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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>359423</law_id><section_number>32.1-291.12</section_number><catch_line>Search and notification</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2026/" slug="2026" current="TRUE" last_updated="2026-08-02">2026</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="75" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="11" identifier="8">Postmortem Examinations and Services</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="2" identifier="2">Anatomical Gifts</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> The following <span class="dictionary">persons</span> shall make a reasonable search of an individual who the <span class="dictionary">person</span> reasonably believes is dead or whose death is imminent for a document of gift or other information identifying the individual as a donor or as an individual who made a refusal: <a id="paragraph-1337185" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-291.12/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> A <span class="dictionary">law</span>-enforcement officer, a firefighter, emergency medical services personnel, or other emergency rescuer <span class="dictionary">finding</span> the individual; and <a id="paragraph-1337186" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-291.12/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> If no other source of the information is immediately available, a hospital, as soon as practical after the individual&#x2019;s arrival at the hospital. <a id="paragraph-1337187" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-291.12/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> If a document of gift or a refusal to make an anatomical gift is located by the search required by subdivision A 1 and the individual or deceased individual to whom it relates is taken to a hospital, the <span class="dictionary">person</span> responsible for conducting the search shall send the document of gift or refusal to the hospital. <a id="paragraph-1337188" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-291.12/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> A <span class="dictionary">person</span> is not subject to criminal or civil liability for failing to discharge the duties imposed by this section but may be subject to administrative <span class="dictionary">sanctions</span>. <a id="paragraph-1337189" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-291.12/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2007, cc. 92, 907; 2015, cc. 502, 503.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
