Skip to main content

L55 ICD-10-CM Code: Sunburn

Billing Status: NO. This is a clinician non-billable / parent hierarchy grouping in the ICD-10-CM system.

Coder workflow for L55

MedCoder structured workflow — derived from this code’s own official record

Before you code L55

  1. L55 is not reportable as written. Select the more specific code beneath it that the documentation supports. Codes are reported to the highest level of specificity the classification provides (Guidelines I.B.2).

    ReviewL55.0, L55.1, L55.2, L55.9

    See the relationships section · Guide: How to choose an ICD-10-CM code →

Choose the right path

  1. Does the documentation support one of the more specific codes beneath L55?
    Yes → Select that code and continue the checks below on its own page.
    No → L55 cannot be reported as written; query for the specificity its subcategory needs.

    ReviewL55.0, L55.1, L55.2, L55.9

Consider L55. Then confirm the code is valid for the date of service in the Verify section.

Documentation check

The provider’s diagnostic statement
Codes are assigned from the provider’s documented diagnosis, not from clinical criteria, test values or a medication list (Guidelines I.A.19).

Every row is derived from this code’s own record — its title, tabular notes, 7th-character family and same-category siblings — with fixed MedCoder wording; nothing is inferred about a patient. The official notes and guideline text are in the sections each row links to, and they control.

Code Overview

Sunburn is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code (L55). A more specific billable subcode must be selected for claims submission.

MedCoder summary Summary composed by MedCoder from this code's official ICD-10-CM record. The tabular instructional notes themselves appear verbatim below.

Verify Before Coding

From the code registry, the Medicare Code Editor, and the MS-DRG Definitions Manual. Check it against a full claim in Claim Check.

Relationships & Classification

MedCoder structured relationships — computed from published CMS and AHRQ datasets

Other codes that name L55 or its code family, from the CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes. Tabular-note edges are stored at the code family level that carries each note.

Referenced by 4 Excludes1 notes across 2 chapters: K13.0 — Diseases of lips, T07 — Unspecified multiple injuries, T66 — Radiation sickness, unspecified, T67 — Effects of heat and light.

These codes’ tabular lists mark this diagnosis as mutually exclusive — not reported together unless the conditions are documented as unrelated.

Referenced by 15 Excludes2 notes across 3 chapters: L20 — Atopic dermatitis, L20-L30 — Dermatitis and eczema (L20-L30), L21 — Seborrheic dermatitis, L22 — Diaper dermatitis, L23 — Allergic contact dermatitis, L24 — Irritant contact dermatitis, L25 — Unspecified contact dermatitis, L26 — Exfoliative dermatitis, L27 — Dermatitis due to substances taken internally, L28 — Lichen simplex chronicus and prurigo, L29 — Pruritus, L30 — Other and unspecified dermatitis, T20-T32 — Burns and corrosions (T20-T32), T67 — Effects of heat and light, X32 — Exposure to sunlight.

These codes’ tabular lists name this diagnosis as distinct — both may be reported when both are documented.

Contextual Map

Every relationship of L55 in one view: hierarchy, official tabular instructions in both directions, clinical classification, risk adjustment, MS-DRG participation, index terms and change history — each edge carrying the CMS source it derives from.

Run L55 with these 12 related codes in Claim Check

Hierarchy

Referenced by Excludes1 notes

  • K13.0 — Diseases of lips[Excludes1]: “cheilitis due to radiation-related disorders (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • T07 — Unspecified multiple injuries[Excludes1]: “sunburn (L55.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • T66 — Radiation sickness, unspecified[Excludes1]: “radiation related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • T67 — Effects of heat and light[Excludes1]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026

Referenced by Excludes2 notes (15)

  • L20 — Atopic dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L20-L30 — Dermatitis and eczema (L20-L30)[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L21 — Seborrheic dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L22 — Diaper dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L23 — Allergic contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L24 — Irritant contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L25 — Unspecified contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • L26 — Exfoliative dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2026
  • and 7 more

Nearest codes

Change history

  • FY2016 — In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption [Change history]— CMS release files (code change ledger) · icd10cm-fy2016

Common coding questions

Can L55 be billed directly?

No. L55 (Sunburn) is a non-billable ICD-10-CM category code. A more specific billable subcode must be selected based on clinical documentation.

Sources for this page

Codes, titles, notes, index terms and mappings on this page are transcribed from the datasets below. Relationships MedCoder computed and text MedCoder wrote are labelled where they appear.

Code, title, tabular notes and index terms Official source data
CMS/CDC ICD-10-CM FY2026 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2025 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v43.1 (April 2026) Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Change history and date-of-service validity Official source data
CMS ICD-10-CM release addenda, ingested release by release into the change ledger Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Comparisons, relationships and the contextual map MedCoder structured relationship
Computed by MedCoder from the tabular notes and tables above; every derived relationship is marked as derived where it appears
Summary and FAQ answers MedCoder explanation
Written by MedCoder to explain the sources above: drafted with AI assistance, checked by a person against the release files, and labelled as MedCoder text where it appears. Not official text.

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder structured relationship · MedCoder explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates

Cite this page

Reference this page in a research guide, syllabus or article. The release is included because code content changes each year.

MedCoder.ai. "L55 — Sunburn." ICD-10-CM FY2026. https://medcoder.ai/icd10/code/l55-sunburn

Change history

  • FY2016 — October 1, 2015
    In the code set at ICD-10-CM adoption
    Sunburn

No changes since FY2016 — additions, deletions, description changes and billable-status changes are tracked through FY2027 (effective October 1, 2026), and none are recorded for this code. Note changes are tracked from FY2027 only.

Nearest Codes in This Family

Official ICD-10-CM classifications closest to L55 in its code family, with their registry titles.