N.Y. Public Health Law Section 4142
Death certificate

  • duties of funeral director
In each case the funeral director, undertaker or person having charge of the body of a deceased person, shall:

(a)

obtain the personal and statistical particulars required for the certificate of death from a competent person acquainted with the facts and qualified to supply them and enter them on the certificate together with the name and address of his informant;

(b)

present the certificate promptly to the attending physician or nurse practitioner, who shall forthwith certify to the facts of death, provide the medical information required by the certificate and sign the medical certificate of death, or to the coroner or medical examiner in those cases where so required by this article or, when a death occurs in a hospital, except in those cases where certificates are issued by coroners or medical examiners, to the person in charge of such hospital or his or her designated representative, who shall obtain the medical certificate of death as prescribed in § 4141-A (Death certificate)section four thousand one hundred forty-one-a of this title;

(c)

state the facts required on the certificate of death relative to the date and place of burial, cremation or removal, over his signature and with his address; and, (d) prior to the disposition of the remains, file the certificate of death with the registrar of the district in which the death occurred as provided in § 4140 (Deaths)section four thousand one hundred forty of this article.

(e)

notwithstanding any contrary provisions of law as may be set forth in this section, commencing on or after the implementation date under § 4148 (Electronic death registration system)section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this title, information and signatures required by this subdivision shall be obtained and made in accordance with § 4148 (Electronic death registration system)section forty-one hundred forty-eight of this title.

Source: Section 4142 — Death certificate; duties of funeral director, https://www.­nysenate.­gov/legislation/laws/PBH/4142 (updated Sep. 22, 2014; accessed Oct. 25, 2025).

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Verified:
Oct. 25, 2025

Last modified:
Sep. 22, 2014

§ 4142. Death certificate's source at nysenate​.gov

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