Section 135.06. Transportation and burial or other disposition.

 

(1)   Report for final disposition.

(a)

1. Except for transportation under s. DHS 135.07 for purposes of reinterment, a report for final disposition completed by the funeral director or other person preparing the body for burial or other final disposition shall accompany each human corpse shipped by common carrier.

2. The report for final disposition shall be attached in a strong envelope to the shipping case when a human corpse is transported by common carrier.

3. No human corpse may be buried or otherwise finally disposed of unless accompanied by a report for final disposition which shall serve as authorization for burial or other disposition except cremation. Every person in charge of a place in which burial or other final disposition takes place shall keep a written record of every corpse interred there. A copy of the report for final disposition may serve as that record.

(b)

1. No human corpse of a person who died in Wisconsin may be shipped or otherwise transported out of the state unless accompanied by a copy of the completed report for final disposition. In addition, if the death was subject to investigation and certification by a coroner or medical examiner under s. 69.18 (2) (d) , Stats., the corpse shall be accompanied by written permission of the coroner or medical examiner to embalm the corpse and carry out its final disposition. If the corpse is to be cremated, written permission of the coroner or medical examiner with jurisdiction under s. 979.10 (1) (a) , Stats., is required.

2. No stillbirth delivered in Wisconsin may be shipped or otherwise transported out of the state unless accompanied by a completed report for final disposition.

(c) No human corpse or stillbirth may be shipped or transported into Wisconsin from another state or territory or from a foreign country unless accompanied by an official burial document from the state or territory where the death occurred or from the federal government in connection with a death in a foreign country. In this paragraph, "official burial document" means a burial permit or equivalent official document provided for in the laws of the state or territory of origin or by the federal government, which identifies the body, indicates the date and place of death and provides information on the cause of death.

(2)   Donation of bodies for research and teaching.

(a) A human corpse may be donated to a medical or dental school anatomy department under s. 157.06 , Stats., or to a medical school or school of mortuary science under s. 157.02 (3) , Stats.

(b) Because all or part of a donated body will eventually be cremated, the corpse of a person who died in Wisconsin which is being donated for research or training may not be transported out of the county in which the death occurred until the coroner or medical examiner having jurisdiction under s. 979.10 (1) (a) , Stats., has been notified for the purpose of issuing a cremation permit.

(c) A human corpse donated to a school identified in par. (a) shall be transported to arrive at the school within 24 hours after death unless prior arrangements have been made with the receiving school or unless, pursuant to s. 157.06 (8) (a) , Stats., a funeral service or other last rites are conducted in which case embalming techniques specified by the school shall be used to preserve the body and the corpse shall be transported to arrive at the school as soon as possible after the rites have been concluded.

(3)   Cremation.

(a) No person may cremate a human corpse unless the person has received a cremation permit from the appropriate county coroner or medical examiner under s. 979.10 (1) (a) , Stats.

(b) Cremation of a human corpse shall be considered final disposition of that body. No additional permit covering transportation of the ashes of a cremated body or interment or other disposal of the ashes of a cremated body is required.

(c) No cremation permit is required for cremation of a stillbirth.

History: Cr. Register, January, 1993, No. 445 , eff. 2-1-93.