CHAPTER 10. Coroner [27460. - 27530.]

Chapter 10 added by Stats. 1947, Ch. 424.

§§ 27460–27530 · 57 sections

1. ARTICLE 1. Duties Generally §§ 27460–27473 · 16 sections

   • § 27460 If an inquest is held by the coroner and no other person takes charge of the body of the deceased, he shall cause it to be interred decently.
   • § 27461 In order to inter decently the body of the deceased, the coroner may apply to a judge of the superior court of his county for an order permitting him to: (a)…
   • § 27462 The coroner shall file with the clerk of the court a statement showing the property of the deceased that came into his hands, the amount received from the sale…
   • § 27463 The coroner shall keep an official register, labeled “Coroner’s Register,” with pages numbered, indexed and bound, in which he shall enter: (a) The name and…
   • § 27463.5 In lieu of the “coroner’s register,” the coroner may keep an official file for each deceased person containing all of the information required by Section…
   • § 27464 Whenever the death of any person shall have been referred to the coroner for investigation, there shall be delivered to the coroner any note, letter or other…
   • § 27465 Within 90 days after an inquest upon a dead body the coroner shall deliver to the legal representatives of the deceased any money or other property found upon…
   • § 27466 If, within 90 days after the inquest, no legal representative makes a demand upon the coroner for the money or property found upon the body of the decedent,…
   • § 27467 If the coroner fails to deliver to the treasurer within 120 days after any inquest upon a dead body all money and proceeds from the sale of property found upon…
   • § 27468 If within 90 days after an inquest upon a dead body no legal representative of the decedent demands from the coroner the property found upon the person of the…
   • § 27469 In any action or proceeding in which the sheriff is a party, the coroner shall discharge the duties of sheriff.
   • § 27470 If no private ambulance service other than that operated by a coroner is available, in addition to his salary and other fees allowed by law the coroner may be…
   • § 27470.5 Any county with a population under 250,000 that has elected to implement a trauma care system plan pursuant to Section 1797.257 of the Health and Safety Code…
   • § 27471 (a) Whenever the coroner takes custody of a dead body pursuant to law, he or she shall make a reasonable attempt to locate the family. After a reasonable…
   • § 27472 If authorized by the county board of supervisors by ordinance, the coroner, whenever he or she takes custody of a dead body pursuant to law, may charge and…
   • § 27473 In coroners’ cases, interpreters’ and translators’ fees or other compensation shall be paid from the county treasury upon warrants drawn by the county auditor,…
2. ARTICLE 2. Inquests §§ 27490–27512 · 35 sections

