{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/32.1-309.3.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/32.1-309.3.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/32.1-309.3.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/32.1-309.3.html"}],"law_id":54369,"edition_id":1,"section_id":54369,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.3","catch_line":"Cremations and burials at sea","history":"2014, cc. 228, 583.","full_text":"No dead human body whose death occurred in Virginia shall be cremated or buried at sea, irrespective of the cause and manner of death, unless the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 has determined that there is no further need for medicolegal inquiry into the death and so certifies upon a form supplied by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. For this service the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 shall be entitled to a fee established by the Board, not to exceed the fee provided for in subsection D of \u00a7 32.1-283, to be paid by the applicant for the certificate.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":199643,"text":"No dead human body whose death occurred in Virginia shall be cremated or buried at sea, irrespective of the cause and manner of death, unless the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 has determined that there is no further need for medicolegal inquiry into the death and so certifies upon a form supplied by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. For this service the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 shall be entitled to a fee established by the Board, not to exceed the fee provided for in subsection D of \u00a7 32.1-283, to be paid by the applicant for the certificate.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13399,"edition_id":1,"name":"Disposition of Dead Human Bodies","identifier":"8.1","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12727,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:48","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:48","permalink":{"id":204677,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13399,"identifier":"8.1","token":"32.1\/8.1","url":"\/32.1\/8.1\/","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":60700,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.1","catch_line":"Identification of decedent, next of kin; disposition of claimed dead body","url":"\/32.1-309.1\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.1","metadata":false},{"id":67654,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.2","catch_line":"Disposition of unclaimed dead body; how expenses paid","url":"\/32.1-309.2\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.2","metadata":false},{"id":54369,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.3","catch_line":"Cremations and burials at sea","url":"\/32.1-309.3\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.3","metadata":false},{"id":81966,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.4","catch_line":"Determination of hazardous human remains","url":"\/32.1-309.4\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.4","metadata":false},{"id":82654,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.5","catch_line":"Storage of a dead human body","url":"\/32.1-309.5\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.5","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":67654,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.2","catch_line":"Disposition of unclaimed dead body; how expenses paid","url":"\/32.1-309.2\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.2","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":81966,"structure_id":13399,"section_number":"32.1-309.4","catch_line":"Determination of hazardous human remains","url":"\/32.1-309.4\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.4","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/32.1-309.3\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2014. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 228<\/a> and 583<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year.<\/p>","references":[{"id":84765,"section_number":"54.1-2818.1","catch_line":"Prerequisites for cremation","order_by":null,"url":"\/54.1-2818.1\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":65973,"section_number":"32.1-282","catch_line":"Medical examiners","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-282\/"},{"id":84193,"section_number":"32.1-283","catch_line":"Investigation of deaths; obtaining consent to removal of organs, etc.; fees","order_by":null,"url":"\/32.1-283\/"}],"permalink":{"id":204687,"object_type":"law","relational_id":54369,"identifier":"32.1-309.3","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.3","url":"\/32.1-309.3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/32.1-309.3\/","token":"32.1\/8.1\/32.1-309.3","dublin_core":{"Title":"Cremations and burials at sea","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 32.1-309.3","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

No dead human body whose death occurred in Virginia shall be cremated or buried at sea, irrespective of the cause and manner of death, unless the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282<\/a> has determined that there is no further need for medicolegal inquiry into the death and so certifies upon a form supplied by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. For this service the Chief Medical Examiner, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed pursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282<\/a> shall be entitled to a fee established by the Board<\/span>, not to exceed the fee provided for in subsection D of \u00a7 32.1-283<\/a>, to be paid by the applicant for the certificate.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCREMATIONS AND BURIALS AT SEA (\u00a7 32.1-309.3)\n\nNo dead human body whose death occurred in Virginia shall be cremated or buried\nat sea, irrespective of the cause and manner of death, unless the Chief Medical\nExaminer, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed\npursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 has determined that there is no further need for\nmedicolegal inquiry into the death and so certifies upon a form supplied by the\nOffice of the Chief Medical Examiner. For this service the Chief Medical\nExaminer, an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, or a medical examiner appointed\npursuant to \u00a7 32.1-282 shall be entitled to a fee established by the Board, not\nto exceed the fee provided for in subsection D of \u00a7 32.1-283, to be paid by the\napplicant for the certificate.\n\nHISTORY: 2014, cc. 228, 583.","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}}