At the end of the 72 hours the statute allows four outcomes and no others: a person "shall be released, referred for further care and treatment on a voluntary basis, or certified for intensive treatment, or a conservator or temporary conservator shall be appointed."¹⁷ Certification is the one this page is about. The hours do not roll over into more time automatically. Someone has to certify you, in writing, on stated grounds — and within four days of that, a hearing has to happen, before which an attorney or patient advocate is required to come and find you.
The short answer: they can hold you 14 more days, but only by certifying you under section 5250, and only if four things are true — you were detained for 72 hours and evaluated; staff have found that "as a result of a mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism" you are "a danger to others or to themselves, or is gravely disabled"; the treating facility is county-designated and agrees to admit you; and you "ha[ve] been advised of the need for, but ha[ve] not been willing or able to accept, treatment on a voluntary basis."¹ Two people must sign the certification: the professional person in charge of the evaluation facility or their designee, and "a physician or psychologist who participated in the evaluation."² You are then entitled to a certification review hearing "within four days of the date on which the person is certified," unless you ask to postpone it or go to court instead,³ and "[a]s soon after the certification as practicable, an attorney or patient advocate shall meet with the person certified to discuss the commitment process and to assist the person in preparing for the certification review hearing."³ The standard at that hearing is probable cause, not proof.⁴ You may also, at any time, ask for release and get a court hearing by habeas corpus — the court must "either release the person or order an evidentiary hearing to be held within two judicial days after the petition is filed."⁵
What section 5250 actually requires
The section opens with the prerequisite, not the power: "If a person is detained for 72 hours" under a 5150 or a court evaluation order "and has received an evaluation, the person may be certified for not more than 14 days of intensive treatment related to the mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, under the following conditions."¹
The section lists four lettered conditions. Three of them — (a), (b) and (c) — are requirements that must all be met; the fourth, (d), is a carve-out that defeats a grave-disability finding.¹ Subdivision (a) is the clinical finding: "The professional staff of the agency or facility providing evaluation services has analyzed the person's condition and has found the person is, as a result of a mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, a danger to others or to themselves, or is gravely disabled." Subdivision (b) is about the building: the facility "is designated by the county to provide intensive treatment and agrees to admit the person," and "[a] facility shall not be designated to provide intensive treatment unless it complies with the certification review hearing required by this article." Subdivision (c) is the one most often misdescribed: "The person has been advised of the need for, but has not been willing or able to accept, treatment on a voluntary basis."
Read subdivision (c) closely. It is "willing or able." Secondary sources routinely shorten this to "refused voluntary treatment," which is narrower than the statute. A person who wants treatment but cannot, for whatever reason, accept it on a voluntary basis still satisfies the condition. What is a 5150 hold? →
The clause about family and friends
Subdivision (d) is a carve-out worth knowing by name, because it can end a certification. Paragraph (d)(1): "Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 5008, a person is not 'gravely disabled' if that person can survive safely without involuntary detention with the help of responsible family, friends, or others who are both willing and able to help provide for the person's basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter."¹
Paragraph (d)(2) adds a condition of its own, and it is a formality that decides cases: "However, unless they specifically indicate in writing their willingness and ability to help, family, friends, or others shall not be considered willing or able to provide this help."¹ In writing. A relative who says so at the bedside, and nothing more, has not triggered the clause.
Paragraph (d)(3) explains why it is drafted that way: "The purpose of this subdivision is to avoid the necessity for, and the harmful effects of, requiring family, friends, and others to publicly state, and requiring the certification review officer to publicly find, that no one is willing or able to assist a person with a grave disability."¹
What SB 43 changed, and what it did not. The change came through the definition of grave disability in section 5008(h)(1)(A), which now covers a person who, "as a result of a mental health disorder, a severe substance use disorder, or a co-occurring mental health disorder and a severe substance use disorder, is unable to provide for their basic personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, personal safety, or necessary medical care" — and which by its own terms applies "for purposes of … Article 4 (commencing with Section 5250)."⁶ Two things widened at once: severe substance use disorder was added, and the list of basic needs grew from food, clothing and shelter to include personal safety and necessary medical care. Counties were allowed to defer these changes by board resolution, but only "until January 1, 2026";⁶ that window has closed and the definition now applies statewide. Nothing in section 5250 itself was changed — its own wording, "a mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism," remains, and it was not amended to mention substance use disorder. The widened route runs through the section 5008(h)(1)(A) definition of grave disability, which applies to Article 4 by its own terms; how that interacts with section 5250(a)'s own wording is not settled by the text, and this page does not resolve it.
