North Carolina State Law on Transporting a Corpse
North Carolina regulates transportation of bodies. Burial transit laws ensure protection for the deceased and the family and prevent the spread of disease.
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Eligibility to Transport
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A body need not be moved by a funeral home or private transit company but can be released to the decedent's family. Required permits vary, but a death notice must be filed within 24 hours by the individual taking possession of the body.
Burial-Transit Permit
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A burial-transit permit can be obtained from the registrar of deeds in the county where the death occurred. The death certificate is filed with the local registrar.
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In-State Transport
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If a person died of natural causes, and the body is not under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner, it may be moved in-state without a permit. If the medical examiner must examine a body to determine cause of death, a permit is required to move it.
Transport Out-of-State
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Those wishing to transport a body out-of-state must obtain a burial-transit permit. If the medical examiner is involved, the permit must be signed by him and by the local registrar to be valid.
Transport into North Carolina
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A burial-transit permit from the state of death must accompany a body transported into North Carolina from another state.
Special Precautions
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In the case of death by a highly communicable disease, such as smallpox, plague, HIV, hepatitis B, rabies, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the attending physician must notify those transporting the body to use precautions to prevent the spread of disease.
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References
- Photo Credit casket image by enens from Fotolia.com
