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Nicole Irmer | Posted in Licensing Defense on February 11, 2026
Being a professional in California often means being incredibly busy. Whether you are a lawyer, a doctor, or another type of professional, you might spend your work days juggling seemingly endless amounts of work. As a result, it can be easy to forget about or overlook paperwork, such as making sure that your address is updated with your licensing board.
In California, professional licensees are required to update their address of record with their licensing board. Failing to do so can lead to serious consequences, including potentially having default discipline imposed if you do not respond to a disciplinary action. Our California professional license defense attorneys can help explain your rights and available options if this occurs.
At the Law Office of Nicole Irmer, we offer skilled, compassionate legal representation to professionals throughout California who are dealing with licensing and disciplinary matters.We work with clients at various stages of the licensing and disciplinary process, employing a multi-faceted strategy tailored to the circumstances of each case. Reach out to our law firm to schedule a confidential consultation with a California professional license defense lawyer to discuss your situation and potential next steps. .
If you hold a professional license in California, then you are subject to a range of rules and regulations. One of these requirements is a mandate to keep your address updated with your licensing board. For example, the Medical Board of California (MBC) requires that licensees/registrants report every change of address within 30 days pursuant to the Business and Professions Code (BPC).
Keeping your address of record updated with your licensing board is about more than just fulfilling a requirement. Licensing boards use a registrant/licensee’s address of record to mail all licenses, renewal notices, and other official correspondence. Registrants and licensees are responsible for all correspondence that is sent to their address of record. If your board sends a notification to a prior address and you never receive it, that is not a defense. You are considered to have received it because the board sent the correspondence to your address of record.
Licensing boards rely on a licensee’s address of record to send licenses, renewal notices, investigative inquiries, and other official correspondence. Licensees are legally responsible for correspondence sent to their address of record, even if it is not actually received.
If you fail to keep your address updated, you will almost certainly be in violation of your licensing board’s rules and regulations. Perhaps more importantly, you run the risk of missing critical correspondence. This could lead to dire consequences, including disciplinary action imposed by default.
For example, consider a situation where a patient submits a complaint about you to the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). The BRN determines that the complaint may have merit and opens an investigation. Investigators send correspondence to your address of record to request that you submit to an interview and provide certain documentation. If you have not updated your address of record, then you may never receive that correspondence.
As a result, the licensee may miss deadlines to respond, seek legal advice, or participate in the process. In some circumstances, this can lead to disciplinary action being imposed without the licensee’s participation.
Importantly, your address of record is public information. This means that any individual or entity who inquires will receive your address of record. For this reason, you should carefully consider what address of record you provide to the board. It is possible to provide a P.O. box as an address of record, but you will typically be required to provide a separate street address (which will be kept confidential).
Keeping your address up-to-date may seem like a trivial matter, but it is incredibly important when it comes to protecting your professional license. You worked incredibly hard to earn your license, so taking this small step is vital to maintaining it. If you do find yourself dealing with a disciplinary issue, our California professional license defense lawyers can advise you of your rights and help you defend your interests.
There are many reasons why a professional license holder may miss an important notice from their board. They might forget to change their address with the board after moving or getting a new job. Alternatively, they might simply forget to check the mail (especially if it goes to a P.O. box) due to the hectic nature of their lives.
While forgetting to update your license or check your mail may be understandable, the consequences of a missed mailing from a professional board can be dire. This is particularly true when it comes to critical correspondence about the status of your license, including renewals and enforcement actions.
One of the biggest potential risks of not updating your address of record is having discipline imposed by default. This may include default revocation. Essentially, if the board proposes disciplinary action and you fail to respond, it can enter the discipline order by default – without ever hearing from you or considering any defense to the allegations that you may have.
When a professional license holder fails to respond to an accusation, the board can impose default action regardless of the reason why the licensee failed to respond. If you did not receive notice, then you could potentially lose your professional license. This can jeopardize your career, leading to lost income, a damaged reputation, and potentially a difficult time getting your license reinstated.
Fortunately, it is not hard to update your license with your professional board. You can do so through the Department of Consumer Affairs’ BreEZe system, an online portal for managing applications, renewals, and license verification. After signing into BreEZe, it will take just a few minutes to update your address of record.
To prevent default revocation or discipline, always make sure to keep both your mailing address and your email address up-to-date with your board. If you use your employer’s address for your address of record, be sure to change that address if you switch jobs. Similarly, if you move to a different area of California or to another state, make sure to update your address (even if you will no longer be practicing in California). To avoid any potential oversights, you should check your address of record regularly, such as when you pay your annual dues.
Regardless of where your mail is sent, you should check your mail regularly. If you get any correspondence from your licensing board, open it immediately. If you receive an enforcement-related document, it may be helpful to consult with a California professional license defense attorney to understand your obligations and deadlines.
If you do miss a notice and your license is in jeopardy, you may still have options depending on the time and law. Even after a default decision has been entered, there may be a short window of time in California to request that the decision be set aside. If you learn about a default revocation or other disciplinary action, you should contact an attorney immediately.
A California professional license defense lawyer can evaluate whether procedural relief may be available, communicate with the board, and prepare a response or defense. If relief from default is not available, counsel may also advise on alternative options, such as a petition of reinstatement or reapplication where permitted.
Of all of the things that you have to think about on a daily basis, the question of whether or not your address is updated with your licensing board probably falls pretty low on the list. While it may seem like a small thing, keeping your current address of record on file with your board is critical. A failure to do so can increase the risk of serious consequences, including the potential loss of your license if you do not respond to a notice of disciplinary action.
Based in San Diego, the Law Office of Nicole Irmer represents clients throughout California who are dealing with professional licensing issues. We understand that even careful professionals can encounter licensing issues, and we work with clients to explain their rights and available options.
If you are dealing with licensing issues, including a default disciplinary order, please contact our office at (619) 237-6130 to discuss your situation with a compassionate professional licensing defense attorney, and determine what steps may be available under the applicable law.
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