The hearing, and who stands next to you
You must be handed a copy of the certification, and the person handing it to you has two jobs. They must tell you that you are "entitled to a certification review hearing, to be held within four days of the date on which the person is certified for a period of intensive treatment," and inform you of your rights about it "including the right to the assistance of another person to prepare for the hearing."³ The notice itself must say that "an attorney or advocate will visit him or her to provide assistance in preparing for the hearing or to answer questions regarding his or her commitment or to provide other assistance,"² and a separate section makes that a duty: "As soon after the certification as practicable, an attorney or patient advocate shall meet with the person certified."³ They must also, separately, inform you "of his or her legal right to a judicial review by habeas corpus, and shall explain that term to the person certified, and inform the person of his or her right to counsel, including court-appointed counsel."⁷
The hearing is conducted "by either a court-appointed commissioner or a referee, or a certification review hearing officer."⁸ A hearing officer cannot work for the county mental health programme or for the hospital holding you: "No employee of the county mental health program or of any facility designated by the county … may serve as a certification review hearing officer," and officers are drawn "from a list of eligible persons unanimously approved by a panel composed of the local mental health director, the county public defender, and the county counsel or district attorney."⁸ It usually happens where you are: "hearings conducted by certification review officers shall be conducted at an appropriate place at the facility where the person certified is receiving treatment."⁸
You have five rights at it, listed in the statute: "Assistance by an attorney or advocate"; "To present evidence on his or her own behalf"; "To question persons presenting evidence in support of the certification decision"; "To make reasonable requests for the attendance of facility employees who have knowledge of, or participated in, the certification decision"; and — a provision that exists because it had to — if you have had medication in the previous 24 hours, "the person conducting the hearing shall be informed of that fact and of the probable effects of the medication."⁹
You are meant to be there. "The person certified shall be present at the certification review hearing unless he or she, with the assistance of his or her attorney or advocate, waives his or her right to be present."¹⁰ Waiver requires the advocate's assistance; it is not something you sign alone.
The proceeding is deliberately informal: it "shall be conducted in an impartial and informal manner in order to encourage free and open discussion by participants," and the person conducting it "shall not be bound by rules of procedure or evidence applicable in judicial proceedings."⁹ The case against release is "presented by a person designated by the director of the facility," and the district attorney or county counsel may also elect to appear.¹¹
One sentence in the statute is worth reading twice if you are the person being held: "Although resistance to involuntary commitment may be a product of a mental disorder, this resistance shall not, in itself, imply the presence of a mental disorder or constitute evidence that a person meets the criteria of being dangerous to self or others, or gravely disabled."⁹
What the hearing can do
If the hearing officer finds there is not probable cause, "then the person certified may no longer be involuntarily detained."¹² Note the words: the statute does not say "shall be released immediately" — that phrase belongs to the habeas statute.⁵ It also preserves the obvious: "Nothing herein shall prohibit the person from remaining at the facility on a voluntary basis or the facility from providing the person with appropriate referral information concerning mental health services."¹²
If the officer does find probable cause, you "may be detained for involuntary care, protection, and treatment."¹³
The court route, which runs in parallel
