If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency in the United States, call 911. For an urgent concern without immediate danger, contact local crisis services or a treating clinician. Do not wait for a private consultation or court filing in an emergency.
Can a family have someone committed?
A family can report concerns, request an assessment, and sometimes petition a court. A family cannot simply order an adult into treatment. Involuntary care requires the applicable legal criteria, authorized decision-makers, and procedural protections. Psychosis, refusing help, or a diagnosis alone does not automatically establish eligibility.
If you are searching for “how to get someone committed,” the first useful question is: What assessment or legal process is appropriate where my loved one is now? A licensed clinician can assess clinical needs; a local attorney can advise on law and procedure. This guide explains the landscape, not whether a particular person qualifies.
Scope: adult civil mental health care, with six state summaries. This is general education, not legal or medical advice. Minor consent, substance-use-only proceedings, criminal competency matters, and tribal jurisdiction may involve different laws. Confirm current law, forms, and county practice before acting.
Five options that are often confused
Voluntary care and professional intervention
A coordinated family plan can help someone consider an assessment and accept support. A private interventionist can facilitate that process; hiring one does not create authority to detain, medicate, or transport an unwilling adult.
Emergency psychiatric evaluation
An urgent, legally authorized assessment may allow temporary detention when the state’s criteria are met. An initial hold is not a guaranteed stay of a particular length or approval for long-term residential treatment.
Involuntary inpatient commitment
Continued hospital care over a person’s objection requires the relevant legal process and evidence. A further hold or court proceeding is distinct from the initial emergency assessment.
Assisted outpatient treatment
AOT and related orders concern treatment in the community. Eligibility, petitioners, services, and enforcement differ by state. An outpatient order does not by itself authorize indefinite confinement.
Guardianship or conservatorship
These concern specified decision-making powers. They are not interchangeable with psychiatric commitment. Ask local counsel exactly what an order permits; California’s LPS conservatorship is a distinct behavioral health process.
What options do these states offer?
This initial comparison covers California, Florida, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. A state not listed here may still have relevant options. The table identifies pathways, not eligibility or guaranteed local availability.
| State | Emergency pathway | Further inpatient / court process | Community pathway |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | LPS evaluation, often called a 5150 hold | Further LPS treatment or conservatorship, when criteria are met | Laura’s Law AOT in participating counties; CARE Act is a separate pathway |
| Florida | Baker Act involuntary examination | Court-ordered involuntary inpatient services | Court-ordered involuntary outpatient services |
| New York | Article 9 emergency admission or CPEP assessment | Involuntary admission under Article 9, including medical certification | Kendra’s Law AOT (§9.60) |
| Texas | Chapter 573 emergency detention | Chapter 574 court-ordered inpatient mental health services | Chapter 574 court-ordered outpatient mental health services |
| Washington | Involuntary Treatment Act assessment by a designated crisis responder | Court proceedings under Chapter 71.05 RCW | AOT and less restrictive alternative treatment |
| Wisconsin | Chapter 51 emergency detention | Chapter 51 civil commitment; a three-party petition may initiate proceedings | Ask county counsel about the least restrictive treatment setting and order |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways or use the state links for the full summaries below.
California
County behavioral health crisis team; county AOT program or CARE court self-help center for nonemergency questions.
Emergency evaluation: A 5150 is an initial evaluation-and-treatment hold, not a family’s order for a particular residential program. Authorized professionals apply the legal criteria; continued detention requires a further legal basis. Ask county behavioral health about current LPS procedures and the definition of grave disability.
Community options: Laura’s Law provides assisted outpatient treatment (AOT), with county participation and individual eligibility requirements. CARE Act proceedings can connect eligible adults with treatment and support through a CARE agreement or plan. CARE is distinct from inpatient commitment and LPS conservatorship. Its diagnostic eligibility expanded in 2026 to include bipolar I disorder with psychotic features; other statutory requirements still apply.
Family starting point: A qualifying family member can petition for CARE proceedings. Ask the county AOT program about referrals. A behavioral health conservatorship requires investigation and court involvement; ordinary probate guardianship paperwork is not a substitute.
Florida
Local receiving facility or crisis service; clerk of court for the local sworn-petition process.
Emergency examination: The Baker Act concerns mental illness and specific examination criteria. Refusal or inability to decide about examination must be accompanied by the required serious-harm or harmful-neglect circumstances. A diagnosis or disagreement with relatives is not enough.
How it starts: Examination can be initiated through an authorized court order, law enforcement, or an authorized professional’s certificate. Families can ask the clerk about presenting sworn facts for a court’s consideration. The receiving facility evaluates the person; the family does not decide the outcome.
Beyond examination: Florida law separately provides for court-ordered inpatient and outpatient services, including clinical recommendations, petitions, counsel, and hearings. The Baker Act is not the same as the separate Marchman Act process for substance use concerns.
New York
County mental health department or Director of Community Services; local AOT coordinator for outpatient questions.
Hospital pathways: New York’s Article 9 distinguishes emergency admission, comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs (CPEPs), and involuntary admission on medical certification. Each has its own examinations and procedural requirements. Certain relatives or people living with the person can be applicants under the medical-certification pathway; the required clinicians still make clinical determinations.
