Title 26, Title 26: HEALTH AND VITAL STATISTICS

26:6B-18 Medical Examiner Review Team. 18. a. The Medical Examiner Review Team shall be established as a mechanism for peer review and collaboration and to provide recourse in the event of a dispute between medical examiners. b. The Medical Examiner Review Team shall include nine…

26:6B-19 Annual report. 19. a. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, in conjunction with the Medical Examiner Review Team, shall issue an annual report, which shall be made publicly available. b. The annual report shall contain, at a minimum: (1) the budget and expendit…

26:6B-2 Findings, declarations relative to the "Revised State Medical Examiner Act." 2. The Legislature finds and declares that: a. The enactment of a "Revised State Medical Examiner Act" is necessary in order to reform the current decentralized and fragmented medical examiner sy…

26:6B-20 Causes for removal of medical examiner. 20. The Governor shall be authorized to remove the Chief State Medical Examiner from office, and the Chief State Medical Examiner shall be authorized to remove any county or intercounty medical examiner from office, for any of the …

26:6B-21 New Jersey State Medical Examiner Toxicology Laboratory. 21. a. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner shall maintain and supervise a toxicology laboratory, to be designated as the New Jersey State Medical Examiner Toxicology Laboratory, in order to provide neces…

26:6B-22 Request to correct findings and conclusions. 22. a. Except in a case in which there is a finding of homicide, a person in interest may request the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner to correct the findings and conclusions on the cause and manner of death recorded…

26:6B-23 Immunity from liability. 24. The Chief State Medical Examiner, a Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner, an Assistant Medical Examiner, their employees, the members of any committees established pursuant to this act, and any other persons who are authorized to undertake act…

26:6B-3 Definitions relative to the "Revised State Medical Examiner Act." 3. As used in this act: "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health. "Compelling public necessity" means one or more of the following: a. that a dissection or autopsy is essential to the criminal invest…

26:6B-4 Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner. 4. There is established in the Executive Branch of the State Government the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner. For the purpose of complying with the provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Con…

26:6B-5 Certain office abolished; functions, powers duties transferred to the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner. 5. a. The Office of the State Medical Examiner in the Department of Law and Public Safety, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1967, c.234 (C.52:17B-79),…

26:6B-6 Supervision by Chief State Medical Examiner over State medical examiner system; qualifications, appointment. 6. a. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner shall be under the immediate and sole supervision and authority of the Chief State Medical Examiner, who shall…

26:6B-7 Duties, functions, powers, responsibilities. 7. The Chief State Medical Examiner shall have the following general duties, functions, powers, and responsibilities: a. The Chief State Medical Examiner shall have the authority to enforce the provisions of this act. b. The Ch…

26:6B-8 Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner. 8. a. The position of Deputy Chief State Medical Examiner is created in the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner. b. The Chief State Medical Examiner may appoint one or more persons to the position of Deputy Chief State Medical E…

26:6B-9 Office of the county medical examiner, intercounty medical examiner. 9. a. The governing body of a county shall establish and maintain an office of the county medical examiner, except as otherwise provided in this section. b. (1) The governing body of a county or the gove…

26:7-16. Burial permit Any person who cremates any dead human body without first having received a permit for burial or other final disposition issued according to the laws or regulations of this or any other State shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. L.1950, c. 256, p. 895, s. 6.

26:7-18.1. Time lapse after death No person shall cremate a dead human body unless at least 24 hours have elapsed from the time of death as recorded on the death certificate to the time of cremation. L.1983, c. 385, s. 1.

26:7-18.2 Disposition of unclaimed cremains. 2. a. Except as provided by subsection b. of this section, a person may dispose of the cremains of a dead human body which have not been claimed by a relative or friend of the deceased within one year from the date of cremation upon ce…

26:7-18.3. Rules and regulations The Commissioner of the Department of Health may promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c. 410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.). L.1983, c. 385, s. 3.

26:7-19. Penalties for violations Any person who violates any of the provisions of this act except section six, or who violates any rule or regulation of the State Department made pursuant to this act, or who shall refuse to comply with any lawful order or direction of the depart…

26:7-20. Payment of penalty deemed equivalent to conviction Payment of a penalty for any alleged violation of this act or any rule or regulation of the State Department made pursuant thereto, either before or after the institution of proceedings for the collection thereof, shall …

26:7-21. Enforcement 11. The provisions of this act shall be enforced and all penalties for the violation thereof shall be recovered in accordance with the provisions of "the penalty enforcement law" (N.J.S.2A:58-1 et seq.), and of any act amendatory thereof and supplementary the…

26:7-22. Jurisdiction to restrain acts in violation of laws or regulations The Superior Court of this State is hereby vested with jurisdiction and discretionary power in an action in the court brought at the suit of the Attorney-General or of the State Department to prevent and r…

26:7-23. Repeal Chapter seven of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes is repealed. L.1950, c. 256, p. 898, s. 13.