Habeas corpus is not an appeal from the hearing; it is an alternative you can start at any time. "Every person detained under this part shall have a right to a hearing by writ of habeas corpus for their release after they or any person acting on their behalf has made a request for release" — to the person who delivered the certification, or "to any member of the treatment staff of the facility providing intensive treatment, at any time during treatment pursuant to this part."⁵ The staff member who receives that request must pass it on: "As soon as possible, the person notified shall inform the superior court." A person "who intentionally violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor."⁵
Then the clock: "The court shall either release the person or order an evidentiary hearing to be held within two judicial days after the petition is filed."⁵ Counsel is appointed if you want it, "immediately," and "[t]he person shall pay the costs of the legal service if he or she is able."⁵ There is also an anti-transfer rule that matters in a big county: if the evaluation facility has been told in writing that judicial review will be sought, "[n]o patient shall be transferred from the county providing evaluation services to a different county for intensive treatment … until the completion of the judicial review."⁵
The court must release you immediately if it finds you are not a danger or gravely disabled, or "that he or she had not been advised of, or had accepted, voluntary treatment," or that the facility "is not equipped and staffed to provide treatment, or is not designated by the county to provide intensive treatment."⁵
After the 14 days
Section 5257(b) is the list of exits, and the default is release: a person certified under 5250 "shall be released at the end of 14 days unless the patient either" agrees to voluntary treatment; is certified for an additional 14 days under Article 4.5; is certified for an additional 30 days under Article 4.7; is the subject of a conservatorship petition; or is the subject of a postcertification petition for a dangerous person.¹⁴
The additional 14 days is section 5260, and it has one ground only — suicide. It reaches a person who "threatened or attempted to take his or her own life" during the 72 hours or the 14 days "and who continues to present an imminent threat of taking his or her own life."¹⁵ Four conditions attach: staff have found "that the person presents an imminent threat of taking his or her own life"; the person "has been advised of, but has not accepted, voluntary treatment"; the facility "is equipped and staffed to provide treatment, is designated by the county to provide that intensive treatment, and agrees to admit the person"; and the threat or attempt occurred during the 14 days or the 72 hours, or was the reason for the original detention.¹⁵ Grave disability and danger to others are not grounds for it.
The additional 30 days is section 5270.15, and it has the opposite single ground: staff must have found "that the person remains gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism," and that "[t]he person remains unwilling or unable to accept treatment voluntarily."¹⁶ It carries its own certification review hearing, with a notice rule the 14-day hearing does not have: the facility must make "[r]easonable attempts" to notify family or a person you designate "at least 36 hours before the certification review hearing," and must tell you that you can ask it not to.¹⁶ Staff must also re-analyse your condition "at intervals not to exceed 10 days."¹⁶
A worked example
You were taken in on a Friday on a 5150. On Monday the 72 hours are nearly up and a psychiatrist tells you they are certifying you for 14 days.
The paperwork should reach you that day, and the person handing it over should say two separate things: that you have a hearing within four days, and that you can go to court by habeas corpus instead.³ ⁷ Before the hearing, an attorney or patient advocate is required to meet with you "as soon after the certification as practicable"³ — you do not have to ask, though asking for the patients' rights advocate by name does no harm.
Your sister flies in and tells the unit she will take you home and look after you. That, on its own, is not enough — paragraph (d)(2) requires her to "specifically indicate in writing [her] willingness and ability to help."¹ A short signed note, given to the advocate before the hearing, is the difference between a clause that applies and one that does not.
