California Code
Health and Safety Code - HSC
DIVISION 7 - DEAD BODIES

PART 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER 1 - Definitions

Section 7000. - 7000. The definitions in this chapter apply to this division,...

Section 7001. - 7001. “Human remains” or “remains” means the body of a...

Section 7002. - 7002. “Cremated remains” means the ashes and bone fragments of...

Section 7002.5. - 7002.5. (a) “Hydrolyzed human remains” means bone fragments of a...

Section 7002.7. - 7002.7. (a) “Reduction facility” means a structure, room, or other...

Section 7003. - 7003. (a) “Cemetery” means either of the following: (1) Any...

Section 7004. - 7004. “Burial park” means a tract of land for the...

Section 7005. - 7005. Except in Part 5 (commencing with Section 9501) of...

Section 7006. - 7006. “Crematory” means a building or structure containing one or...

Section 7006.1. - 7006.1. (a) “Hydrolysis facility” means a building or structure containing...

Section 7006.3. - 7006.3. “Cremation chamber” means the enclosed space within which the...

Section 7006.4. - 7006.4. (a) “Hydrolysis chamber” means the enclosed space within which...

Section 7006.5. - 7006.5. “Cremation container” means a combustible, closed container resistant to...

Section 7006.6. - 7006.6. (a) “Hydrolysis container” means a hydrolyzable body wrapping into...

Section 7006.7. - 7006.7. “Cremated remains container” means a receptacle in which cremated...

Section 7006.8. - 7006.8. (a) “Hydrolyzed human remains container” means a receptacle in...

Section 7007. - 7007. Except in Part 5 (commencing with Section 9501) of...

Section 7008. - 7008. “Crematory and columbarium” means a building or structure containing...

Section 7009. - 7009. “Interment” means the disposition of human remains by entombment...

Section 7010. - 7010. “Cremation” means the process by which the following three...

Section 7010.1. - 7010.1. (a) “Hydrolysis” means the process by which the following...

Section 7010.3. - 7010.3. (a) “Processing” means the removal of foreign objects, pursuant...

Section 7010.5. - 7010.5. “Residue” means human ashes, bone fragments, prostheses, and disintegrated...

Section 7010.7. - 7010.7. (a) “Scattering” means the authorized dispersal of cremated remains...

Section 7010.8. - 7010.8. (a) “Integrate into the soil” means the authorized addition...

Section 7011. - 7011. (a) “Inurnment” means placing cremated remains or hydrolyzed human...

Section 7011.2. - 7011.2. (a) “Placement” means the placing of a container holding...

Section 7012. - 7012. “Entombment” means the process of placing human remains in...

Section 7013. - 7013. “Burial” means the process of placing human remains in...

Section 7014. - 7014. “Grave” means a space of earth in a burial...

Section 7015. - 7015. (a) “Crypt” or “vault” means a space in a...

Section 7016. - 7016. (a) “Niche” means a space in a columbarium used,...

Section 7017. - 7017. (a) “Hydrolysate” means the resultant liquid from the hydrolysis...

Section 7018. - 7018. “Cemetery authority” includes cemetery association, corporation sole, limited liability...

Section 7019. - 7019. “Cemetery corporation,” “cemetery association,” or “cemetery corporation or association,”...

Section 7020. - 7020. “Cemetery business,” “cemetery businesses,” and “cemetery purposes” are used...

Section 7021. - 7021. “Directors” or “governing body” means the board of directors,...

Section 7022. - 7022. “Lot,” “plot,” or “interment plot” means space in a...

Section 7023. - 7023. “Plot owner,” “owner,” or “lot proprietor,” means any person...

Section 7024. - 7024. “Permit for Disposition of Human Remains” includes “burial permit”...

Section 7025. - 7025. “Disposition” means the interment, integration into soil, or scattering...

CHAPTER 2 - General Provisions

Section 7050.5. - 7050.5. (a) Every person who knowingly mutilates or disinters, wantonly...

Section 7051. - 7051. (a) A person who removes part of any human...

Section 7051.5. - 7051.5. A person who removes or possesses dental gold or...

Section 7052. - 7052. (a) A person who willfully mutilates, disinters, removes from...

Section 7052.5. - 7052.5. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7052, cremated, reduced, or...

Section 7053. - 7053. Every person who arrests, attaches, detains, or claims to...

Section 7054. - 7054. (a) (1) Except as authorized pursuant to the sections...

Section 7054.1. - 7054.1. Cremated, reduced, or hydrolyzed human remains shall not be...

Section 7054.3. - 7054.3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a recognizable dead...

Section 7054.4. - 7054.4. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, recognizable anatomical parts,...

