Sec. 19a-270. (Formerly Sec. 19-139). Bodies for anatomical purposes.
Sec. 19a-270. (Formerly Sec. 19-139). Bodies for anatomical purposes. The
first selectman of any town, the mayor of any city, the administrative head of any state
correctional institution or the superintendent or person in charge of any almshouse,
asylum, hospital, morgue or other public institution which is supported, in whole or in
part, at public expense, having in his or her possession or control the dead body of any
person which, if not claimed as provided in this section, would have to be buried at
public expense, or at the expense of any such institution, shall, immediately upon the
death of such person, notify such person's relatives thereof, if known, and, if such relatives are not known, shall notify the person or persons bringing or committing such
person to such institution. Such official shall, within twenty-four hours from the time
such body came into his or her possession or control, give notice thereof to the Department of Public Health and shall deliver such body to The University of Connecticut,
the Yale University School of Medicine or the University of Bridgeport College of
Chiropractic or its successor institution, as said department may direct and in accordance
with an agreement to be made among said universities in such manner as is directed by
said department and at the expense of the university receiving the body, if The University
of Connecticut, Yale University, or the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic
or its successor institution, at any time within one year, has given notice to any of such
officials that such bodies would be needed for the purposes specified in section 19a-270b; provided any such body shall not have been claimed by a relative, either by blood
or marriage, or a legal representative of such deceased person prior to delivery to any
of said universities. The university receiving such body shall not embalm such body for
a period of at least forty-eight hours after death, and any relative, either by blood or
marriage, or a legal representative of such deceased person may claim such body during
said period. If any such body is not disposed of in either manner specified in this section,
it may be cremated or buried. When any person has in his or her possession or control
the dead body of any person which would have to be buried at public expense or at the
expense of any such institution, he or she shall, within forty-eight hours after such body
has come into his or her possession or control, file, with the registrar of the town within
which such death occurred, a certificate of death as provided in section 7-62b, unless
such certificate has been filed by a funeral director. Before any such body is removed
to any of said universities, the official or person contemplating such removal shall secure
a removal, transit and burial permit which shall be delivered with the body to the official
in charge of such university, who shall make return of such removal, transit and burial
permit in the manner provided in section 7-72.
(1949 Rev., S. 4214; 1953, 1955, S. 2143d; 1963, P.A. 642, S. 18; 1967, P.A. 53; 1969, P.A. 699, S. 24; P.A. 77-614,
S. 323, 610; P.A. 85-613, S. 52, 154; P.A. 92-11; P.A. 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 04-255, S. 18;
P.A. 07-104, S. 6.)
History: 1963 act deleted sheriff, jailer and master of workhouse from list of officers required to notify relatives of
death of person who may require burial at public expense; 1967 act added exception re bodies removed to universities
under provisions of Sec. 7-70; 1969 act deleted county coroners, State Prison warden and state jail administrator from list
of officers required to notify relatives of person's death and added to the list administrative heads of state correctional
institutions; P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; Sec.
19-139 transferred to Sec. 19a-270 in 1983; P.A. 85-613 made technical change, substituting reference to Sec. 7-62b for
reference to Sec. 7-62; P.A. 92-11 added the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic to list of institutions to
which the section applies; P.A. 93-381 replaced department of health services with department of public health and addiction
services, effective July 1, 1993; 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 references to
"burial or transit permit" with references to "burial transit removal permit" and deleted provision re no requirement to
return body to town after removal to a university; P.A. 07-104 made technical changes and renamed burial transit removal
permit as removal, transit and burial permit, effective July 1, 2007.
See Sec. 19a-91 re transportation of bodies of deceased persons.
Cited. 194 C. 635.