Community option: Kendra’s Law allows a court to order AOT for an eligible adult. It has specific history, need, and other eligibility requirements. It is community treatment, not an automatic inpatient admission.
Family starting point: Contact the county AOT coordinator. Section 9.60 identifies eligible petitioners, including certain adult household members and relatives, and requires supporting clinical material. Ask about current forms and legal assistance before filing.
Texas
Local mental health authority and county probate/county court; ask about magistrate emergency-detention applications.
Emergency route: Chapter 573 provides emergency detention procedures involving peace officers or a magistrate’s warrant. Statutory criteria and an examination govern detention; family concern alone does not authorize a private person to confine someone.
Ongoing care: Chapter 574 provides separate procedures for court-ordered inpatient and outpatient mental health services. Clinical evidence, the applicable legal standard, and court process matter. An emergency detention does not automatically become a longer commitment.
Family starting point: Ask the local mental health authority and the appropriate county court how to present concerns and obtain current application instructions. Texas amended its emergency-detention law in 2025, so use current Chapter 573 rather than an old online checklist.
Washington
Local designated crisis responder (DCR); superior court for qualifying Joel’s Law petitions.
Crisis assessment: A designated crisis responder evaluates whether the Involuntary Treatment Act criteria are met. The law addresses likelihood of serious harm and grave disability, with procedures for detention and subsequent court review.
If detention is not initiated: Under Joel’s Law (§71.05.201), specified immediate family members, guardians, or a qualifying tribe can seek court review after a DCR declines detention or has not acted within the statutory period. Filing deadlines and evidence requirements apply. This is a court review route, not a guarantee that a judge will order detention.
Community option: AOT can result in less restrictive alternative treatment. Section 71.05.148 specifies authorized professional petitioners; a relative’s role differs from the Joel’s Law process.
Wisconsin
County crisis services and Corporation Counsel; county-specific screening procedures apply.
Emergency and court routes: Wisconsin uses Chapter 51 civil commitment procedures. Emergency detention and a nonemergency petition are different starting points. Courts consider the applicable illness, treatment, and dangerousness standards; not every serious family concern meets those standards.
Three-party petition: Wisconsin court forms include a petition by three adults, with specific evidence requirements. County crisis services and Corporation Counsel can explain screening and whether the matter can proceed. Petitioners may need to testify; submitting information does not guarantee a filing or commitment.
Local guidance matters: The Waukesha County resource below illustrates a county process. Families elsewhere should contact their own county rather than assuming Waukesha’s local instructions apply statewide. Ask about voluntary alternatives, the least restrictive setting, and the person’s rights.
Official sources for Wisconsin
Looking for another state?
Start with the state mental health agency and the relevant county court or crisis service. Ask which adult civil commitment law applies, who can request an assessment or file a petition, and whether outpatient orders are available locally.
The SAMHSA state mental health contacts directory can help identify the state agency. Those administrative contacts are not emergency services. Use the agency’s local crisis-service directory for urgent help.
A state’s law does not mean that every county has the same services, beds, or filing process. Moving someone to another state is not a shortcut around consent or court requirements.
Prepare for a clinical or legal consultation
- Confirm location and urgency. Give the person’s current state and county and describe any immediate safety or medical concern.
- Organize facts. Note dates, exact statements, behavior you personally observed, and changes in daily functioning. Clearly distinguish firsthand observations from reports by others.
- Gather relevant history lawfully. List known treating providers, recent hospital visits, previous orders, and any advance directive. Do not guess diagnoses or alter records.
- Ask who has authority. Identify the assessment team, eligible petitioner, court, and necessary clinical documentation. Ask about alternatives and the person’s right to counsel.
- Plan for each outcome. Ask what happens if criteria are not met, a voluntary assessment is accepted, or the person is discharged. Arrange follow-up and family support.
Use our family preparation checklist to organize the conversation. It is not a commitment petition or a substitute for official forms.
Protect the person’s rights and dignity
Involuntary treatment restricts liberty. Ask the responsible agency or an attorney about notice, representation, hearings, review, treatment decisions, and less restrictive alternatives under the applicable law. A family’s desire to help and the person’s rights both need to remain part of the discussion.
Report concerns accurately. Do not exaggerate danger, manufacture a crisis, threaten legal action to frighten someone, or use a confrontation to try to make them meet detention criteria. If a person does not qualify for involuntary care, ask about voluntary treatment, outreach, early psychosis services, and ongoing family guidance.
Where professional family support fits
Families can need help even when no court process is appropriate. Our role is to help organize concerns, prepare a compassionate approach, coordinate with appropriate professionals, and plan for the unexpected. Clinical and legal decisions belong to the authorized clinicians and courts.
Read psychosis intervention: a family guide or explore mental health intervention and family preparation.
About this guide
Prepared by the Mental Health Intervention team. The summaries link to official courts, statutes, and public agencies checked on November 14, 2026. This page has not been presented as reviewed by a lawyer or physician. Laws and local practices can change; official current sources and individualized professional advice control.
To flag a source or correction, email our team. Please do not send confidential case records for a website correction.