§ 4144 — Deaths; burial and removal permits; transportation of remains

§ 4144. Deaths; burial and removal permits; transportation of remains.\n1. The body of any person whose death occurs in this state, or which\nshall be found dead herein shall not be interred, deposited in a vault\nor tomb, cremated or otherwise disposed of, or removed from this state,\nor be temporarily held pending further disposition more than seventy-two\nhours after death, unless a permit for burial, removal, or other\ndisposition thereof shall have been properly issued by the registrar of\nvital statistics of the registration district in which the death\noccurred or the body was found; provided, however, that a licensed\nfuneral director may apply for and receive such permit on behalf of any\nperson or institution authorized by article forty-two or forty-three of\nthis chapter to receive unclaimed cadavers or anatomical gifts.\n 2. (a) No burial or removal permit shall be issued by any registrar\nuntil, wherever practicable, a complete and satisfactory certificate of\ndeath has been filed with him as provided in this article.\n (b) The funeral director or undertaker who shall make any removal\nbefore a permit is issued by the registrar, shall return the body to the\nregistration district where death occurred, whenever the coroner,\nmedical examiner, or district attorney shall request such return of the\nbody for investigation or post-mortem examination.\n (c) Except as specifically provided in this section, the existing\ngeneral duties of, and remuneration received by, local registrars in\naccepting and filing certificates of death and issuing burial and\nremoval permits pursuant to any statute or regulation shall be\nmaintained, and not altered or abridged in any way by this section.\n 3. No registrar of vital statistics shall receive any fee for the\nissuance of burial or removal permits under this chapter except as\nreferenced by section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this title and\nother than the compensation provided in this article.\n 4. When the body of a deceased person is transported from outside of\nthe state into a registration district in this state for burial or other\ndisposition, the transit or removal permit issued in accordance with the\nlaw and health regulations of the place where the death occurred shall\nbe given the same force and effect as the burial permit herein provided\nfor.\n 5. If the interment, or other disposition of the body of a deceased\nperson is to be made within the state, the wording of the burial or\nremoval permit may be limited to a statement by the registrar, and over\nhis signature, that a satisfactory certificate of death, having been\nfiled with him, as required by law, permission is granted to inter,\nremove or otherwise dispose of the body, stating the name, age, sex,\ncause of death, and other necessary details in a manner and format as\nmay be required by the commissioner.\n 6. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the commissioner shall\nhave power to promulgate rules with reference to the removal of bodies\nof persons whose deaths occur on trains, boats or other carriers engaged\nin the transportation of persons within this state, and with reference\nto the removal of bodies as provided herein.\n