reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3104. Central Office of Vital Statistics.

§ 3104. Central Office of Vital Statistics.
(a) There is hereby established within the Division of Public Health an Office of Vital Statistics which shall install, maintain and operate the only system of vital statistics throughout this State.
(b) The Office of Vital Statistics shall have branch offices in each county. The Department shall designate 1 such branch as the central Office of Vital Statistics, and this branch shall be responsible for the supervision of the operation of the other vital statistics offices throughout this State.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  2;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  2;  Code 1915, §  798;  29 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §  781;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3103;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  140;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3105. State Registrar of Vital Statistics; duties.

§ 3105. State Registrar of Vital Statistics; duties.
(a) The Director of the Division of Public Health of the Department of Health and Social Services shall be the State Registrar and shall:
(1) Direct and supervise the system of vital statistics and the Office of Vital Statistics and be custodian of its records.
(2) Direct, supervise and control the activities of all persons when they are engaged in activities pertaining to the operation of the system of vital statistics.
(3) Conduct training programs to promote uniformity of policy and procedures throughout the State in matters pertaining to the system of vital statistics.
(4) Prescribe, with the approval of the Department, furnish and distribute such forms as are required by this chapter and the rules and regulations issued hereunder, or prescribe such other means for transmission of data as will accomplish the purpose of complete and accurate reporting and registration.
(5) Prepare and publish reports of vital statistics of this State and such other reports as the Registrar may deem necessary.
(b) The Delaware Health Statistics Center within the Division of Public Health shall have responsibility for the statistical analysis of vital statistics data and shall prepare and publish vital statistics reports of this State. The State Registrar may establish or designate other offices in the State to aid in the efficient administration of the system of vital statistics.
(c) The central office and each branch office of the Office of Vital Statistics shall offer voluntary paternity acknowledgment services, as described in § 3121(c) and (d) of this title, to the mother and putative father of a child born to unmarried parents.
(d) The State Registrar may delegate such functions and duties vested in the Registrar to employees of the Office of Vital Statistics and to employees of any office established or designated under subsection (b) of this section.
26 Del. Laws, c. 75;  Code 1915, §  770;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  2;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  2;  Code 1915, §§  770, 798;  29 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §§  776, 781;  16 Del. C. 1953, §§  3104, 3154;  57 Del. Laws, c. 591, §  14;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  141;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  71 Del. Laws, c. 216, §  104;  76 Del. Laws, c. 194, §  2;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3106. Employment of personnel and acquisition of equipment.

§ 3106. Employment of personnel and acquisition of equipment.
The Division of Public Health shall provide the Office of Vital Statistics with sufficient staff, suitable offices and other resources for the proper administration of the system of vital statistics and for the preservation of its official records.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  2;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  2;  Code 1915, §  798;  29 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §  781;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3105;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3107. Reproduction of vital records; official seal for certification.

§ 3107. Reproduction of vital records; official seal for certification.
(a) To preserve vital records, the State Registrar is authorized to prepare typewritten, photographic, electronic or other reproductions of certificates or reports in the Office of Vital Statistics. Such reproductions when certified by the State Registrar shall be accepted as the original records.
(b) The Department shall adopt an official seal for purposes of certification. Every certificate or other official paper executed by the State Registrar, in pursuance of any authority conferred by law, and bearing the seal of the Department shall be received as evidence when duly certified by the Department, under its seal, with the same force and effect as the original would, in law, be entitled to if produced in open court.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  2;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  2;  Code 1915, §  798;  29 Del. Laws, c. 49, §  1;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §  781;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3106;  57 Del. Laws, c. 591, §  15;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  142;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3108. Form of certificates and reports.

§ 3108. Form of certificates and reports.
(a) In order to promote and maintain nationwide uniformity in the system of vital statistics, the forms of certificates and reports required by this chapter, or by regulations adopted hereunder, shall include as a minimum the items recommended by the federal agency responsible for national vital statistics, subject, however, to approval of and modification by the Department; provided, however, that every death certificate shall include the Social Security number of the decedent.
(b) Each certificate, report and other document required by this chapter shall be on a form or in a format prescribed by the State Registrar.
(c) All vital records shall contain the date received for registration.
(d) Information required in certificates or reports authorized by this chapter may be filed and registered by photographic, electronic or other means as prescribed by the State Registrar.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  8;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  14;  Code 1915, §  805;  35 Del. Laws, c. 55;  Code 1935, §  788;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3133;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  143;  71 Del. Laws, c. 216, §  59;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3109. Completion of certificates and reports.

