AN ACT to amend and reenact section 11-19.1-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to individuals authorized to act in the absence of a coroner.
HB 1246 amends North Dakota law governing who may perform coroner duties when a county coroner is unavailable or does not reside in the county. Under the bill, the sheriff, the state highway patrol, or a special agent of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation may act in the coroner’s place in those counties. They must then call upon the nearest coroner or deputy coroner from an adjacent county to investigate the medical cause of death in coroner cases.
The bill also clarifies what happens when distance or adverse conditions prevent a coroner from being available. In those situations, the sheriff, highway patrol, or special agent must request the state forensic examiner or the examiner’s designee to investigate and certify the medical cause of death. The measure is a targeted update to the state’s death-investigation procedures and does not create a new office or expand coroner authority generally.
HB 1246 revises Section 11-19.1-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, updating the chain of responsibility for death investigations in counties without an available coroner. It affects county sheriffs, the state highway patrol, BCI special agents, adjacent county coroners or deputy coroners, and the state forensic examiner by specifying who must respond and certify cause of death when local coroner coverage is absent or impractical.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the House 82-11 and the Senate unanimously 47-0, suggesting general agreement that the change was a practical administrative clarification rather than a major policy shift. No committee transcripts were provided, and the voting record indicates little visible opposition overall.
Any disagreement appears limited and likely centered on the operational details of who should be responsible when a coroner is unavailable, especially in remote areas or during adverse conditions. The bill’s language shifts and clarifies duties among sheriffs, the highway patrol, BCI agents, neighboring coroners, and the state forensic examiner, so any concerns would likely relate to workload, jurisdiction, or response logistics rather than the underlying policy goal. The strong final votes suggest those concerns were not substantial enough to prevent passage.