As used in this article 2, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Dead body means a lifeless human body or parts of such body or bones thereof from the state of which it reasonably may be concluded that death recently occurred.
(1.5) Document memorializing the decedent's gender or document memorializing the decedent's gender identity includes any of the following:
(a) A court order approving a legal name or gender change;
(b) Written instructions from the decedent;
(c) A health-care directive;
(d) Proof of clinical treatment for a gender transition;
(e) Documentation of a change to the gender marker on the decedent's birth certificate; or
(f) A driver's license.
(2) Fetal death means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy. The death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles.
(2.5) Final disposition means the burial, interment, cremation, natural reduction, removal from the state, or other authorized disposition of a dead body or fetus.
(2.6) Gender identity means an individual's innate sense of the individual's own gender, which may or may not correspond with the individual's sex assigned at birth and is designated on a certificate of death as male, female, or X, which is a sex designation that is neither male nor female.
(2.7) Induced termination of pregnancy means the purposeful interruption of a pregnancy with an intention other than producing a live-born infant or removing a dead fetus and that does not result in a live birth.
(3) Institution means any establishment which provides inpatient medical, surgical, or diagnostic care or treatment or nursing, custodial, or domiciliary care to two or more unrelated individuals or to which persons are committed by law.
(3.5) Physician means a person licensed to practice medicine in Colorado pursuant to article 240 of title 12.
(4) Regulations means regulations duly adopted pursuant to section 25-2-103.
(4.3) State registrar means the office of the state registrar of vital statistics created in section 25-2-103 (1).
(4.5) Stillborn death or stillbirth means death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, occurring after the twentieth week of pregnancy, and does not include induced termination of pregnancy, as defined by subsection (2.7) of this section. The death is indicated by the fact that after such expulsion or extraction the fetus does not breathe or show any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles.
(5) Vital statistics certificate means any certificate required by section 25-2-110, 25-2-112, or 25-2-112.3.
(6) Vital statistics report means any report required by section 25-2-106 or 25-2-107.
Source: L. 67: R&RE, p. 1056, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 66-8-2. L. 84: (2.5) and (3.5) added and (6) amended, p. 742, � 3, effective July 1. L. 2000: (2.7) added, p. 1073, � 1, effective August 2. L. 2001: (4.5) added, p. 439, � 1, effective August 8. L. 2004: (4.5) and (5) amended, p. 473, � 1, effective July 1. L. 2019: IP and (3.5) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1700, � 149, effective October 1. L. 2021: (2.5) amended, (SB 21-006), ch. 123, p. 497, � 24, effective September 7. L. 2025: (1.5) and (2.6) added, (HB 25-1109), ch. 73, p. 314, � 1, effective April 17; (4.3) added, (SB 25-275), ch. 377, p. 2077, � 208, effective August 6.
Editor's note: (1) Subsection (4.5) was originally numbered as (3.7) in House Bill 01-1325 but has been renumbered on revision for ease of location.
(2) Section 5 of chapter 73 (HB 25-1109), Session Laws of Colorado 2025, provides that the act changing this section applies to offenses committed on or after April 17, 2025.
25-2-103. Centralized registration system for all vital statistics - office of the state registrar of vital statistics created - appointment of registrar - rules. (1) In order to provide for the maintenance of a centralized registry of the vital statistics of this state, the office of the state registrar of vital statistics is created in the division of administration in the department of public health and environment. The state registrar is appointed by the state board of health and has such staff and clerical help as is reasonably required in the performance of the state registrar's duties. The state registrar and the staff and clerical help of the state registrar are subject to the state constitution and state personnel system laws. The office of the state registrar is a type 2 entity, as defined in section 24-1-105.
(2) The state board of health shall adopt, promulgate, amend, and repeal such rules and orders in accordance with the provisions of section 24-4-103, C.R.S., as are necessary and proper for carrying out the provisions of this article.
(3) (a) The state registrar shall direct and supervise the operation of the vital statistics system, prepare and publish annual reports of vital statistics, and administer and enforce the provisions of this article and all rules issued under this article.
(b) In conjunction with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), the state registrar shall collect the name of the provider of prenatal care, if any, and the name of the provider of initial delivery services and shall require that such information be reported on all birth certificates. In addition, whenever an investigation or inquest is conducted pursuant to section 30-10-606, C.R.S., concerning the death of a child under one year of age, the coroner shall forward the information described in this paragraph (b) to the state registrar for inclusion on the death certificate of the subject of the inquest or investigation.
(4) Federal, state, local, and other public or private agencies may, upon request, be furnished copies of records of data for statistical purposes upon such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by regulation.
(4.5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law that limits the sharing of vital statistics, after receiving the list of names and social security numbers of individuals who received property tax exemptions as either qualifying seniors or qualifying veterans with a disability for the prior year that is provided by the property tax administrator pursuant to section 39-3-207, the state registrar shall identify all individuals on the list who have died and transmit a list of the names and social security numbers of such individuals to the administrator.
(4.7) Notwithstanding any other provision of law that limits the sharing of vital statistics, after receiving the list of names and social security numbers of individuals who had property classified as qualified-senior primary residence real property that is provided by the property tax administrator pursuant to section 39-1-104.6 (5)(c), the state registrar shall identify all individuals on the list who have died and transmit a list of the names and social security numbers of such individuals to the administrator.
(5) The state registrar shall designate organized county, district, or municipal public health agencies established pursuant to part 5 of article 1 of this title and may establish or designate additional offices throughout Colorado to aid in the efficient administration of the system of vital statistics.
(6) The state registrar may:
(a) Require departments or offices so designated or established to comply with performance and accounting standards as set forth in rules promulgated by the state board of health;
(b) Delegate such functions and duties to the staff and clerical help and to any offices established or designated by the state registrar pursuant to this section as deemed necessary or expedient;
(c) Conduct training programs to promote the uniformity of the administration of this article throughout Colorado.
Source: L. 67: R&RE, p. 1057, � 1. C.R.S. 1963: � 66-8-3. L. 76: Entire section amended, p. 309, � 48, effective May 20. L. 84: Entire section amended, p. 743, � 4, effective July 1. L. 94: Entire section amended, p. 2748, � 398, effective July 1. L. 96: Entire section amended, p. 401, � 13, effective April 17. L. 2010: (5) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2092, � 87, effective August 11. L. 2016: (4.5) added, (HB 16-1175), ch. 332, p. 1344, � 1, effective June 10. L. 2022: (1) amended, (SB 22-162), ch. 469, p. 3367, � 45, effective August 10. L. 2023: (4.5) amended, (SB 23-036), ch. 345, p. 2072, � 7, effective June 5; (4.5) amended, (HB 23-1052), ch. 131, p. 502, � 9, effective January 1, 2025. L. 2024: (4.7) added, (SB 24-111), ch. 169, p. 870, � 1, effective August 7. L. 2025: (1) amended, (SB 25-275), ch. 377, p. 2078, � 209, effective August 6.
Editor's note: Subsection (4.5) was amended in HB 23-1052. Those amendments were superseded by the amendment of subsection (4.5) in SB 23-036.
Cross references: (1) For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending this section, see section 1 of chapter 345, Session Laws of Colorado 1994. For the legislative declaration in HB 23-1052, see section 1 of chapter 131, Session Laws of Colorado 2023. For the legislative declaration in HB 23-1246, see section 1 of chapter 199, Session Laws of Colorado 2023.
(2) For the short title (the Debbie Haskins 'Administrative Organization Act of 1968' Modernization Act) in SB 22-162, see section 1 of chapter 469, Session Laws of Colorado 2022.