(a) The embalmer or funeral director licensed by the department, or licensed in a state having a reciprocal agreement on file with the department and complying with the terms of such agreement, who assumes custody of a dead body shall obtain a removal, transit and burial permit from the registrar of the town in which the death occurred or the town in which the embalmer or funeral director maintains a place of business not later than five calendar days after death, and prior to final disposition or removal of the body from the state. The embalmer or funeral director who assumes custody and control of the body and obtains a removal, transit and burial permit from the registrar of the town in which the embalmer or funeral director maintains a place of business shall be obligated to file the death certificate, in accordance with the provisions of section 7-62b, in person, through an electronic registry system or by certified mail, return receipt requested. The removal, transit and burial permit shall specify the place of burial or other place of interment and state that the death certificate and any other certificate required by law have been returned and recorded.

(b) A local registrar shall appoint not less than two suitable persons as subregistrars, who shall be authorized to issue removal, transit and burial permits and cremation permits for any death that occurs in such registrar's town, during the hours in which the office of the registrar of vital records is closed. The appointment of subregistrars shall be made in writing, with the approval of the chief elected official of such town, and shall be made with reference to locality, to best accommodate the inhabitants of the town. Such subregistrars shall be sworn, and their term of office shall not extend beyond the term of office of the appointing registrar. The names of such subregistrars shall be reported to the Department of Public Health. The Chief Medical Examiner, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner and associate medical examiners shall be considered subregistrars of any town in which death occurs for the sole purpose of issuing removal, transit and burial permits.

(c) A subregistrar shall issue a removal, transit and burial permit upon receipt of a completed death certificate as provided in section 7-62b. A subregistrar shall forward any such certificate upon which a removal, transit and burial permit is issued to the registrar of the town where the death occurred, not later than seven days after receiving such certificate.

(d) The fee for such removal, transit and burial permit shall be paid to the town issuing the removal, transit and burial permit.

(1949 Rev., S. 587; 1961, P.A. 315; 1971, P.A. 27; P.A. 73-26; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 79-47, S. 3; 79-434, S. 9; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-184, S. 3; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 04-255, S. 7; P.A. 07-104, S. 1; P.A. 09-232, S. 8; P.A. 16-22, S. 1.)

History: 1961 act provided for appointment of additional subregistrars to accommodate governmental institutions; 1971 act deleted provision limiting subregistrars to two and provision, made obsolete thereby, for special appointments exceeding the limit; P.A. 73-26 added provisions concerning consideration of chief medical examiner as subregistrar and payment of burial and removal permits; P.A. 77-614 substituted department of health services for department of health, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 79-47 provided for consideration of deputy chief medical examiner and associate medical examiners as subregistrars; P.A. 79-434 replaced specific reference to funeral director's certificate with “any other certificate”; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-184 required burial permit specification to be by section, lot, grave or other place of interment; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 04-255 replaced provision requiring burial permit with provision specifying that embalmer or funeral director shall obtain a burial transit removal permit and made conforming changes; P.A. 07-104 substituted “removal, transit and burial permit” for “burial transit removal permit” and made embalmer or funeral director assuming custody and control of body and obtaining such permit from registrar of town in which the embalmer or funeral director maintains a place of business responsible for filing death certificate in person, electronically or by mail, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 09-232 divided existing provisions into Subsecs. (a), (b) and (d), made a technical change in Subsec. (a), amended Subsec. (b) by requiring local registrar to appoint not less than 2 persons as subregistrars, by authorizing subregistrars to issue cremation permits and by making conforming and technical changes, and added new Subsec. (c) re duties of subregistrars; P.A. 16-22 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “selectmen” with “chief elected official” in provision re approval of subregistrar appointments.

See Secs. 19a-323 and 19a-324 re procedure for issuance of cremation certificates.