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Coroner

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1. What are the duties of the coroner?

The Lancaster County Coroner’s Office investigates the facts and circumstances of deaths which occur within the county, regardless of where the cause of death may have occurred. The purpose of such investigations shall be to determine the cause and manner of any such death. As a part of this investigation, the coroner shall determine the identity of the deceased and notify the next of kin of the deceased.

2. Where is the jurisdiction of the coroner?

The jurisdiction of the Lancaster County Coroner encompasses the entire County of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Both east and west shores of the Susquehanna River are in Lancaster County.

3. Who notifies the coroner of a death?

Emergency Medical Service providers, fire / rescue personnel, police officers, physicians, or healthcare facility personnel typically notify Lancaster County-Wide Communications (LCWC) of a case for the Coroner’s Office. The LCWC will then contact the on-call deputy coroner regarding the case.


The general public should call 911 to report a death, not the coroners’ office.

4. Are all deaths reported to the coroner?

Not all deaths that occur in Lancaster County are reportable to the Coroner.


Individuals who die from natural causes in a hospital, residents of skilled nursing homes, and those under hospice care are not always reportable. Individuals who die at home from natural causes and are currently under the care of a physician are not always reportable.


The following deaths are reportable to the Coroner in Lancaster County:

• Any death in which trauma, falls or fractures, chemical injury, asphyxia, exposure, fire, drug overdose, or reaction to drugs or medical treatment was a primary, secondary, direct or indirect, contributory, aggravating, or precipitating cause of death


• Any death wherein the body is unidentified or unclaimed


• Any sudden infant death


• Deaths known or suspected as due to contagious disease and constituting a public health hazard


• Deaths occurring as a result of violence or trauma, whether apparently homicidal, suicidal, or accidental


• Deaths occurring in a prison, penal institution, or in the custody of police


• Deaths occurring under suspicious circumstances including those where alcohol, drugs, or other toxic substances may have a direct bearing on the death


• Operative and peri-operative death in which the death is not readily explainable on the basis of prior disease


• Stillbirth


• Sudden deaths not caused by readily recognizable disease, or wherein a physician on the basis of prior medical attendance cannot properly certify the cause of death

5. Are all coroner records available to the public?

No. The coroner report, autopsy, and toxicology reports are not public record. These reports contain information that is protected by federal and state laws.


State law requires that only the following information be made available for public view:

• Age of decedent


• Cause and manner of death


• Coroner's name


• Date and time of death


• Name of decedent

6. How do I obtain an Autopsy, Toxicology and/or Inquisition or Coroner Report?

The next of kin may request a copy of the Autopsy, Toxicology and/or Inquisition or Coroner Report.  This request must include:

• The name of the deceased
• Date of death

The report should be mailed to and signed by the legal next of kin. The fees associated with these reports are listed under the next question.

Insurance or legal requests for reports may be made in writing, or by using the report request form, and must accompany a written authorization release from the legal next of kin. A check or money order made payable to the Lancaster County Coroner for requested reports must be made prior to release of any reports.

Please verify which reports are available before sending a check. Cash is not accepted).

7. What is the cost of those reports?

A fee is charged for copies of autopsy reports and toxicology reports at the following rates:

• Autopsy report: $500
• Toxicology report: $100
• Inquisition or Coroner Report: $100

8. Who performs the autopsy?

All autopsies are performed by board certified forensic pathologists.

9. Why are autopsies performed?

Autopsies are performed for the purpose of determining cause and manner of death in cases where the cause and/or manner cannot be determined based on the coroner’s investigation.

10. If an autopsy is performed, will the decedent still be able to be viewed at the funeral home?

The funeral director will discuss appropriate funeral service option with family at the initial meeting following death. The autopsy alone will not affect the ability to view the deceased person. However, there are other factors that may prohibit the deceased from being viewable, such as severe trauma.

11. Will an autopsy delay the funeral?

Not normally. Autopsies are typically performed within 24 to 48 hours after death and released to the funeral home immediately thereafter.

12. Does the coroner need approval from the next of kin to order an autopsy?

No; Pennsylvania State law authorizes the coroner to order autopsies, when necessary, to determine the cause and manner of death.

13. Can the family request an autopsy?

If the coroner does not order an autopsy, the family always has the right to have one done at their own expense through a private pathologist.

14. Who can retrieve the personal effects recovered from a decedent?

Personal effects are typically released to the funeral director along with the body.


The legal next of kin, or legal designee, may pick up items not released to the funeral director during normal office hours and by appointment only. Recipients must present valid government issued photo identification and sign a release form.

15. When will i know the cause of death?

If determined after a preliminary coroner’s investigation, forensic examination, and review of medical records, the cause of death will generally be available to the legal next-of-kin within 24 to 48 hours after the death is reported to the Coroner’s Office. If further testing is required, it may take several weeks before a cause of death can be determined.

16. The cause of death listed is pending. What does this mean? When will the final cause of death be determined?

Often when an autopsy is performed additional information may be required to obtain a final determination. As a result, the actual cause of death is not initially listed on the death certificate. The cause of death may be listed as pending.


The additional information required routinely takes between six and eight weeks, occasionally longer, and includes:

• Culture growth


• Forensic entomology examinations (insects)


• Forensic neuropathology examination


• Microscopic examination


• Toxicology

17. How do I obtain a death certificate?

Certified copies of the death certificate are available from the funeral director for a period of time. After that period of time, copies may be purchased from the Pennsylvania Department of Vital Records. Our office does not have additional death certificates.

18. Where will my loved one be taken?

If an autopsy is required, your loved one will be transported to the Lancaster County Forensic Center for further evaluation. Your funeral director will be notified upon completion, and your loved one will then be released into their care.

19. What do I do now?

If your loved one is brought to the Lancaster County Forensic Center, your next step is to contact a funeral home. Advise the funeral home that the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office is handling the death. Next, contact the Coroner’s Office at 717-735-2123 and advise them as to which funeral home you have chosen.

20. What funeral home should I choose?

The Lancaster County Coroners’ Office does not endorse any particular funeral home.