Sacramento County Municipal Code Ch. 6.48 Disposition of Bodies by Coroner

The jurisdiction of the Coroner concerning the disposition of bodies taken charge of by the Coroner shall be governed by applicable county, state and federal laws, the provisions of which are incorporated herein by reference.

(Ord. 226 § 1, 1933; SCC 0894 § 2, 1992)

a. A "claimed body" is defined to be one which has been in the custody or control of the Coroner for any period of time which is claimable by any person charged by law with the duty to bury the body.

b. An "unclaimed body" is defined to be one which has been in the custody or control of the Coroner for a period of 72 hours and is unclaimed by any person charged by law with the duty to bury the body.

(Ord. 226 § 2, 1933; SCC 0894 § 2, 1992)

Mortuary establishments whose principal place of business is in the County, and who desire to participate in the burial of unclaimed bodies which are taken charge of by the Coroner, shall register with the Coroner and furnish such information as the Coroner shall deem necessary for the purpose of assigning unclaimed bodies under the provisions of Section 88 of the Charter.

(Ord. 226 § 3, 1933; SCC 0894 § 2, 1992)

a. The person charged by law with the duty of burying a claimed body of a deceased person is entitled to the custody of the body for the purpose of burying it, and the Coroner must release the body to the person entitled to the custody thereof or to such person as may be designated by written order to the Coroner, subject, however, to the laws of the state concerning the custody of dead bodies by a Coroner.

b. Unclaimed bodies taken charge of by the Coroner shall be assigned by the Coroner to registered local mortuary establishments in alphabetical rotation in order that there may be equal distribution between such establishments.

c. Only such cases as are determined to be indigent cases are to be handled at the expense of the County, at a cost not to exceed an amount established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.

(SCC 0894 § 2, 1992)

a. Whenever the Coroner takes custody of a body pursuant to law, the Coroner shall charge and collect from the person entitled to control the disposition of the body, including those specified in Health and Safety Code Section 7100, a fee of $400, as authorized by Government Code Section 27472 and increased pursuant to Government Code Section 54985, for removing the body from the place of death and keeping the body until its release to the person responsible for its internment. Said fee shall not be charged in any of the following circumstances:

1. The person entitled to control of the disposition of the body claims and proves to be indigent;

2. The body is that of a person under the age of 14;

3. The Coroner ascribes the death to the criminal act of another unless the Coroner has reasonable cause to believe that the deceased was involved in any criminal activity which contributed to his or her death; or

4. The Coroner takes custody of a body over the objection of the person entitled to control its disposition and the Coroner later determines, at the Coroner's sole discretion, that it was not necessary to take custody of the body.

b. The fee authorized by this section, if not paid, shall be considered a part of the funeral expenses and paid as a preferred charge against the estate of the decedent, pursuant to Government Code Section 27472.

c. All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the County Treasury and credited to the accounts of the Coroner as a revenue offset against costs associated with the transportation and storage of bodies taken charge of by the Coroner.

(SCC 0894 § 2, 1992; SCC 1255 § 2, 2003; SCC 1361 § 1, 2007)