Section 7054.5. - 7054.5. (a) Reduced human remains may be disposed of by...

Section 7054.6. - 7054.6. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), cremated remains...

Section 7054.7. - 7054.7. (a) Except with the express written permission of the...

Section 7054.8. - 7054.8. (a) Except with the express written permission of the...

Section 7054.9. - 7054.9. (a) Except with the express written permission of the...

Section 7055. - 7055. (a) A person, who for themselves or for another...

Section 7055. - 7055. (a) A person who, for themselves or for another...

CHAPTER 3 - Custody, and Duty of Interment

Section 7100. - 7100. (a) The right to control the disposition of the...

Section 7100.1. - 7100.1. (a) A decedent, prior to death, may direct, in...

Section 7101. - 7101. When any decedent leaves an estate in this state,...

Section 7102. - 7102. When a person is charged by law with the...

Section 7103. - 7103. (a) Every person, upon whom the duty of interment...

Section 7104. - 7104. (a) When no provision is made by the decedent,...

Section 7104.1. - 7104.1. If, within 30 days after the coroner notifies or...

Section 7105. - 7105. (a) If the person or persons listed in paragraphs...

Section 7106. - 7106. A cemetery authority may seek an order providing for...

Section 7107. - 7107. Notice of the time and place of the hearing...

Section 7108. - 7108. If the coroner is directed to make such interment...

Section 7109. - 7109. The court shall allow costs and reasonable attorney’s fees...

Section 7110. - 7110. Any person signing any authorization for the interment or...

Section 7111. - 7111. A cemetery authority or crematory may make an interment...

Section 7112. - 7112. No action shall lie against any cemetery authority relating...

Section 7113. - 7113. A cemetery authority or licensed funeral director or a...

Section 7114. - 7114. Any person who performs, permits or assists at, an...

Section 7116. - 7116. (a) Cremated remains or hydrolyzed human remains may be...

Section 7117. - 7117. (a) Cremated remains or hydrolyzed human remains may be...

Section 7117.1. - 7117.1. (a) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 7117, cremated remains...

CHAPTER 3.5 - Uniform Anatomical Gift Act

Section 7150. - 7150. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited,...

Section 7150.10. - 7150.10. (a) As used in this chapter, the following terms...

Section 7150.15. - 7150.15. Subject to Section 7150.35, an anatomical gift of a...

Section 7150.20. - 7150.20. (a) A donor may make an anatomical gift through...

Section 7150.25. - 7150.25. (a) Subject to Section 7150.35, a donor or other...

Section 7150.30. - 7150.30. (a) An individual may refuse to make an anatomical...

Section 7150.35. - 7150.35. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (g) and...

Section 7150.40. - 7150.40. (a) Subject to subdivisions (b) and (c), and unless...

Section 7150.45. - 7150.45. (a) A person authorized to make an anatomical gift...

Section 7150.50. - 7150.50. (a) An anatomical gift may be made to any...

Section 7150.55. - 7150.55. (a) All of the following persons shall make a...

Section 7150.60. - 7150.60. (a) A document of gift need not be delivered...

Section 7150.65. - 7150.65. (a) When a hospital refers an individual at or...

Section 7150.70. - 7150.70. Each hospital in this state shall enter into agreements...

Section 7150.75. - 7150.75. (a) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (b), a...

Section 7150.80. - 7150.80. (a) A person that acts in accordance with this...

Section 7150.85. - 7150.85. (a) A document of gift is valid if executed...

Section 7150.90. - 7150.90. (a) The California organ procurement organizations designated pursuant to...

Section 7151.10. - 7151.10. (a) As used in this section the following terms...

Section 7151.15. - 7151.15. (a) A county coroner shall cooperate with procurement organizations...

Section 7151.20. - 7151.20. (a) On request from a qualified procurement organization, the...

Section 7151.25. - 7151.25. In applying and construing this uniform act, consideration shall...

Section 7151.30. - 7151.30. This act modifies, limits, and supersedes the Electronic Signatures...

Section 7151.35. - 7151.35. (a) No hospital, physician and surgeon, procurement organization, or...

Section 7151.36. - 7151.36. (a) A hospital, physician and surgeon, procurement organization, or...

Section 7151.40. - 7151.40. (a) If there has been an anatomical gift, a...

CHAPTER 3.55 - Organ and Tissue Donation Information and Procedures

Section 7158. - 7158. (a) The Controller shall prepare, or cause to be...

Section 7158.1. - 7158.1. (a) As a part of its ongoing audit and...

Section 7158.2. - 7158.2. Every health care service plan contract that is issued,...

