Diabetic foot ulcers almost always need two codes, in a fixed order: the diabetes complication first, then the ulcer’s site and depth. Getting that pair wrong is the commonest reason these claims come back.
The short version
A type 2 diabetic foot ulcer is E11.621 followed by an L97.- code that carries the site, the laterality and the depth. E11.621 alone does not describe the wound; L97.- alone does not link it to the diabetes.
The trap underneath it: many of the codes people quote are not billable. E11.62, L97.5, L97.51 and M14.67 are all category headers. You have to code out to the full character.
The diabetes codes for the foot
Type 2 is shown here. The same structure exists for type 1 as E10.-, for diabetes due to an underlying condition as E08.-, for drug- or chemical-induced diabetes as E09.-, and for other specified diabetes as E13.-.
| Code | Description | Billable |
|---|---|---|
| E11.621 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with foot ulcer | Yes |
| E11.622 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with other skin ulcer | Yes |
| E11.620 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic dermatitis | Yes |
| E11.628 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with other skin complications | Yes |
| E11.610 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic neuropathic arthropathy — the Charcot code | Yes |
| E11.42 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic polyneuropathy | Yes |
| E11.40 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic neuropathy, unspecified | Yes |
| E11.51 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic peripheral angiopathy without gangrene | Yes |
| E11.52 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic peripheral angiopathy with gangrene | Yes |
| E11.62 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with skin complications | No — header only |
| E11.61 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic arthropathy | No — header only |
E11.621 versus E11.622 is about location, not severity
E11.621 is for an ulcer on the foot. An ulcer above the ankle — the calf, the shin — is E11.622, paired with L98.4 rather than an L97 code. Getting this backwards is a routine denial.
The ulcer codes: L97.4- and L97.5-
L97 is the non-pressure chronic ulcer of the lower limb. For the foot there are two families, and the digits after them carry laterality and depth.
| Family | Covers | Right | Left | Unspecified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L97.4- | Heel and midfoot | L97.41- | L97.42- | L97.40- |
| L97.5- | Other part of the foot — toes and forefoot | L97.51- | L97.52- | L97.50- |
The final digit is the depth, and it is the same across every L97 subcategory:
| Final digit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Limited to breakdown of skin |
| 2 | With fat layer exposed |
| 3 | With necrosis of muscle |
| 4 | With necrosis of bone |
| 5 | With muscle involvement without evidence of necrosis |
| 6 | With bone involvement without evidence of necrosis |
| 8 | With other specified severity |
| 9 | With unspecified severity |
So a full-thickness ulcer under the right forefoot with fat exposed is L97.512. The same wound on the right heel is L97.412. An unspecified-severity ulcer of the right forefoot is L97.519 — valid, but it says the record did not document depth, which is exactly what a reviewer looks for.
Putting the pair together
| Clinical picture | Codes, in order |
|---|---|
| Type 2 diabetic, ulcer under the right great toe, fat layer exposed | E11.621 then L97.512 |
| Type 2 diabetic, left heel ulcer down to bone with necrosis | E11.621 then L97.424 |
| Type 2 diabetic, right forefoot ulcer, skin breakdown only | E11.621 then L97.511 |
| Type 2 diabetic with polyneuropathy and a left forefoot ulcer, fat exposed | E11.42, E11.621, L97.522 |
| Type 2 diabetic Charcot, right foot | E11.610 then M14.671 |
| Type 2 diabetic with peripheral arterial disease and gangrene of a toe | E11.52 — the gangrene is included in the code |
| Type 1 diabetic, right heel ulcer, muscle involved without necrosis | E10.621 then L97.415 |
Sequencing is not stylistic
The diabetes complication code comes first and the ulcer code second. The convention exists so the record shows the ulcer as a manifestation of the diabetes rather than an unrelated wound, and it is what links the encounter to the diabetic foot benefit and coverage rules.
The Charcot codes
Charcot neuroarthropathy in a diabetic takes a pair as well: the diabetes complication and the joint.
| Code | Description | Billable |
|---|---|---|
| E11.610 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus with diabetic neuropathic arthropathy | Yes |
| M14.671 | Charcot’s joint, right ankle and foot | Yes |
| M14.672 | Charcot’s joint, left ankle and foot | Yes |
| M14.679 | Charcot’s joint, unspecified ankle and foot | Yes |
| M14.67 | Charcot’s joint, ankle and foot | No — header only |
If there is also an ulcer over the deformity, that ulcer gets its own E11.621 and L97.- pair. The Charcot codes describe the joint destruction, not the wound sitting on top of it. What all of that is describing clinically is on our Charcot foot page.
Five things that go wrong repeatedly
- Coding a header. E11.62, E11.61, L97.5, L97.51 and M14.67 are all subcategory headers and are not valid for HIPAA transactions. Code to the final character.
- The ulcer code alone. An L97 code without the diabetes code strips the encounter of the reason the wound exists, and the claim stops looking like diabetic foot care.
- Unspecified severity as a habit. The x9 codes are valid and they are a documentation flag. If the note says the base of the wound, the code should say it too.
- Unspecified laterality. L97.40- and L97.50- exist for a reason, but a foot is left or right and the chart almost always knows which.
- Coding gangrene twice. E11.52 already contains the gangrene. Adding a separate gangrene code duplicates it.
Common questions
What is the ICD-10 code for a diabetic foot ulcer?
For type 2 diabetes it is E11.621, and it is used together with an L97 code that specifies where on the foot the ulcer is, which foot, and how deep it goes. For type 1 the diabetes code is E10.621. Neither code is complete on its own.
What is the ICD-10 code for a diabetic foot infection?
There is no single code for “diabetic foot infection”. You code the diabetes complication, the ulcer if there is one, and the specific infection — cellulitis of the foot, or osteomyelitis, with its own site and laterality. A wound with an organism identified may also carry an organism code.
What is the ICD-10 code for Charcot foot?
In diabetes, E11.610 for the diabetes complication plus M14.671 or M14.672 for the right or left ankle and foot. M14.679 exists for unspecified side; M14.67 is a header and is not billable.
What does L97.519 mean?
A non-pressure chronic ulcer of another part of the right foot — that is, not the heel or midfoot — with unspecified severity. It is a valid code, but the final 9 signals that the depth was not documented, which is the part reviewers question.
How do I code an ulcer on the leg rather than the foot?
Above the ankle it is no longer a foot ulcer. The diabetes code becomes E11.622, “with other skin ulcer”, and the site code moves from L97 to L98.4 for a non-pressure chronic ulcer of the skin.
Do these codes change?
Yes. The ICD-10-CM set is updated every October 1. Everything on this page reflects the FY2026 set. For a date of service in an earlier fiscal year, check the code was in effect then — a code added after the encounter cannot go on that claim.
Related guides
Charcot foot
What E11.610 and M14.671 are actually describing.
Diabetic foot ulcers
The depth digits map onto Wagner and University of Texas grading.
Diabetic foot infection
Why there is no single infection code.
Gangrene in the diabetic foot
E11.52 already contains the gangrene.
The clinical side of these codes
Every code on this page describes something happening in a real foot. The pages on ulcers, Charcot and infection explain what the coder is describing and what changes the outcome.
Dr. Tom Biernacki is a double board-certified podiatric foot and ankle surgeon practising in Michigan. He treats diabetic wounds, Charcot neuroarthropathy and at-risk feet daily, and writes here to put the clinical reasoning behind that care in front of the people living with it.