California · Health and Safety Code - HSC

HSC §7052: (a) A person who willfully mutilates, disinters, removes from the place of interment, or commits an act of sexual penetration on, or has sexual contact with, remains known to be human, without authori

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

A person who willfully mutilates, disinters, removes from interment, or engages in sexual acts with human remains without legal authority is guilty of a felony. Lawful removals for reinterment, cremation, or other authorized purposes are exempt.

Read the full statutory text
(a) A person who willfully mutilates, disinters, removes from the place of interment, or commits an act of sexual penetration on, or has sexual contact with, remains known to be human, without authority of law, is guilty of a felony. This section does not apply to a person who, under authority of law, removes the remains for reinterment, or performs a cremation, reduction, or hydrolysis. (b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Sexual penetration” means the unlawful penetration of the vagina or anus, however slight, by any part of a person’s body or other object, or any act of sexual contact between the sex organs of a person and the mouth or anus of a dead body, or any oral copulation of a dead human body for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse. (2) “Sexual contact” means any willful touching by a person of an intimate part of a dead human body for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

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.