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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="4-215" title_number="4" title_name="Statistics and Records" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="Vital Statistics and Records">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “cemetery” includes a crematory or other place for final disposition.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Within 72 hours after death or after delivery in a fetal death and before final disposition or removal of the body or fetus from this State, the mortician who first takes custody of the body or fetus shall obtain a burial–transit permit.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If the death or fetal death certificate is on a multicopy form, one copy of which is designated specifically as a “burial–transit permit” and is signed by the attending physician or medical examiner, that copy shall provide for the later entry of final disposition information and serves as a burial–transit permit.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A person in charge of a cemetery may not permit the final disposition of a body or fetus unless it is accompanied by a burial–transit permit.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The person in charge of a cemetery shall:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Write on the permit:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The date of final disposition;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The name and physical address of the cemetery; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <level label="A">
            <text>The burial, inurnment, or scattering section and the lot and space number; or</text>
          </level>
        </level>
        <level label="B">
          <text>If the body or fetus was cremated and an authorizing agent, as defined in § 5–508 of this article, takes control of the cremains, the name and address of the authorizing agent and the authorizing agent’s relationship to the deceased or fetus;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Sign the permit; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Within 10 days after final disposition, return the permit to the Secretary.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>If there is no person in charge of the cemetery, the mortician shall fill out the burial–transit permit.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>A burial–transit permit issued by any state or a foreign country is sufficient authority for transit through this State or final disposition in any cemetery in this State.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A permit for disinterment and reinterment is required before the disinterment of human remains if reinterment is not to be made in the same cemetery. The Secretary or a health officer shall issue the permit after receipt of an application on the form that the Secretary requires.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>If all human remains in a cemetery are to be disinterred for purposes of relocation or abandonment of the cemetery, one application is sufficient for that purpose.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The Department shall keep a record of each permit issued for the disinterment and reinterment of human remains.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Except as provided in paragraph (5) of this subsection, the Department may not disclose or allow public inspection of information in a permit record about the location of the site of a disinterment or reinterment if a local burial sites advisory board or the Director of the Maryland Historical Trust determines that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The site is historic property, as defined in § 5A–301 of the State Finance and Procurement Article; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Disclosure would create a substantial risk of harm, theft, or destruction to the site.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>The Department may not deny inspection of a permit record to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The owner of the site of the disinterment or reinterment;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A governmental entity that has the power of eminent domain; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The spouse, domestic partner, next of kin, or appointed personal representative of the deceased whose human remains have been disinterred or reinterred.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
