{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/32.1-277.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/32.1-277.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/32.1-277.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/32.1-277.html"}],"law_id":63189,"edition_id":1,"section_id":63189,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-277","catch_line":"Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; central and district offices and facilities","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 32-31.12; 1960, c. 366; 1972, c. 741; 1975, c. 475; 1979, c. 711; 1998, c. 217; 2014, c. 583; 2019, c. 168.","full_text":"The Commissioner shall establish and maintain, for the purpose of conducting medicolegal investigations of deaths and postmortem examinations, an Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which shall include a central office and facilities and such district offices and facilities in such localities in the Commonwealth as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The central office and each district office established pursuant to this section shall be under the supervision of the Chief Medical Examiner. Each such office and facility shall have adequate professional, technical, and medical investigative personnel and physical facilities for the conduct of such examinations and investigations as may be authorized or required by law.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":230397,"text":"The Commissioner shall establish and maintain, for the purpose of conducting medicolegal investigations of deaths and postmortem examinations, an Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which shall include a central office and facilities and such district offices and facilities in such localities in the Commonwealth as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The central office and each district office established pursuant to this section shall be under the supervision of the Chief Medical Examiner. Each such office and facility shall have adequate professional, technical, and medical investigative personnel and physical facilities for the conduct of such examinations and investigations as may be authorized or required by law.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15516,"edition_id":1,"name":"Chief Medical Examiner and Postmortem Examinations","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13612,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:55:44","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:55:44","permalink":{"id":204385,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15516,"identifier":"1","token":"32.1\/8\/1","url":"\/32.1\/8\/1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13612,"edition_id":1,"name":"Postmortem Examinations and Services","identifier":"8","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12727,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:45:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:45:23","permalink":{"id":204383,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13612,"identifier":"8","token":"32.1\/8","url":"\/32.1\/8\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12727,"edition_id":1,"name":"Health","identifier":"32.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:50","permalink":{"id":201099,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12727,"identifier":"32.1","token":"32.1","url":"\/32.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":63189,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-277","catch_line":"Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; 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obtaining consent to removal of organs, etc.; fees","url":"\/32.1-283\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283","metadata":false},{"id":83516,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.1","catch_line":"State Child Fatality Review Team; membership; access to and maintenance of records; confidentiality; etc","url":"\/32.1-283.1\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.1","metadata":false},{"id":83036,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.2","catch_line":"Local and regional child fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity","url":"\/32.1-283.2\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.2","metadata":false},{"id":63867,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.3","catch_line":"Family violence fatality review teams established; model protocol and data management; membership; authority; confidentiality, etc","url":"\/32.1-283.3\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.3","metadata":false},{"id":84558,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.4","catch_line":"Confidentiality of certain information and records collected and maintained by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner","url":"\/32.1-283.4\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.4","metadata":false},{"id":60499,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.5","catch_line":"Adult Fatality Review Team; duties; membership; confidentiality; penalties; report; etc","url":"\/32.1-283.5\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.5","metadata":false},{"id":66954,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.6","catch_line":"Local and regional adult fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity","url":"\/32.1-283.6\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.6","metadata":false},{"id":64217,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.7","catch_line":"Local and regional overdose fatality review teams established; membership; authority; confidentiality; immunity","url":"\/32.1-283.7\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.7","metadata":false},{"id":74829,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-283.8","catch_line":"Maternal Mortality Review Team; duties; membership; confidentiality; penalties; report; etc","url":"\/32.1-283.8\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-283.8","metadata":false},{"id":59143,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-284","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/32.1-284\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-284","metadata":false},{"id":77911,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-285","catch_line":"Autopsies","url":"\/32.1-285\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-285","metadata":false},{"id":70536,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-285.1","catch_line":"Death of infants under eighteen months of age; autopsies required; definition of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome","url":"\/32.1-285.1\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-285.1","metadata":false},{"id":75099,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-286","catch_line":"Exhumations","url":"\/32.1-286\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-286","metadata":false},{"id":83615,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-287","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/32.1-287\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-287","metadata":false},{"id":67498,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-288","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/32.1-288\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-288","metadata":false}],"next_section":{"id":69133,"structure_id":15516,"section_number":"32.1-278","catch_line":"Appointment and qualifications of Chief Medical Examiner","url":"\/32.1-278\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-278","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-277\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 7 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1960, chapter 366; in 1972, chapter 741; in 1975, chapter 475; in 1979, chapter 711; in 1998, chapter 217<\/a>; in 2014, chapter 583<\/a>; in 2019, chapter 168<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":86564,"section_number":"19.2-188.2","catch_line":"Certificate of surgeon as evidence","order_by":null,"url":"\/19.2-188.2\/"},{"id":80891,"section_number":"54.1-2973","catch_line":"Persons who may authorize postmortem examination of decedent's body","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-2973\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":204387,"object_type":"law","relational_id":63189,"identifier":"32.1-277","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-277","url":"\/32.1-277\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-277\/","token":"32.1\/8\/1\/32.1-277","dublin_core":{"Title":"Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; central and district offices and facilities","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-277","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

The Commissioner<\/span> shall establish and maintain, for the purpose of conducting medicolegal investigations of deaths and postmortem examinations, an Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which shall include a central office and facilities and such district offices and facilities in such localities in the Commonwealth as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The central office and each district office established pursuant to this section shall be under the supervision of the Chief Medical Examiner. Each such office and facility shall have adequate professional, technical, and medical investigative personnel and physical facilities for the conduct of such examinations and investigations as may be authorized or required by law<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nOFFICE OF THE CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER; CENTRAL AND DISTRICT OFFICES AND\nFACILITIES (\u00a7 32.1-277)\n\nThe Commissioner shall establish and maintain, for the purpose of conducting\nmedicolegal investigations of deaths and postmortem examinations, an Office of\nthe Chief Medical Examiner, which shall include a central office and facilities\nand such district offices and facilities in such localities in the Commonwealth\nas may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this article. The central\noffice and each district office established pursuant to this section shall be\nunder the supervision of the Chief Medical Examiner. Each such office and\nfacility shall have adequate professional, technical, and medical investigative\npersonnel and physical facilities for the conduct of such examinations and\ninvestigations as may be authorized or required by law.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 32-31.12; 1960, c. 366; 1972, c. 741; 1975, c. 475; 1979,\nc. 711; 1998, c. 217; 2014, c. 583; 2019, c. 168.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}