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HomeHealth and Safety CodeDiv. 102Pt. 1Ch. 17Art. 1§ 103780 Falsifying Vital Records

§ 103780 Falsifying Vital Records

Health and Safety Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 103780 Falsifying Vital Records

This law makes it a crime to knowingly change or keep fake official papers like birth, death, or marriage certificates, and it sets tougher punishments for funeral‑home workers who do it.

Key Takeaways

  • •Anyone who willfully changes or keeps more than one altered official document (birth, death, marriage, etc.) commits a misdemeanor.
  • •Funeral‑home licensees, their agents, and employees face harsher penalties – up to one year in county jail and a $10,000 fine.
  • •The rule applies unless a specific exception in subdivision (b) says otherwise.

Example

A funeral home employee changes a death certificate to list a different cause of death.

Because the employee knowingly altered an official death record, the law says they can be charged with a misdemeanor and could go to jail for up to a year and be fined up to $10,000.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 103780 Falsifying Vital Records

(a) Every person, except as provided in subdivision (b), who willfully alters or knowingly possesses more than one altered document, other than as permitted by this part, or falsifies any certificate of birth, fetal death, or death, or marriage license, or any record established by this part is guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) Every licensee or registrant pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 7600) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code, and the agents and employees of the licensee, or any unlicensed person acting in a capacity in which a license from the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau is required, who willfully alters or knowingly possesses more than one altered document, other than as permitted by this part, or falsifies any certificate of death, is guilty of a misdemeanor that shall be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine. (Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 571, Sec. 37. (SB 1480) Effective January 1, 2019.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

misdemeanorwillfully altersfalsifiescertificate of deathCemetery and Funeral Bureau

Related Statutes

  • § 103775 Birth Certificate Information Violations
  • § 103785 Birth Certificate Registration Duty
  • § 103790 Registrar Duty Enforcement
  • § 103795 Unauthorized Birth Certificate Use
  • § 102232 Penalties For Data Access Violations

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Health and Safety Code. Section 103780.
View Official Source