   • § 27490 The coroner shall hold inquests pursuant to this article.
   • § 27491 (a) It shall be the duty of the coroner to inquire into and determine the circumstances, manner, and cause of all violent, sudden, or unusual deaths;…
   • § 27491.1 In all cases in which a person has died under circumstances that afford a reasonable ground to suspect that the person’s death has been occasioned by the act…
   • § 27491.2 (a) The coroner or the coroner’s appointed deputy, on being informed of a death and finding it to fall into the classification of deaths requiring his or her…
   • § 27491.25 (a) The coroner or medical examiner, or their appointed deputy, on being notified of a death occurring while the deceased was driving or riding in a motor…
   • § 27491.3 (a) In any death into which the coroner is to inquire, the coroner may take charge of any and all personal effects, valuables, and property of the deceased at…
   • § 27491.4 (a) For purposes of inquiry the coroner shall, within 24 hours or as soon as feasible thereafter, where the suspected cause of death is sudden infant death…
   • § 27491.41 (a) For purposes of this section, “sudden infant death syndrome” means the sudden death of any infant that is unexpected by the history of the infant and where…
   • § 27491.42 (a) For purposes of this section, “sudden unexplained death in childhood” means the sudden death of a child one year of age or older but under 18 years of age…
   • § 27491.43 (a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, except as otherwise provided in this section, in any case in which the coroner, before the beginning of an autopsy,…
   • § 27491.44 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the coroner is authorized to do all of the following: (a) Assist the people of this state, as appropriate, in the…
   • § 27491.45 (a) (1) The coroner shall have the right to retain parts of the body, as defined in subdivision (g) of Section 7150.1 of the Health and Safety Code, removed at…
   • § 27491.46 (a) The coroner shall have the right to retain pituitary glands solely for transmission to a university, for use in research or the advancement of medical…
   • § 27491.47 (a) Notwithstanding any other law, the coroner may, in the course of an autopsy, authorize the removal and release of corneal eye tissue from a body within the…
   • § 27491.5 The cause of death appearing on a certificate of death signed by the coroner shall be in conformity with facts ascertained from inquiry, autopsy and other…
   • § 27491.55 In any case where a coroner is required to inquire into a death pursuant to Section 27491, the coroner may delegate his or her jurisdiction over the death to…
   • § 27491.56 (a) This section shall be known, and may be cited, as the Forensic Accountability, Custodial Transparency, and Safety (FACTS) Act of 2025. (b) In any county… see note
   • § 27491.6 The coroner may also, in his discretion, if the circumstances warrant, hold an inquest, and he shall hold an inquest if requested to do so by the Attorney…
   • § 27491.7 The coroner, his authorized deputy, or a hearing officer shall conduct the inquest.
   • § 27491.8 (a) When the coroner seeks a confidential communication of a deceased person that is privileged under Article 6 (commencing with Section 990) or Article 7…
   • § 27492 The coroner shall summon, or cause to be summoned by any sheriff or policeman, not less than nine nor more than 15 persons, qualified by law to serve as…
   • § 27493 No person summoned is exempt from jury duty except at the discretion of the coroner. No person shall be summoned as juror who is related to the decedent or is…
   • § 27497 After the jury has been sworn and charged by the coroner it may, if deemed necessary and so ordered by him, go with him to view and examine the body of the…
   • § 27498 (a) The coroner may issue subpoenas for witnesses, returnable forthwith or at such time and place as the coroner appoints, which may be served by any competent…
   • § 27499 The coroner shall summon and examine as witnesses every person who in his opinion or that of any of the jury has any knowledge of the facts. He may summon a…
   • § 27499.1 Where the names and addresses of possible witnesses have been furnished to the coroner by the next of kin of the deceased, an attorney for the next of kin, or…
   • § 27500 Any witness served with a subpena who wilfully and without reasonable excuse fails to attend and testify is guilty of a misdemeanor.
   • § 27501 The coroner may adjourn the inquest from time to time as may be necessary.
   • § 27502 The coroner shall cause the testimony given by any witness to be reduced to writing or recorded either in shorthand or by a mechanical recording device. It…
   • § 27502.2 The inquest verdict or decision shall be inadmissible as evidence in any civil or criminal proceeding.
   • § 27503 The transcript of the testimony of the witnesses examined in the coroner’s inquest shall be completed and filed within 10 days following the inquest with…
   • § 27504 After hearing the testimony, the jury shall render its verdict and certify it by an inquisition in writing signed by the members of the jury, or the coroner…
   • § 27504.1 If the findings are that the deceased met his or her death at the hands of another, the coroner shall, in addition to filing the report in his or her office or…
   • § 27511 There shall be but one inquest upon a body, unless that taken is set aside by the court, and there shall be but one inquest held upon several bodies of persons…
   • § 27512 If it appears that an error in the identity of the body has been made by the jury, the coroner may call another inquest without reference to the court, and a…
3. ARTICLE 2.5. Autopsy §§ 27520–27523 · 5 sections

   • § 27520 (a) The coroner shall cause to be performed an autopsy on a decedent, for which an autopsy has not already been performed, if the surviving spouse requests him…
   • § 27521 (a) A postmortem examination or autopsy conducted at the discretion of a coroner, medical examiner, or other agency upon an unidentified body or human remains…
   • § 27521.1 The law enforcement agency investigating the death of an unidentified person shall report the death to the Department of Justice, in a format acceptable to the…
   • § 27522 (a) A forensic autopsy shall only be conducted by a licensed physician and surgeon. The results of a forensic autopsy shall only be determined by a licensed…
   • § 27523 (a) A coroner may test the bodily fluid extracted during the autopsy of a deceased person to determine if any amount, including a trace amount, of xylazine was…
4. ARTICLE 3. Vacancy § 27530 · 1 section

   • § 27530 If the coroner is absent or unable to attend, the duties of his office may be discharged by any of his deputies with like authority and subject to the same…