26:8-1 Definitions. 26:8-1. As used in this chapter: "Vital statistics" means statistics concerning births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships established pursuant to P.L.2003, c.246 (C.26:8A-1 et al.). "Vital records" means the birth, death, …

26:8-11 Local registrar, appointment; county clerk, authorized to act as local registrar, certain circumstances. 26:8-11. a. (1) The county governing body, by resolution, subject to the provisions of paragraph (2) of this subsection, may permit the county clerk to act as the loca…

26:8-12. Approval of appointment by state department The appointment of a local registrar shall be immediately certified to the state department, but shall not become effective until thirty days from the date of filing of the certificate, unless sooner approved in writing by the …

26:8-13. Term of office The term of office of a local registrar shall be 3 years and he shall serve until his successor has been appointed and qualified. If the local registrar is the municipal clerk, his term of office shall be concurrent with his term of office as clerk, and he…

26:8-14. Appointment of successors At least 10 days before the expiration of the term of office of a local registrar his successor shall be appointed by the appointing authority. Amended by L.1965, c. 78, s. 39.

26:8-15. Vacancy Any vacancy occurring in the office of local registrar shall be filled in the same manner as an original appointment but for the unexpired term only. If in case of such vacancy, the appointing authority shall not within 10 days thereafter fill such vacancy and ce…

26:8-16. Persons eligible as local registrars No physician, midwife or funeral director shall be appointed as local registrar, but in any registration district where full time health officers or other full time health officials will, in the judgment of the State department, prope…

26:8-17 Local registrar; appointment of deputy, alternate deputy registrar. 26:8-17. The local registrar, immediately upon acceptance of the appointment, shall appoint a deputy to assist in the normal, day-to-day operation of the office and whose duty shall be to act in the regis…

26:8-18. Subregistrar; appointment When it appears necessary for the convenience of the people in any registration district, the local registrar may, with the approval of the State registrar, appoint one or more suitable persons to act as subregistrars, who shall be authorized to…

26:8-19. Removal from office 26:8-19. Any local registrar, deputy registrar, alternate deputy registrar, or subregistrar, who in the judgment of the State department fails or neglects to discharge efficiently the duties of his office as set forth in this chapter or chapter 6 of t…

26:8-2. Registration district Every incorporated political subdivision, including a county, but not a school district, shall constitute a registration district.

26:8-20. Nonapplicability 26:8-20. The provisions of this chapter fixing the terms of office and providing methods of appointment and removal shall not apply to the positions of local registrar, deputy registrar, alternate deputy registrar, or subregistrar in municipalities opera…

26:8-21. Applicability of chapter 26:8-21. Every provision of this chapter, of chapter 6 of this Title (R.S.26:6-1 et seq.), as well as chapter 1 of Title 37 of the Revised Statutes, and of the rules and regulations of the State department applicable to local registrars in the re…

26:8-21.1 Rules, regulations. 28. The Commissioner of Health, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.2003, c.221, s.28; amended 2012, c.17, s.348.

26:8-22. Oath of office 26:8-22. Before entering upon their respective duties the state registrar, local registrar, deputy local registrar, alternate deputy registrar, and subregistrar shall take an oath to perform faithfully and impartially the duties of his office. The oath of …

26:8-23 Duty of the department; examination of records. 26:8-23. The Department of Health shall have charge of the registration of births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships and shall procure the prompt and accurate registration of the same i…

26:8-24 Duties, responsibilities of State registrar. 26:8-24. The State registrar shall: a. Have general supervision throughout the State of the registration of vital records; b. Have supervisory power over local registrars, deputy local registrars, alternate deputy local registr…

26:8-24.1 New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System (NJ-EDRS) 16. a. The State registrar shall establish and maintain the New Jersey Electronic Death Registration System or NJ-EDRS. (1) The system shall be fully implemented no later than 18 months after the date of enactmen…

26:8-24.2 "New Jersey Electronic Death Registration Support Fund." 17. a. There is established the "New Jersey Electronic Death Registration Support Fund" as a nonlapsing, revolving fund to be administered by the Commissioner of Health and credited with monies received pursuant t…

26:8-24.3 Means of accessing NJ-EDRS; requirements. 18. The Chief State Medical Examiner, the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development or his designee, county or intercounty medical examiners, licensed health care facilities, other public or private institutions providing …

26:8-25 Duties, responsibilities of local registrar. 26:8-25. The local registrar, under the supervision and direction of the State registrar, shall: a. Strictly and thoroughly enforce the law relative to the disposal of dead bodies and the registration of vital records in his re…

26:8-25.1 Suspension of authority to participate in NJ-EDRS. 27. The State registrar may suspend the authority of a local registrar, deputy registrar, alternate deputy registrar or subregistrar to participate in the NJ-EDRS, and thereby preclude that person from doing burial perm…

26:8-26 Duty of subregistrar. 26:8-26. Each subregistrar shall note, on each certificate of birth or death, over his signature, the date of filing, and shall forward all certificates to the local registrar of the district within five days, with the exception that in any instance …