§45-10-171. Persons authorized to issue death certificates; availability to next of kin; fees; violations.

(a) In Cherokee County any county health officer or administrator is hereby authorized to issue an official death certificate in any case within the county, except where an autopsy is required. Data obtained from the attending physician or funeral director shall be kept on file for one year following the death for the purpose of issuing such death certificate. Such certificate shall be in all particulars the same as those issued by the State Department of Public Health in any court or for insurance purposes. Nothing in this section shall affect any existing duty of any person to gather and transmit data to the local registrar or to the State Health Department.

(b) The county health officer shall not later than 10 days from the date of death, make such official death certificate available to the surviving spouse or next of kin of the deceased at a fee not greater than that charged by the State Health Department for the same service. The county health officer shall cause a complete and correct account to be kept of all fees received by him or her under this section and shall remit the fees to the treasurer of his or her county board of health or like official for custody subject to disbursement in the interest of health services in the county. Any officer failing to comply with this section is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor and punishable by general law.

(Act 88-326, p. 493, §§1-4.)