A regional center fair hearing is the formal step in the Lanterman Act appeal process. You use it when a California regional center denies eligibility, refuses a service, or cuts one you already get. You have 60 days from receiving the Notice of Action to appeal, but only 30 days if you want to keep current services during the appeal.
Quick answer
Regional center fair hearing: file an appeal with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) online, by email, fax or mail, using the DDS appeal request form. File within 30 days of getting the Notice of Action, and before the change starts, to keep services. The absolute limit is 60 days. You can choose an informal meeting, mediation, a hearing, or all three.
Last checked: November 10, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
What can you appeal at a regional center?
Anyone aged 3 or older who has applied for, or receives, regional center services can appeal a decision they disagree with. Common reasons include being found not eligible, losing eligibility, being refused a new service, or having service hours reduced or stopped. Children under 3 in Early Start use a separate appeal process.
If the issue is eligibility, read our guide to regional center eligibility for autism first. It explains the “substantial disability” test used to decide eligibility.
The Notice of Action: what it is and when you get it
A Notice of Action (NOA, DDS form DS 1820) is the regional center’s written decision. It states what the center plans to do, why, the facts and law behind it, and the date it takes effect. It also includes your appeal rights and an appeal request form, in your preferred language.
- 30 days before the center reduces, changes or stops a service, or ends your eligibility.
- 5 business days after it denies a new service or denies eligibility.
You don’t get an NOA when you agreed in writing, called “mutual consent.” Signing an IPP or a list of services that contains the cut counts as agreement. That’s why our guide to the regional center IPP meeting recommends signing only the parts you agree with. No notice at all? You can still appeal.
What is the regional center fair hearing deadline?
There are two deadlines, both counted from the day you received the NOA. To keep current services during the appeal, DDS must receive your request, or it must be postmarked, within 30 days and before the change takes effect. Every appeal must be filed within 60 days. If you file on day 31 to 60, the decision takes effect while your appeal continues.
Older DDS and regional center PDFs still online give different numbers, often 10 or 30 days, and say to send the form to the regional center. Those rules ended on March 1, 2023. Appeals now go to DDS.
Aid paid pending: keeping services during the appeal
Keeping your current services while the appeal runs is called “aid paid pending.” It applies to services you already get, not to new ones. It ends 10 days after an informal meeting or mediation decision unless you continue to the next step. After a hearing, it ends 15 days after you receive the final decision.
How to file a regional center appeal
Send the appeal request to DDS, not the regional center. DDS says filing online is fastest.
- Note the date you received the NOA and count 30 and 60 days on a calendar.
- Go to the DDS Lanterman Act appeals page and choose “Request an Appeal Online,” or print the current appeal request form (Form DS 1821 as of mid-2026).
- If you use paper, send it by email, fax or mail as the appeals page lists. In mid-2026 these were appealrequest@dds.ca.gov, fax 916-654-3641, and Office of Community Appeals and Resolutions, 1215 O Street MS 8-20, Sacramento, CA 95814.
- Tick the parts you want: informal meeting, mediation, hearing. List dates you can’t attend in the next 90 days and any interpreter needs.
- Keep the confirmation and the tracking number DDS sends you.
Check the DDS appeals page before you send, in case the form or contact details have changed.
Appeal stages, deadlines and what happens
You can use one, two or all three parts of the appeal. Each clock runs from the day DDS receives your request, unless someone asks for more time (a continuance).
| Stage | Deadline | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal request | 30 days to keep services; 60 days at most | You file with DDS and get a tracking number |
| Informal meeting | Within 10 days after DDS tells the regional center | You meet the director or their designee; written decision within 5 days |
| Mediation | Within 30 days | A neutral mediator helps you reach a written agreement |
| Fair hearing | Within 50 days | A Hearing Officer hears both sides and decides |
| Decision | 10 business days after the hearing, within 80 days | Written decision in your language; regional center acts within 30 days |
| Reconsideration or court | 15 days; 180 days for superior court | Fixes errors of fact or law; court usually needs a lawyer |
What happens at the fair hearing?
The hearing is run by a Hearing Officer from the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), who doesn’t work for the regional center. It can be held in person, by phone or by video. The officer must keep it fair and informal, can question witnesses, and helps both sides bring out the facts.
- Two business days before, the regional center sends its position statement and documents.
- Also two business days before, you send a list of your witnesses and copies of professional reports, such as a diagnostic evaluation.
- You may question the regional center’s witnesses and ask for a closed hearing.
- If you bring an attorney, tell the regional center 15 days before the hearing (5 days before mediation). The center can bring an attorney only if you do, apart from rare exceptions.
Attend every session. An appeal can be treated as abandoned if you don’t show up.
Free help with a regional center appeal
You don’t need a lawyer to file an appeal, and free help exists. Every regional center has a Clients’ Rights Advocate from the Office of Clients’ Rights Advocacy (OCRA) at Disability Rights California. OCRA gives free advice and can represent you at meetings and hearings.
- OCRA: 1-800-390-7032 (Northern California) or 1-866-833-6712 (Southern California)
- Disability Rights California: 1-800-776-5746, TTY 1-800-719-5798
- DDS Ombudsperson: 1-877-658-9731
- Your local Family Resource Center or parent group
For more numbers by topic, see our list of California autism helplines.
Frequently asked questions
Can I appeal if I never got a Notice of Action?
Yes. If the regional center denied, cut or stopped a service without written notice, file an appeal right away and state that you did not receive adequate notice. You can also ask your service coordinator for a written NOA, which starts the clock and lists the reasons.
Do I have to go through the informal meeting first?
No. You choose which parts of the process to use on the appeal form. You can skip the informal meeting and go straight to mediation or a hearing. If an earlier step doesn’t settle it, you can add later steps with form DS 1823, the Appeal Request Change.
How long does a regional center appeal take?
The whole appeal should finish within 90 days of DDS receiving your request. A hearing decision is due within 80 days, or 90 days if the DDS Director decides. A continuance requested by you, or granted to the regional center for good cause, extends these deadlines.
What if the regional center doesn’t follow the decision?
It must carry out a final hearing decision within 30 days, or tell you and DDS in writing why it can’t. If it’s late, email HearingImplementation@dds.ca.gov or contact your Clients’ Rights Advocate for help.
Next step
Mark your 30- and 60-day dates today, then call your Clients’ Rights Advocate. For how appeals fit with diagnosis, intake and IPPs, see our guide to autism services in California.
Want to talk it through? Call the ASC information line at 1-800-869-7069, or reach a local Autism Society affiliate for parent support near you.