CaliforniaHospitals and nursing facilities must notify relatives after deaths
California hospitals and skilled nursing facilities must try to notify known relatives after a death and tell the county when relatives cannot be found or an allowed alternative applies.
What it does
Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities must make a documented, good-faith effort to tell known relatives when someone dies. A facility may notify the resident representative instead, and a person's written request not to notify relatives also counts.
When relatives cannot be found after a reasonable effort, or an allowed alternative applies, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities must notify the county public administrator and share available identifying details.
Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that fail to notify relatives or the county owe $200 per day, up to $50,000. A licensee may request a hearing to dispute a penalty.
Argument forRelatives may learn about a death sooner, and county officials may get details that help identify the person and their family.
Argument againstFacilities could face growing penalties while trying to find relatives or notify the county, even when delays make those tasks difficult.
More detail
The hospital or skilled nursing facility licensee must make a reasonable effort to notify known next of kin about a death. Known next of kin are relatives by blood, marriage, or registered domestic partnership identified by the person or their representative, or through information in the person's belongings. A skilled nursing facility may meet this duty by notifying the person's resident representative or transferring the body to a hospital after death. A hospital or facility may meet the duty if the person wrote before death that they did not want known next of kin told about their presence or death. This rule does not cover a person who dies in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The effort must use contact information available to the facility and happen within 72 hours after death.
The licensee must notify the county public administrator when relatives cannot be located after a reasonable effort or an allowed alternative applies. This applies to deaths in general acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, including when a body is transferred to a hospital after death. The notice must say the person died at the hospital or facility, or died and is being held by the hospital. The hospital or facility must share available information that may help identify the person and known next of kin. Failure to notify the county can make the hospital or facility liable for interment costs and losses to the estate or beneficiaries caused by loss, injury, waste, or misappropriation of the person's property. This rule does not cover a person who dies in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The county must be notified within two business days after a reasonable effort or an allowed alternative applies.
A hospital or skilled nursing facility that fails to give required notice is liable for a daily civil penalty. The penalties apply to general acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that fail to meet the notice duties. For failing to notify next of kin, the penalty runs from when a reasonable attempt should have been made until next of kin actually learn of the death. For failing to notify the county, the penalty runs from the fifth business day after death until the county is notified. A licensee may request a hearing to dispute a penalty within 10 working days after receiving notice of it. The relative-notice penalty ends when next of kin actually learn of the death; the county-notice penalty ends when the county is notified.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Sep 27Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026.Latest
- Sep 27Approved by the Governor Gavin Newsom.Became Law
- Sep 10Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.To Governor
- Aug 31
- Vote recorded AB 2598 Krell Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Aug 30Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 6881.).Major
- Aug 28In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Aug 27Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).Passed Senate
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB2598 Krell et al. By Cabaldon. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 24Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 20Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Aug 17Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 13Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 13From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (August 13).Major
- Aug 3In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jul 1From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Jun 30
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 25From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Jun 24
- Vote recorded Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 16From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.Major
- Jun 10Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.Minor
- May 28In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- May 27Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 5467.)Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 2598 Krell Assembly Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- May 18Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 14From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 14).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- May 6In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.Minor
- Apr 22From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- Apr 22Coauthors revised.
- Apr 21
- Vote recorded Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 13Re-referred to Com. on JUD.Minor
- Apr 9Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 8From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (April 7).Major
- Apr 7
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary]. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 18In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- Mar 9Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.Minor
- Feb 21From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
- Feb 20Read first time. To print.Introduced
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