Section 7158.3. - 7158.3. (a) The following definitions shall apply for purposes of...

CHAPTER 3.56 - Altruistic Living Donor Registry Act

Section 7152. - 7152. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited,...

Section 7152.1. - 7152.1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the...

Section 7152.2. - 7152.2. (a) The California organ procurement organizations designated pursuant to...

CHAPTER 3.6 - Organ Transplants

Section 7160. - 7160. (a) The State Department of Health Services shall consult...

CHAPTER 3.7 - Death

ARTICLE 1 - Uniform Determination of Death Act

Section 7180. - 7180. (a) An individual who has sustained either (1) irreversible...

ARTICLE 2 - Confirmation of Death

Section 7181. - 7181. When an individual is pronounced dead by determining that...

Section 7182. - 7182. When a part of the donor is used for...

Section 7183. - 7183. Complete patient medical records required of a health facility...

Section 7184. - 7184. (a) Each general acute care hospital shall develop a...

Section 7184.5. - 7184.5. (a) In conjunction with entering into any agreement with...

CHAPTER 4 - Disposal of Unclaimed Dead

Section 7200. - 7200. Every head of a public institution, city or county...

Section 7201. - 7201. The person in charge of a public institution in...

Section 7202. - 7202. The unclaimed dead retained by the State department for...

Section 7203. - 7203. The bodies of the unclaimed dead retained by the...

Section 7204. - 7204. All persons receiving unclaimed dead for educational purposes shall...

Section 7205. - 7205. It is unlawful for any person, unless specifically authorized...

Section 7206. - 7206. Any person authorized by law to perform post mortem...

Section 7207. - 7207. Whenever, through the failure of any person to notify...

Section 7208. - 7208. Every person who unlawfully disposes, uses, or sells the...

CHAPTER 5 - Embalming and Transportation

ARTICLE 1 - Embalming

Section 7300. - 7300. No person shall embalm the body of any person...

Section 7301. - 7301. No embalmer shall embalm a dead human body when...

Section 7302. - 7302. Every funeral director and embalmer shall immediately report to...

Section 7303. - 7303. No embalmer shall embalm a dead human body when...

Section 7304. - 7304. No embalmer shall embalm a dead body without obtaining...

ARTICLE 2 - Transportation

Section 7355. - 7355. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), the bodies...

PART 2 - DISINTERMENT AND REMOVAL

CHAPTER 1 - General Provisions

ARTICLE 1 - Permits

Section 7500. - 7500. No remains of any deceased person shall be removed...

Section 7501. - 7501. A cemetery authority shall not remove or permit the...

Section 7502. - 7502. In the disinterment, transportation and removal of human remains...

ARTICLE 2 - Consent to Removal

Section 7525. - 7525. The remains of a deceased person may be removed...

Section 7526. - 7526. If the required consent can not be obtained, permission...

Section 7527. - 7527. Notice of application to the court for such permission...

Section 7528. - 7528. This article does not apply to or prohibit the...

CHAPTER 3 - Removal of All Remains: Cities of 1500 100,000

Section 7600. - 7600. The governing body of any city having a population...

CHAPTER 4 - Removal of All Remains: Cities and Cities and Counties Over 100,000

ARTICLE 1 - Power of Municipality

Section 7700. - 7700. The governing body of any city or city and...

Section 7701. - 7701. The governing body of such city or city and...

ARTICLE 2 - Declaration of Intention by Cemetery Authority

Section 7725. - 7725. The cemetery authority of any cemetery from which human...

Section 7726. - 7726. Any resolution or declaration of intention to disinter and...

ARTICLE 3 - Notice of Intention

Section 7735. - 7735. Notice of a declaration of intention to remove the...

Section 7736. - 7736. The notice shall be entitled “Notice of Declaration of...

Section 7737. - 7737. Copies of the notice shall within ten days after...

Section 7738. - 7738. A copy of the notice shall be mailed to...

Section 7739. - 7739. The notice shall also be mailed to each known...

ARTICLE 4 - Special Notice to Relative or Friend

Section 7750. - 7750. At any time before the date fixed for the...

Section 7751. - 7751. The notice to the cemetery authority shall specify: (a)...

Section 7752. - 7752. The notice may be delivered, or forwarded by registered...

Section 7753. - 7753. After receipt of such notice before the date fixed...

Section 7754. - 7754. Whenever a request of notice is given by a...

ARTICLE 5 - Removals by Relatives or Friends

Section 7800. - 7800. At any time prior to the removal by a...

Section 7801. - 7801. The person desiring to cause the removal shall, prior...