At the hearing, the facility presents its case first.¹¹ You can question the people who made the decision and ask for the staff who participated in it to attend.⁹ If you had lorazepam that morning, the hearing officer must be told, and told about its probable effects.⁹ If the officer is not satisfied there is probable cause, you "may no longer be involuntarily detained" — you can still stay voluntarily if you want to.¹²
What this page cannot tell you
Whether Article 4.7's 30-day certification is available where you are. It is a local-option article: it "shall be operative only in those counties in which the county board of supervisors, by resolution, authorizes its application," and which counties have done so is not something a state page lists.¹⁶ Ask the patients' rights advocate; that is exactly what they are there for. Who is the patients' rights advocate? →
Q&A
Q: Is the certification review hearing a court? A: The statutes do not characterise it either way. It may be conducted by a court-appointed commissioner or referee, or by a non-judicial hearing officer,⁸ and the person conducting it "shall not be bound by rules of procedure or evidence applicable in judicial proceedings."⁹ The route that is unambiguously a court is habeas corpus under sections 5275 and 5276.⁵
Q: Can I postpone the hearing? A: Yes. The four-day deadline applies "unless postponed by request of the person or their attorney or advocate."⁴
Q: What if I was never certified, but I am still being held past the 72 hours? A: Section 5256(b) covers that: where a person "has not been certified for intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250 and remains detained pursuant to Section 5150, a certification review hearing shall be held within seven days of the date the person was initially detained."⁴ The same hearing rules apply and you are treated as a person certified.
Q: Will my family be told about the hearing? A: "Reasonable attempts shall be made by the mental health facility to notify family members or any other person designated by the patient, of the time and place of the certification hearing, unless the patient requests that this information not be provided. The patient shall be advised by the facility that is treating the patient that he or she has the right to request that this information not be provided."⁹ You can ask them not to, and they must tell you that you can.
Q: Who pays for the lawyer in the habeas route? A: The court appoints the public defender or another attorney if you elect one, and "[t]he person shall pay the costs of the legal service if he or she is able."⁵
Q: Can I be released before the 14 days are up? A: Yes, but the gate is narrow. Release requires that "the psychiatrist directly responsible for the person's treatment believes, as a result of the psychiatrist's personal observations," that you no longer meet the criteria. Where a psychiatrist and a psychologist are both treating you collaboratively and both have personally evaluated you, "either the psychiatrist or psychologist may authorize the release of the person, but only after they have consulted with one another." And "[i]n the event of a clinical or professional disagreement regarding the early release," you "may not be released unless the facility's medical director overrules the decision of the psychiatrist or psychologist opposing the release."¹⁴
What a hold leaves behind: Does a 5150 go on my record? →
The bill that follows: Hospital bill after a psychiatric hold →
Our therapist directory: See its current status →
Sources
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5250 — the opening flush text, "If a person is detained for 72 hours under the provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 5150), or under court order for evaluation pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 5200) or Article 3 (commencing with Section 5225) and has received an evaluation, the person may be certified for not more than 14 days of intensive treatment related to the mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, under the following conditions:"; (a) "The professional staff of the agency or facility providing evaluation services has analyzed the person's condition and has found the person is, as a result of a mental health disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, a danger to others or to themselves, or is gravely disabled."; (b) "The facility providing intensive treatment is designated by the county to provide intensive treatment and agrees to admit the person. A facility shall not be designated to provide intensive treatment unless it complies with the certification review hearing required by this article. The procedures shall be described in the county Short-Doyle plan."; (c) "The person has been advised of the need for, but has not been willing or able to accept, treatment on a voluntary basis."; (d)(1) "Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 5008, a person is not 'gravely disabled' if that person can survive safely without involuntary detention with the help of responsible family, friends, or others who are both willing and able to help provide for the person's basic personal needs for food, clothing, or shelter."; (d)(2) "However, unless they specifically indicate in writing their willingness and ability to help, family, friends, or others shall not be considered willing or able to provide this help."; (d)(3) "The purpose of this subdivision is to avoid the necessity for, and the harmful effects of, requiring family, friends, and others to publicly state, and requiring the certification review officer to publicly find, that no one is willing or able to assist a person with a grave disability." — california.public.law, read 14 September 2026; cross-checked against the 2025 California Code at law.justia.com, which credits the section to Stats. 2024, Ch. 492, Sec. 13 (SB 1511), effective 1 January 2025.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5251 — (a) "For a person to be certified under this article, a notice of certification shall be signed by two people." (a)(1) "The first person shall be the professional person, or his or her designee, in charge of the agency or facility providing evaluation services." (a)(2) "The second person shall be a physician or psychologist who participated in the evaluation. The physician shall be, if possible, a board certified psychiatrist." Subdivision (b) provides that where the professional person in charge or the designee is themselves the evaluating physician or psychologist, another physician or psychologist signs — and if neither is available, "a licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional clinical counselor, or registered nurse who participated in the evaluation shall sign the notice of certification." (Stats. 2017, Ch. 184, effective 1 January 2018.) — california.public.law. The contents of the notice are prescribed by §5252, which requires the form to state "The specific facts which form the basis for our opinion that the above-named person meets one or more of the classifications indicated above are as follows:" and that "an attorney or advocate will visit him or her to provide assistance in preparing for the hearing or to answer questions regarding his or her commitment or to provide other assistance" — california.public.law. Delivery is governed by §5253: "A copy of the certification notice shall be personally delivered to the person certified, the person's attorney, or the attorney or advocate designated in Section 5252," and "The person certified shall also be asked to designate any person who is to be sent a copy of the certification notice." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5254 — "The person delivering the copy of the notice of certification to the person certified shall, at the time of delivery, inform the person certified that he or she is entitled to a certification review hearing, to be held within four days of the date on which the person is certified for a period of intensive treatment," "unless judicial review is requested," "to determine whether or not probable cause exists to detain the person"; and "The person certified shall be informed of his or her rights with respect to the hearing, including the right to the assistance of another person to prepare for the hearing or to answer other questions and concerns regarding his or her involuntary detention or both." — california.public.law. The mandatory meeting for a certified person is §5255: "As soon after the certification as practicable, an attorney or patient advocate shall meet with the person certified to discuss the commitment process and to assist the person in preparing for the certification review hearing or to answer questions or otherwise assist the person as is appropriate." — california.public.law, read 14 September 2026. (A parallel sentence for a person held past 72 hours without certification is in §5256(b).) — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256 — (a) "When a person is certified for intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250 or 5270.15, a certification review hearing shall be held unless judicial review has been requested as provided in Section 5275 and 5276," and "The certification review hearing shall be within four days of the date on which the person is certified for a period of intensive treatment unless postponed by request of the person or their attorney or advocate."; (b) "When a person has not been certified for intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250 and remains detained pursuant to Section 5150, a certification review hearing shall be held within seven days of the date the person was initially detained pursuant to Section 5150, unless judicial review has been requested as provided in Section 5275 and 5276." — california.public.law. The probable-cause standard is stated in §5254 and in §§5256.5 and 5256.6; no fetched section states a burden of proof or who bears it.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5275 — "Every person detained under this part shall have a right to a hearing by writ of habeas corpus for their release after they or any person acting on their behalf has made a request for release to either (a) the person delivering the copy of the notice of certification to the person certified at the time of the delivery, or (b) to any member of the treatment staff of the facility providing intensive treatment, at any time during treatment pursuant to this part"; "As soon as possible, the person notified shall inform the superior court for the county in which the facility is located of the request for release"; "Any person who intentionally violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor." — california.public.law. And §5276 — "The court shall either release the person or order an evidentiary hearing to be held within two judicial days after the petition is filed"; the right-to-counsel and cost sentences; "Judicial review shall be in the superior court for the county in which the facility providing intensive treatment is located or in the county in which the 72-hour evaluation was conducted if the patient or a person acting in his or her behalf informs the professional staff of the evaluation facility (in writing) that judicial review will be sought"; "No patient shall be transferred from the county providing evaluation services to a different county for intensive treatment if the staff of the evaluation facility has been informed in writing that a judicial review will be sought, until the completion of the judicial review"; and the three grounds on which "he or she shall be released immediately" — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5008(h)(1)(A) — "'gravely disabled' means any of the following, as applicable: (A) A condition in which a person, as a result of a mental health disorder, a severe substance use disorder, or a co-occurring mental health disorder and a severe substance use