LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeBusiness and Professions CodeDiv. 2Ch. 1Art. 10.5§ 726 Patient Sexual Misconduct Ban

§ 726 Patient Sexual Misconduct Ban

Business and Professions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 726 Patient Sexual Misconduct Ban

Key Takeaways

  • •Doctors, nurses, or other licensed workers cannot have any sexual contact with their patients.
  • •If they do, they can get in big trouble and lose their job or license.
  • •This rule doesn’t apply if the patient is their spouse or partner and they’re not doing therapy.

Example

A therapist starts dating their patient.

This is against the law. The therapist could lose their license because they are not allowed to have a sexual or romantic relationship with a patient.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 726 Patient Sexual Misconduct Ban

(a) The commission of any act of sexual abuse, misconduct, or relations with a patient, client, or customer constitutes unprofessional conduct and grounds for disciplinary action for any person licensed under this division or under any initiative act referred to in this division. (b)   This section shall not apply to consensual sexual contact between a licensee and his or her spouse or person in an equivalent domestic relationship when that licensee provides medical treatment, other than psychotherapeutic treatment, to his or her spouse or person in an equivalent domestic relationship. (Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 510, Sec. 3. (AB 179) Effective January 1, 2016.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

treatmentspousemedicallicenseliencommissionpatientrelationship

Related Statutes

  • § 725 Excessive Medical Treatment Prohibition
  • § 729 Professional Sexual Misconduct Prohibition
  • § 733 Patient Prescription Access Rights
  • § 654 Licensed Professional Referral Restrictions
  • § 654.3 Mortgage Broker Definitions

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Business and Professions Code. Section 726.
View Official Source