5250 (involuntary psychiatric hold)

Further information: 5150 (involuntary psychiatric hold) and 5270 (involuntary psychiatric hold)

Section 5250 is a section of the California Welfare and Institutions Code (specifically, the Lanterman–Petris–Short Act or "LPS") which allows a qualified officer or clinician to involuntarily confine a person deemed to have certain mental disorders for up to 14 days, following being involuntarily held for 72 hours under a Section 5150 hold.

The hold is placed by psychiatric staff who deems a person to have a mental disorder that poses a danger to him or her self and/or others, or to be gravely disabled and require more than a 72-hour hold for treatment. If the person is not a danger to him or her self or others, the person cannot be held if there are responsible family members, friends, or others who are voluntarily willing and able to care for the person.

A 5270 allows for a patient to be held for an additional 30 days and can be initiated following a 14-day 5250 hold.