§ 3109. Completion of certificates and reports.
(a) Those individuals and/or institutions responsible for completion of certificates or reports according to this chapter or regulations adopted hereunder shall complete all items on the forms provided by the State Registrar. The State Registrar shall carefully examine the certificates and reports received in the Office of Vital Statistics, and if they are incomplete or unsatisfactory, shall require such further information as may be necessary to make the record complete and satisfactory.
(b) No claim or cause of action shall arise and no judgment, damages, penalties, costs or other money entitlement shall be awarded against an individual or institution that furnishes vital statistics in accordance with this chapter.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  7;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  13;  Code 1915, §§  813, 815;  Code 1935, §§  796, 798;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §§  3109, 3130;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3111. Penalties.

§ 3111. Penalties.
(a) A fine of not more than $10,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, shall be imposed on:
(1) Any individual who wilfully and knowingly makes any false statement in a certificate, record or report required by this chapter, or in an application for an amendment thereof, or in an application for a certified copy of a vital record, or who wilfully and knowingly supplies false information intending that such information be used in the preparation of any such report, record or certificate, or amendment thereof; or
(2) Any individual who without lawful authority and with the intent to deceive, makes, counterfeits, alters, amends or mutilates any certificate, record or report required by this chapter or a certified copy of such certificate, record or report; or
(3) Any individual who wilfully and knowingly obtains, possesses, uses, sells, furnishes or attempts to obtain, possess, use, sell or furnish to another, for any purpose of deception, any certificate, record or report required by this chapter or certified copy thereof so made, counterfeited, altered, amended or mutilated, or which is false in whole or in part or which relates to the birth of another person, whether living or deceased; or
(4) Any employee of the State who wilfully and knowingly furnishes or processes a certificate, or certified copy of a certificate, with the knowledge or intention that it be used for the purposes of deception; or
(5) Any individual who without lawful authority possesses any certificate, record or report, required by this chapter or a copy or certified copy of such certificate, record or report knowing same to have been stolen or otherwise unlawfully obtained.
(b) A fine of not more than $1,000, or imprisonment of not more than 1 year, or both, shall be imposed on:
(1) Any individual who wilfully and knowingly refuses to provide information required by this chapter or regulations adopted hereunder; or
(2) Any individual who wilfully and knowingly transports or accepts for transportation, interment or other disposition a dead body without an accompanying permit as provided in this chapter or regulations adopted hereunder; or
(3) Any individual who wilfully and knowingly neglects or violates any of the provisions of this chapter or regulations adopted hereunder or refuses to perform any of the duties imposed upon the individual by this chapter or regulations adopted hereunder.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  26 Del. Laws, c. 75;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §§  14, 16;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §§  15, 16;  Code 1915, §§  770, 818, 819;  28 Del. Laws, c. 60, §  2;  Code 1935, §§  776, 801, 802;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §§  3111, 3139, 3152, 3157, 3169;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter I. General Provisions › § 3112. Immunity.

§ 3112. Immunity.
No employee of the Office of Vital Statistics or other state offices established or designated under § 3105(b) of this title shall be subject to, and such persons shall be immune from any claim, suit, liability or damages or any other recourse, civil or criminal, arising from any act or proceedings, decision or determination undertaken or performed while discharging any duty or authority under this chapter, so long as such person acted in good faith, without gross negligence, and within the scope of the person's own duty or authority under this chapter or any other provisions of the Delaware law, federal law or regulations or duly adopted rules and regulations providing for the administration of this chapter, good faith being presumed until proven otherwise, with gross negligence required to be shown by the complainant.
68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3121A. Certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth.

§ 3121A. Certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth.
(a) The State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall issue a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth upon the request of and payment of a fee by either parent of the stillborn child or any other individual with a direct interest in such record under § 3110 of this title.
(b) The certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth must contain all of the following:
(1) The date of the stillbirth.
(2) The place in which the stillbirth occurred. If the place of stillbirth is unknown, a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth must record the location where such stillborn child was found as the place of stillbirth. If stillbirth occurs in a moving conveyance, the certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth must record the location where the stillborn child was first removed from such conveyance as the place of stillbirth.
(3) