California · Health and Safety Code - HSC

HSC §102850: A physician and surgeon, physician assistant, funeral director, or other person shall immediately notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death that occurred or has charge of a body in which

Misdemeanor

What this law says, in plain English

Physicians, physician assistants, funeral directors, and others must immediately notify the coroner of deaths meeting specified circumstances, including those without medical attendance, suspected suicide, or suspected criminal cause. Failure to notify is a misdemeanor.

Read the full statutory text
A physician and surgeon, physician assistant, funeral director, or other person shall immediately notify the coroner when they have knowledge of a death that occurred or has charge of a body in which death occurred under any of the following circumstances: (a) Without medical attendance. (b) During the continued absence of the attending physician and surgeon. (c) Where the attending physician and surgeon or the physician assistant is unable to state the cause of death. (d) Where suicide is suspected. (e) Following an injury or an accident. (f) Under circumstances as to afford a reasonable ground to suspect that the death was caused by the criminal act of another. A person who does not notify the coroner as required by this section is guilty of a misdemeanor. (g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2026, and, as of January 1, 2027, is repealed.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

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This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.