Section 7802. - 7802. Removal of all remains in a plot without the...

Section 7803. - 7803. If the right, title or interest of any grantee...

Section 7804. - 7804. Whenever remains are removed by a relative or friend...

Section 7805. - 7805. If such appurtenances remain on the plot for more...

ARTICLE 6 - Removal by Cemetery Authority

Section 7850. - 7850. After the completion of notice, and after the expiration...

Section 7851. - 7851. Whenever any remains are removed from any cemetery or...

Section 7852. - 7852. The remains of each person reinterred shall be placed...

ARTICLE 7 - Disposal of Lands

Section 7900. - 7900. Whenever human remains have been ordered removed under this...

Section 7901. - 7901. No order of any court shall be required prior...

Section 7902. - 7902. Petitions for confirmation of sales shall be made to...

Section 7903. - 7903. If prior to the adoption of an ordinance pursuant...

Section 7904. - 7904. After the removal of all human remains interred in...

Section 7905. - 7905. With the approval of the governing body of the...

Section 7906. - 7906. After all remains have been removed from a cemetery...

ARTICLE 8 - Use of Funds

Section 7925. - 7925. Money payable or to become payable as the purchase...

Section 7926. - 7926. Whenever any cemetery corporation or association has declared for...

Section 7927. - 7927. From the money remaining in the treasury of the...

Section 7928. - 7928. After making provisions for an endowment care fund to...

Section 7929. - 7929. Any balance remaining in the fund may be used...

Section 7930. - 7930. Whenever any cemetery corporation or association having a governing...

Section 7931. - 7931. In lieu of itself investing, using or applying the...

Section 7932. - 7932. Before any such transfer of funds is made, the...

Section 7933. - 7933. The order shall be obtained upon petition of the...

ARTICLE 9 - New Land, Mausoleum or Columbarium

Section 7950. - 7950. Whenever any cemetery authority owning or controlling cemetery lands...

Section 7951. - 7951. Plots, crypts, or niches may be sold to persons...

Section 7952. - 7952. The governing body of any cemetery corporation or association...

Section 7953. - 7953. After the removal and reinterment of remains disinterred from...

Section 7954. - 7954. The cemetery authority shall prepare a complete map or...

Section 7955. - 7955. The map or plan shall be kept on file...

ARTICLE 10 - Taxation

Section 7975. - 7975. When any law or ordinance requires that the remains...

ARTICLE 11 - Religious Observances

Section 7980. - 7980. The heirs, relatives or friends of any decedent whose...

ARTICLE 12 - Removal by Counties

Section 8000. - 8000. If it appears to the board of supervisors of...

Section 8001. - 8001. Any resolution or declaration for abandonment adopted and made...

Section 8002. - 8002. At any time before the date fixed for the...

Section 8003. - 8003. After the publication and mailing of the notice mentioned...

Section 8004. - 8004. Whenever the remains of any person shall be removed...

Section 8005. - 8005. After the removal of all human remains the property...

CHAPTER 5 - California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation

ARTICLE 1 - General Provisions

Section 8010. - 8010. This chapter shall be known, and may be cited...

Section 8011. - 8011. It is the intent of the Legislature to do...

ARTICLE 2 - State Cultural Affiliation and Repatriation

Section 8012. - 8012. Terms used in this chapter have the same meaning...

Section 8013. - 8013. (a) On or before January 1, 2021, the commission...

Section 8014. - 8014. (a) A lineal descendent claiming a relationship with, and...

Section 8015. - 8015. (a) Upon receiving a written request for repatriation of...

Section 8016. - 8016. (a) An agency or museum receiving a repatriation request...

Section 8017. - 8017. If there is a committee or group of California...

Section 8018. - 8018. An agency or museum that repatriates human remains and...

Section 8019. - 8019. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit...

Section 8020. - 8020. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and upon the...

Section 8021. - 8021. The filing of an appeal by either party automatically...

ARTICLE 3 - Conditions on the Use of State Funds for the Handling or Maintenance of Native American Human Remains and Cultural Items

Section 8024. - 8024. For purposes of this article, “consultation” has the same...

Section 8025. - 8025. (a) In order to better implement the federal Native...

Section 8026. - 8026. (a) (1) As a condition for using state funds...

Section 8027. - 8027. The Regents of the University of California may delegate...

Section 8028. - 8028. The California State Auditor, in accordance with Chapter 6.5...

Section 8028.5. - 8028.5. The provisions of this article are severable. If any...

ARTICLE 4 - Penalties and Enforcement Procedures

Section 8029. - 8029. (a) Any agency or museum that fails to comply...

Section 8030. - 8030. The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any...