Title GOV — California Gov. Code

By a resolution adopted by a four-fifths vote of its members, the board may determine that the acquisition by purchase, condemnation, lease, or otherwise of real or personal property for the construction and completion of improvements necessary and convenient for any of the follo…

The board by resolution shall specify the general nature of the improvement proposed, the nature of the aid to be furnished by the county, and any funds from which the aid is to be paid.

The county may give aid in one or more of the following ways: (a) Contribute money. (b) Acquire and deliver material. (c) Furnish labor or engineering services. (d) Loan its road building machinery. (e) Sell any county property to any city within the county, without bid and upon …

The expense of the aid may be paid from the county general fund and any other fund available for the purpose.

The city shall use all aid which it receives for the activities described in the resolution and shall return to the county any portion which is not so used.

The board of supervisors, by a four-fifths vote, may contribute money to the United States for the acquisition or improvement by the United States or any of its authorized agencies of airports in the county, when, in the judgment of the board it is in the interest of the county s…

Any zoning ordinance adopted after October 1, 1949, by any county, shall not be effective, nor shall any zoning ordinance previously adopted remain effective six months after the effective date of this act unless: (a) A provision is made in the ordinance for suitable areas in whi…

The finding required by Section 26027 shall not be made without notice and opportunity to be heard being given to all interested persons. Notice shall be given by publication pursuant to Section 6064 in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county, or, if there is n…

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.

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) sell summarily any personal property belonging to the deceased, (b) withdraw any money that the deceased has on deposit wi…

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 of any personal property, and the disposition of the property of the deceased. He shall also file with the clerk voucher…

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 any aliases of the deceased, when known, including such description as may be sufficient for identification and which may, …

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 27463. At any time after the completion of the coroner’s investigation, and the closing of the particular case involved, the c…

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 document apparently written by the deceased which may tend to indicate an intention by the writer to take the writer’s lif…

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 the body.

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, the coroner shall deliver to the treasurer any money, and the proceeds of the sale of any property found upon the body. At …

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 the body, unless claimed in the meantime by the public administrator or other legal representative of the decedent, the …

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 decedent, the coroner shall sell the property at public auction upon reasonable public notice, and immediately thereafter…

In any action or proceeding in which the sheriff is a party, the coroner shall discharge the duties of sheriff.

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 reimbursed for ambulance services rendered in conveying any person to the county hospital, where the person and the perso…

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 may charge any actual costs incurred in the performance of an autopsy upon a person who was a resident of another county t…

(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 attempt, the coroner may embalm the body or authorize the embalming by a mortician for purposes of preserving the remains for …

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 collect from the person entitled to control the disposition of the remains, as specified in Section 7100 of the Health and S…

In coroners’ cases, interpreters’ and translators’ fees or other compensation shall be paid from the county treasury upon warrants drawn by the county auditor, when so ordered by the coroner.

The coroner shall hold inquests pursuant to this article.

(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; unattended deaths; deaths where the deceased has not been attended by either a physician or a registered nurse, who is a member of…

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 of another by criminal means, the coroner, upon determining that those reasonable grounds exist, shall immediately notify …

(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 inquiry, may immediately proceed to where the body lies, examine the body, make identification, make inquiry into the circ…

(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 vehicle, or as a result of the deceased being struck by a motor vehicle, shall take blood and other biological samples, when …

(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 the scene of death or related to the inquiry and hold or safeguard them until lawful disposition thereof can be made. The…

(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 syndrome and, in all other cases, the coroner may, in his or her discretion, take possession of the body, which shall includ…

(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 a thorough postmortem examination fails to demonstrate an adequate cause of death. (b) The Legislature finds and declare…

(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 that is unexplained by the history of the child and where a thorough postmortem examination fails to demonstrate an adequ…

(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, dissection, or removal of corneal tissue, pituitary glands, or any other organ, tissue, or fluid, has received a certificate …

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 implementation of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act contained in Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 7150) of Part 1 of Div…

(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 the time of autopsy or acquired during a coroner’s investigation as may, in the opinion of the coroner, be necessary or …

(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 science, in those cases in which the coroner has required an autopsy to be performed pursuant to this chapter, and during a 4…

(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 coroner’s custody, if all of the following conditions are met: (1) The autopsy has otherwise been authorized. (2) The co…

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 scientific findings. In case of death without medical attendance and without violence, casualty, criminal or undue means, the…

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 an agency of another county or the federal government when all of the following conditions have been met: (a) The other ag…

(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 where the offices of the sheriff and the coroner are combined, the sheriff-coroner shall not determine the circumstances, m…

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 General, the district attorney, sheriff, city prosecutor, city attorney, or a chief of police of a city in the county in whic…

The coroner, his authorized deputy, or a hearing officer shall conduct the inquest.

(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 (commencing with Section 1010) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code, by means of a subpoena or subpoena duces tecu…

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 jurors, to appear before him forthwith, either at the place where the body of the deceased is or at some other convenient place…

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 charged with or suspected of the killing, nor shall anyone be summoned who is known to be prejudiced for or against him. …

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 deceased person. On order of the coroner the jury shall retire to any convenient place specified by him to hear the testimon…

(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 person. The coroner may also require any such witness to bring with him or her any books, records, documents, or other t…

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 surgeon or physician to inspect the body or hold a post mortem examination or a chemist to make an analysis of the stomach …

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 the district attorney, the coroner shall, if it reasonably appears to him that the persons named are in fact necessary wi…