Skip to main content

L55 ICD-10-CM Code: Sunburn

Compare with another code for L55Check this code on a claim

Billing Status: NO. This is a non-billable ICD-10-CM code: report a more specific billable code beneath it.

Category · FY2027A non-billable heading in the tabular list: report a more specific code beneath it.

What you need to know

Source: CMS/NCHS Official ICD-10-CM tabular notes, quoted. From the CMS/NCHS tabular list for the release in force. A note the category or block publishes applies to this code too, and is marked with where it comes from.

The tabular list publishes no instructional note for this code itself.

Where it sits Source: CMS/NCHS

Under:Chapter 12: Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous TissueL55-L59 Radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue

Codes under L55 (4)

  • L55.0Sunburn of first degreeBillable
  • L55.1Sunburn of second degreeBillable
  • L55.2Sunburn of third degreeBillable
  • L55.9Sunburn, unspecifiedBillable

CompareCheck ClaimView Related Codes

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. Where the codes beneath it include an unspecified code, that code applies when the record goes no further; otherwise query for the missing detail.

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

Report the code beneath L55 that the documentation supports, not L55 itself. Then confirm that code is valid for the date of service on its own page.

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.

Coding context

Guidelines, coding notes, decision aids, relationships (with MS-DRG and CCSR classification), hierarchy, HCC, coverage and the context map: what a coder reaches for after the core. Each section names whether it is official source data, a MedCoder-derived relationship or MedCoder editorial.

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-derived 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-fy2027
  • T07 — Unspecified multiple injuries[Excludes1]: “sunburn (L55.-)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • T66 — Radiation sickness, unspecified[Excludes1]: “radiation related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • 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-fy2027

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-fy2027
  • 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-fy2027
  • L21 — Seborrheic dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • L22 — Diaper dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • L23 — Allergic contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • L24 — Irritant contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • L25 — Unspecified contact dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • L26 — Exfoliative dermatitis[Excludes2]: “radiation-related disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (L55-L59)”— CMS ICD-10-CM tabular instructional notes · icd10cm-fy2027
  • 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

Reference

Index terms and tables, published questions and FAQ, every source behind this page with its release and checksum, the date-of-service check and the complete change history.

Common coding questions

MedCoder editorial

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 FY2027 tabular list, index and tables, effective October 1, 2026 Release, file and checksum · Publisher’s page
Claim edits Official source data
CMS Definitions of Medicare Code Edits — v44.0 (October 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-derived 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 editorial 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.

Current data releases:ICD-10-CM FY2027 · ICD-10-PCS FY2027 · HCPCS October 2026 · MS-DRG v44 · Medicare Code Editor v44.0 · NCCI PTP Q4 2026 · MUE Q4 2026 · NCD code lists 2026-01 · LCD export September 28, 2026 · All releases and sources

Labels on this page: Official source data · MedCoder-derived relationship · MedCoder editorial explanation. How to read the labels · All data sources and release dates · CMS coding rules

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 FY2027. 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, 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.