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146.001[Formerly 146.087; repealed by 1987 c.517 §1 (432.300 enacted in lieu of 146.001)] 146.003Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992 146.005[1959 c.629 §8; 1965 c.221 §14; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.010[Amended by 1959 c.629 §16; renumbered 10.810] 146.015State Medical Examiner Advisory Board; appointment of Chief Medical Examiner; rules 146.020[Renumbered 10.820] 146.025Functions of board 146.030[1959 c.629 §10; 1965 c.221 §15; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.035Chief Medical Examiner; personnel; records; right to examine records 146.040[1959 c.629 §1; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.045Duties of Chief Medical Examiner; persons missing at sea, in wilderness or in forested environment 146.050[1959 c.629 §2; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.055Advice; autopsies; training programs; report 146.060[1959 c.629 §3; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.065Local medical examiners; appointment; Deputy State Medical Examiner 146.070[1959 c.629 §4; 1969 c.314 §8; repealed by 1973 c.408 §35] 146.075District office duties; personnel; expenses for certain duties; records and reports 146.080Assistant district medical examiner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notification 146.103Removal of body, effects or weapons prohibited without consent 146.105[1959 c.629 §7; repealed by 1965 c.221 §7] 146.107Authority to enter and secure certain premises; court order 146.109Notification of next of kin 146.110[Amended by 1959 c.629 §34; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.113Authority to order removal of body fluids 146.115[Amended by 1955 c.190 §1; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.117Autopsies 146.120[Amended by 1959 c.629 §35; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.121Disposition of body; filing; expenses 146.125Disposition of personal property 146.130[Amended by 1959 c.629 §36; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.135Authority to order inquest 146.140[Amended by 1959 c.629 §37; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.145Jury of inquest 146.150[Amended by 1959 c.629 §38; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.155Inquest proceedings 146.160[Amended by 1959 c.629 §39; repealed by 1965 c.221 §27] 146.165Verdict; findings; testimony and verdict of inquest as admissible evidence in subsequent proceedings 146.170[Amended by 1955 c.161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 146.121 Disposition of body; filing; expenses

(1)

No person shall bury or otherwise dispose of the body of a person whose death required investigation, without having first obtained a burial, cremation or reduction permit, or a report of death completed and signed by a medical examiner.

(2)

When a medical examiner investigates the death of a person whose body is not claimed by a friend or relative within five days of the date of death, the sheriff or, in counties having a population of 400,000 or more, the medical examiner shall dispose of the body according to the provisions of ORS 97.170 to 97.210.

(3)

If the medical examiner is unable to dispose of the body of a deceased person according to subsection (2) of this section, the medical examiner may order in writing that the body be either cremated, reduced or plainly and decently buried.

(4)

The sheriff or medical examiner shall file a copy of the report of death, the order for disposition and a verified statement of the expenses of the cremation, reduction or burial with the board of county commissioners. The board of county commissioners shall pay such expenses, or any proportion thereof as may be available, from county funds annually budgeted for this purpose.

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Version history

Prior statutory text is not available in the ingested published editions. Consult an earlier official ORS edition or the cited Oregon Laws chapter.