint with the MBC. Complaints must be in writing, one form per provider, and can be submitted online, by mail, or by fax to the Board’s Central Complaint Unit.10Medical Board of California. File a Complaint The Board’s toll-free number for complaint questions is 1-800-633-2322.

Complaints are what generate the enforcement records that eventually appear on physician profiles. An investigation follows, and if the Board finds enough evidence of a violation, it may file a formal accusation, negotiate a settlement, or move to revoke the license. Not every complaint leads to discipline, but the Board can only act on problems it hears about.