disorder, is unable to provide for their basic personal needs for food, clothing, shelter, personal safety, or necessary medical care," applicable by its own terms "[f]or purposes of … Article 4 (commencing with Section 5250)"; (h)(4) "A county, by adoption of a resolution of its governing body, may elect to defer implementation of the changes made to this section by Senate Bill 43 of the 2023–24 Regular Session of the Legislature until January 1, 2026."; (o) "'Severe substance use disorder' means a diagnosed substance-related disorder that meets the diagnostic criteria of 'severe' as defined in the most current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." — 2025 California Code, law.justia.com, credited "Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 644, Sec. 5. (SB 1238) Effective January 1, 2025." The deferral window closed on 1 January 2026; the definition now applies statewide.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5254.1 — "The person delivering the copy of the notice of certification to the person certified shall, at the time of delivery, inform the person certified of his or her legal right to a judicial review by habeas corpus, and shall explain that term to the person certified, and inform the person of his or her right to counsel, including court-appointed counsel pursuant to Section 5276." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.1 — "The certification review hearing shall be conducted by either a court-appointed commissioner or a referee, or a certification review hearing officer"; the list of who may serve as a hearing officer; "Certification review hearing officers shall be selected from a list of eligible persons unanimously approved by a panel composed of the local mental health director, the county public defender, and the county counsel or district attorney designated by the county board of supervisors"; "No employee of the county mental health program or of any facility designated by the county and approved by the State Department of Social Services as a facility for 72-hour treatment and evaluation may serve as a certification review hearing officer"; "The location of the certification review hearing shall be compatible with, and least disruptive of, the treatment being provided to the person certified"; "In addition, hearings conducted by certification review officers shall be conducted at an appropriate place at the facility where the person certified is receiving treatment." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.4 — (a) "At the certification review hearing, the person certified shall have the following rights: (1) Assistance by an attorney or advocate. (2) To present evidence on his or her own behalf. (3) To question persons presenting evidence in support of the certification decision. (4) To make reasonable requests for the attendance of facility employees who have knowledge of, or participated in, the certification decision. (5) If the person has received medication within 24 hours or such longer period of time as the person conducting the hearing may designate prior to the beginning of the hearing, the person conducting the hearing shall be informed of that fact and of the probable effects of the medication."; (b) "The hearing shall be conducted in an impartial and informal manner in order to encourage free and open discussion by participants. The person conducting the hearing shall not be bound by rules of procedure or evidence applicable in judicial proceedings."; (c) "Reasonable attempts shall be made by the mental health facility to notify family members or any other person designated by the patient, of the time and place of the certification hearing, unless the patient requests that this information not be provided. The patient shall be advised by the facility that is treating the patient that he or she has the right to request that this information not be provided."; (e) "Although resistance to involuntary commitment may be a product of a mental disorder, this resistance shall not, in itself, imply the presence of a mental disorder or constitute evidence that a person meets the criteria of being dangerous to self or others, or gravely disabled." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.3 — "The person certified shall be present at the certification review hearing unless he or she, with the assistance of his or her attorney or advocate, waives his or her right to be present at a hearing." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.2 — "At the certification review hearing, the evidence in support of the certification decision shall be presented by a person designated by the director of the facility. In addition, either the district attorney or the county counsel may, at his or her discretion, elect to present evidence at the certification review hearing." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.5 — "If at the conclusion of the certification review hearing the person conducting the hearing finds that there is not probable cause to believe that the person certified is, as a result of a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled, then the person certified may no longer be involuntarily detained. Nothing herein shall prohibit the person from remaining at the facility on a voluntary basis or the facility from providing the person with appropriate referral information concerning mental health services." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5256.6 — "If at the conclusion of the certification review hearing the person conducting the hearing finds that there is probable cause that the person certified is, as a result of a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled, then the person may be detained for involuntary care, protection, and treatment related to the mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism pursuant to Section 5250 and 5270.15." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5257 — (a) "During the period of intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250 or 5270.15, the person's involuntary detention shall be terminated and the person shall be released only if the psychiatrist directly responsible for the person's treatment believes, as a result of the psychiatrist's personal observations, that the person certified no longer is, as a result of mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled," the collaborative provision that where a psychiatrist and psychologist have both personally evaluated the person "either the psychiatrist or psychologist may authorize the release of the person, but only after they have consulted with one another," and "In the event of a clinical or professional disagreement regarding the early release of a person who is undergoing intensive treatment, the person may not be released unless the facility's medical director overrules the decision of the psychiatrist or psychologist opposing the release"; (b) "A person who has been certified for a period of intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250 shall be released at the end of 14 days unless the patient either: (1) Agrees to receive further treatment on a voluntary basis. (2) Is certified for an additional 14 days of intensive treatment pursuant to Article 4.5 (commencing with Section 5260). (3) Is certified for an additional 30 days of intensive treatment pursuant to Article 4.7 (commencing with Section 5270.10). (4) Is the subject of a conservatorship petition filed pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 5350). (5) Is the subject of a petition for postcertification treatment of a dangerous person filed pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 5300)." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5260 — "At the expiration of the 14-day period of intensive treatment any person who, as a result of mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, during the 14-day period or the 72-hour evaluation period, threatened or attempted to take his or her own life or who was detained for evaluation and treatment because he or she threatened or attempted to take his or her own life and who continues to present an imminent threat of taking his or her own life, may be confined for further intensive treatment pursuant to this article for an additional period not to exceed 14 days," on conditions including (a) "The professional staff of the agency or facility providing intensive treatment services has analyzed the person's condition and has found that the person presents an imminent threat of taking his or her own life," (b) "The person has been advised of, but has not accepted, voluntary treatment," (c) "The facility providing additional intensive treatment is equipped and staffed to provide treatment, is designated by the county to provide that intensive treatment, and agrees to admit the person," and (d) "The person has, as a result of mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, threatened or attempted to take his or her own life during the 14-day period of intensive treatment or the 72-hour evaluation period or was detained for evaluation and treatment because he or she threatened or attempted to take his or her own life." — california.public.law.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5270.15 — (a) "Upon the completion of a 14-day period of intensive treatment pursuant to Section 5250, the person may be certified for an additional period of not more than 30 days of intensive treatment under both of the following conditions: (1) The professional staff of the agency or facility treating the person has found that the person remains gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism. (2) The person remains unwilling or unable to accept treatment voluntarily."; (b) "A person certified for an additional 30 days pursuant to this article shall be provided a certification review hearing in accordance with Section 5256 unless a judicial review is requested pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 5275)"; (b)(1) "Reasonable attempts shall be made by the mental health facility to notify family members or any other person designated by the patient at least 36 hours before the certification review hearing, of the time and place of the certification hearing, unless the patient requests that this information not be provided. The patient shall be advised by the facility that is treating the patient that he or she has the right to request that this information not be provided."; (b)(2) "The professional staff of the agency or facility providing intensive treatment shall analyze the person's condition at intervals not to exceed 10 days, to determine whether the person continues to meet the criteria established for certification under this section, and shall daily monitor the person's treatment plan and progress." — california.public.law. Article 4.7 is a local-option article: §5270.12 provides that "This article shall be operative only in those counties in which the county board of supervisors, by resolution, authorizes its application and, by resolution, makes a finding that any additional costs incurred by the county in the implementation of this article are funded…" — california.public.law. Which counties have done so was not verifiable from a state source at verification.
Cal. Welfare & Institutions Code §5152(b) — "A person who has been detained for evaluation and treatment shall be released, referred for further care and treatment on a voluntary basis, or certified for intensive treatment, or a conservator or temporary conservator shall be appointed pursuant to this part as required." — california.public.law, read 14 September 2026.
Revised 14 September 2026: this page was rewritten from primary sources and replaces an earlier version at the same address. The earlier version's claims were re-verified section by section; where wording changed it is because the statute was quoted more fully.
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