The certificate of death shall be divided into two
sections.
(a) The first section shall contain those items necessary to
establish the fact of the death, including all of the following and
those other items as the State Registrar may designate:
(1) (A) Personal data concerning decedent including full name,
sex, color or race, marital status, name of spouse, date of birth and
age at death, birthplace, usual residence, and occupation and
industry or business.
(B) Commencing July 1, 2015, a person completing the certificate
shall record the decedent's sex to reflect the decedent's gender
identity. The decedent's gender identity shall be reported by the
informant, unless the person completing the certificate is presented
with a birth certificate, a driver's license, a social security
record, a court order approving a name or gender change, a passport,
an advanced health care directive, or proof of clinical treatment for
gender transition, in which case the person completing the
certificate shall record the decedent's sex as that which corresponds
to the decedent's gender identity as indicated in that document. If
none of these documents are presented and the person with the right,
or a majority of persons who have equal rights, to control the
disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100 is in
disagreement with the gender identity reported by the informant, the
gender identity of the decedent recorded on the death certificate
shall be as reported by that person or majority of persons.
(C) Commencing July 1, 2015, if a document specified in
subparagraph (B) is not presented and a majority of persons who have
equal rights to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to
Section 7100 do not agree with the gender identity of the decedent as
reported by the informant, any one of those persons may file a
petition, in the superior court in the county in which the decedent
resided at the time of his or her death, or in which the remains are
located, naming as a party to the action those persons who otherwise
have equal rights to control the disposition and seeking an order of
the court determining, as appropriate, who among those parties shall
determine the gender identity of the decedent.
(D) Commencing July 1, 2015, a person completing the death
certificate in compliance with subparagraph (B) is not liable for any
damages or costs arising from claims related to the sex of the
decedent as entered on the certificate of death.
(E) Commencing July 1, 2015, a person completing the death
certificate shall comply with the data and certification requirements
described in Section 102800 by using the information available to
him or her prior to the deadlines for completion specified in that
section.
(2) Date of death, including month, day, and year.
(3) Place of death.
(4) Full name of father and birthplace of father, and full maiden
name of mother and birthplace of mother.
(5) Informant.
(6) Disposition of body information including signature and
license number of embalmer if body embalmed or name of embalmer if
affixed by attorney-in-fact; name of funeral director, or person
acting as such; and date and place of interment or removal.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, an
electronic signature substitute, or some other indicator of
authenticity, approved by the State Registrar may be used in lieu of
the actual signature of the embalmer.
(7) Certification and signature of attending physician and surgeon
or certification and signature of coroner when required to act by
law. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the
person completing the portion of the certificate setting forth the
cause of death may attest to its accuracy by use of an electronic
signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity,
approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.
(8) Date accepted for registration and signature of local
registrar. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the
contrary, the local registrar may elect to use an electronic
signature substitute, or some other indicator of authenticity,
approved by the State Registrar in lieu of a signature.
(b) The second section shall contain those items relating to
medical and health data, including all of the following and other
items as the State Registrar may designate:
(1) Disease or conditions leading directly to death and antecedent
causes.
(2) Operations and major findings thereof.
(3) Accident and injury information.
(4) Information indicating whether the decedent was pregnant at
the time of death, or within the year prior to the death, if known,
as determined by observation, autopsy, or review of the medical
record. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to require the
performance of a pregnancy test on a decedent, or to require a review
of medical records in order to determine pregnancy.