Are Autopsy Reports Public in New Jersey? (2026 Guide)

New Jersey autopsy and toxicology reports are not fully public records. They are released to the next of kin and other parties with a "proper interest," such as immediate family, the decedent's physician, legal representatives, and insurers in related litigation. While a case is referred to a prosecutor for criminal investigation, only that prosecutor or the Attorney General may release the findings.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in New Jersey?

No, New Jersey autopsy reports are not freely public the way many people assume. They are government records, but access is limited to people and entities with a recognized "proper interest" in the report.

Under New Jersey's medical examiner regulations, autopsy and toxicology reports can be inspected and copied by qualified requesters during business hours. Records that contain opinions, subjective evaluations, or critical analyses, along with autopsy photographs, are more tightly protected.

The biggest restriction is timing. If a death has been referred to a county prosecutor or the Attorney General for a continuing criminal investigation, only that office may release the autopsy findings, usually through the court discovery process.

For the broader rules across states, see Are Autopsies Public Records?.

Who Performs Autopsies in New Jersey?

New Jersey uses a medical examiner system, not a coroner system. Each county maintains an office of county medical examiner, and some counties operate jointly. The system is supervised statewide by the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner (OCSME) within the Department of Law and Public Safety.

The governing law is found at N.J.S.A. 52:17B-79 through 52:17B-88, with investigation criteria at N.J.S.A. 26:6B-10. The State Medical Examiner has general supervision over all county medical examiners.

A medical examiner does not autopsy every death. Investigations cover deaths that are violent, sudden, unexpected, suspicious, or that pose a public-health threat.

When an Autopsy Is Performed

An autopsy is required in cases such as apparent homicides, deaths under unusual or suspicious circumstances, deaths posing a public-health threat, deaths of inmates, and suspected child abuse or neglect.

An autopsy is also performed when the county medical examiner, the State Medical Examiner, a Superior Court assignment judge, the county prosecutor, or the Attorney General determines one is necessary. Sudden, unexpected child deaths receive special handling.

Who Can Request a New Jersey Autopsy Report?

Access is limited to people with a recognized proper interest in the record. The general public cannot simply pull a stranger's autopsy report.

Parties presumed to have a proper interest include the next of kin of the decedent, immediate family members, the physician who treated the decedent for the final illness or injury, the decedent's legal representative, and law enforcement agencies.

Attorneys and insurance companies representing parties in litigation arising from the death that caused the incident are also recognized. If you want the report sent to a third party, such as your attorney or insurer, your signature on the request typically must be notarized.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in New Jersey

You request the report from the medical examiner office that handled the death, either the regional OCSME office or the county medical examiner, using their autopsy-report request form.

For the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner, requests use Form OC-34 and can be mailed to PO Box 182, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360, or delivered to 120 South Stockton Street, 3rd Floor, Trenton, NJ 08625. The copy fee is commonly around $10.00 regardless of page count, and some offices waive the fee for next of kin as a courtesy.

Provide the decedent's full name, date of death, and your relationship to the decedent, along with identification. Processing times vary because a final report depends on toxicology and other lab results, which can take weeks or months.

The Pending-Investigation Hold

The most important limit is the open-case rule. If the death has been referred to a county prosecutor or the Attorney General for continuing criminal investigation, only that office may disclose the autopsy findings.

In those cases the report is released through discovery or when the prosecutor deems it appropriate, not through a routine records request. Incomplete records and ongoing investigations are also withheld until finalized.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in New Jersey

These are two different documents with different access rules. The death certificate is the official vital record that lists the legal cause and manner of death in a short, standardized format.

The autopsy report is the detailed medical examiner narrative of the examination, including findings and toxicology. The death certificate is obtained through vital records channels, while the autopsy report comes from the medical examiner under the proper-interest rules above.

To order the certificate itself, start at our New Jersey Death Records page.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Access rules, forms, and fees change and vary by county office. Confirm current procedures with the New Jersey Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner or the county medical examiner before relying on this information.

Sources

This page draws on the CDC Public Health Law Program, New Jersey medical examiner regulations (N.J.A.C. 8:70-3.1), the New Jersey statutes governing the medical examiner system, and the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.

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