Oregon Law
Law as of Jan 1, 2026
Chapter contents
146.001[Formerly 146.087; repealed by 1987 c.517 §1 (432.300 enacted in lieu of 146.001)] 146.003Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992 146.005[1959 c.629 §8; 1965 c.221 §14; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.010[Amended by 1959 c.629 §16; renumbered 10.810] 146.015State Medical Examiner Advisory Board; appointment of Chief Medical Examiner; rules 146.020[Renumbered 10.820] 146.025Functions of board 146.030[1959 c.629 §10; 1965 c.221 §15; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.035Chief Medical Examiner; personnel; records; right to examine records 146.040[1959 c.629 §1; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.045Duties of Chief Medical Examiner; persons missing at sea, in wilderness or in forested environment 146.050[1959 c.629 §2; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.055Advice; autopsies; training programs; report 146.060[1959 c.629 §3; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.065Local medical examiners; appointment; Deputy State Medical Examiner 146.070[1959 c.629 §4; 1969 c.314 §8; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.075District office duties; personnel; expenses for certain duties; records and reports 146.080Assistant district medical examiner 146.085Medical-legal death investigators 146.087[1975 c.565 §1; renumbered 146.001] 146.088Officer or employee of public body 146.090Deaths requiring investigation 146.095Investigation; certification; report; training 146.100Where death considered to have occurred; notification of death required 146.102Guidance concerning overdose death communication; notification 146.103Removal of body, effects or weapons prohibited without consent 146.105[1959 c.629 §7; repealed by 1965 c.221 §7] 146.107Authority to enter and secure certain premises; court order 146.109Notification of next of kin 146.110[Amended by 1959 c.629 §34; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.113Authority to order removal of body fluids 146.115[Amended by 1955 c.190 §1; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.117Autopsies 146.120[Amended by 1959 c.629 §35; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.121Disposition of body; filing; expenses 146.125Disposition of personal property 146.130[Amended by 1959 c.629 §36; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.135Authority to order inquest 146.140[Amended by 1959 c.629 §37; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.145Jury of inquest 146.150[Amended by 1959 c.629 §38; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.155Inquest proceedings 146.160[Amended by 1959 c.629 §39; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.165Verdict; findings; testimony and verdict of inquest as admissible evidence in subsequent proceedings 146.170[Amended by 1955 c.161 §1; 1959 c.629 §40; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.171Unidentified human remains; maintenance of records 146.174Medical examiner to provide information about unidentified human remains; identification 146.177Procedures for investigating missing persons 146.180[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.181Missing persons; police report; supplementary report 146.184Medical practitioners to provide information about missing persons 146.187DNA sample 146.189Use of records to identify human remains and missing persons; disposition of records 146.190[Amended by 1959 c.629 §41; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.200[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.210[Amended by 1959 c.629 §42; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.220[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.230[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.240[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.250[Amended by 1953 c.568 §3; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.260[Amended by 1953 c.568 §3; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.270[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.280[Repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.310[1965 c.221 §2; 1971 c.487 §3; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.315[1971 c.487 §2; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.320[1965 c.221 §5; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.330[1965 c.221 §3; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.340[1965 c.221 §4; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.350[1965 c.221 §6; 1971 c.487 §4; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.360[1965 c.221 §7; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.370[1965 c.221 §8; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.410[1959 c.629 §6; 1965 c.221 §16; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.420[1959 c.629 §9; 1963 c.98 §1; 1965 c.91 §1; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.430[1959 c.629 §11; 1961 c.434 §3; 1965 c.91 §2; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.440[1959 c.629 §12; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.450[1959 c.629 §13; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.460[1959 c.629 §14; repealed by 1965 c.91 §3 (146.461 enacted in lieu of 146.460)] 146.461[1965 c.91 §4 (enacted in lieu of 146.460); repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.470[1959 c.629 §15; 1961 c.434 §4; 1965 c.91 §5; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.480[1959 c.629 §17; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.490[1959 c.629 §18; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.500[1959 c.629 §19; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.505[1983 c.390 §1; renumbered 146.171 in 2007] 146.510[1959 c.629 §20; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.515[1983 c.390 §2; 2007 c.500 §5; renumbered 146.174 in 2007] 146.520[1959 c.629 §21; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.525[1983 c.390 §3; 1989 c.1059 §3; 2007 c.500 §3; renumbered 146.181 in 2007] 146.530[1959 c.629 §22; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.535[1983 c.390 §4; 2007 c.500 §6; renumbered 146.184 in 2007] 146.540[1959 c.629 §23; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.545[1983 c.390 §5; 2007 c.500 §7; renumbered 146.189 in 2007] 146.550[1959 c.629 §24; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.560[1959 c.629 §25; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.565[1961 c.434 §2; 1965 c.91 §6; 1965 c.439 §4; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.570[1959 c.629 §26; 1967 c.632 §1; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.580[1959 c.629 §27; 1961 c.434 §5; 1967 c.632 §2; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.590[1959 c.629 §§28,29; 1961 c.434 §6; 1967 c.632 §3; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.600[1959 c.629 §30; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.610[1959 c.629 §31; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.710Definition for ORS 146.710 to 146.780 146.720[1963 c.621 §§3,4; 1965 c.221 §17; repealed by 1965 c.472 §9] 146.730Investigation 146.740Reports of medical examiner 146.750Injuries to be reported to law enforcement agency 146.760Immunity of participant in making of report 146.770[1965 c.472 §6; 1971 c.451 §14; renumbered 418.775] 146.780Confidentiality of records and reports 146.990[Subsection (1) enacted as 1959 c.629 §45; subsection (3) of 1963 Replacement Part enacted as 1963 c.621 §7; 1965 c.221 §20; 1965 c.472 §8; 1971 c.451 §16; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.992Penalties

Chapter 146 — Investigations of Deaths, Injuries and Missing Persons

ORS 146.003 Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992

As used in ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992, unless the context requires otherwise:

(1)

“Approved laboratory” means a laboratory approved by the Chief Medical Examiner as competent to perform the blood sample analysis required by ORS 146.113 (2).

(2)

“Assistant district medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed by the district medical examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district.

(3)

“Cause of death” means the primary or basic disease process or injury ending life.

(4)

“Death requiring investigation” means the death of a person occurring in any one of the circumstances set forth in ORS 146.090.

(5)

“District medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed by the Chief Medical Examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district, including a Deputy State Medical Examiner.

(6)

“Law enforcement agency” means a county sheriff’s office, municipal police department, police department established by a university under ORS 352.121 or 353.125 and the Oregon State Police.

(7)

“Legal intervention” includes an execution pursuant to ORS 137.463, 137.467 and 137.473 and other legal use of force resulting in death.

(8)

“Manner of death” means the designation of the probable mode of production of the cause of death, including natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, legal intervention or undetermined.

(9)

“Medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed as provided by ORS 146.003 to 146.189 to investigate and certify the cause and manner of deaths requiring investigation, including the Chief Medical Examiner.

(10)

“Medical-legal death investigator” means a person appointed by the district medical examiner to assist in the investigation of deaths within a county.

(11)

“Pathologist” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677 who is eligible for certification by the American Board of Pathology, or its successor organization, as approved by the State Medical Examiner Advisory Board.

(12)

“Unidentified human remains” does not include human remains that are unidentified human remains that are part of an archaeological site or suspected of being Native American and covered under ORS chapters 97 and 390 and ORS 358.905 to 358.961.

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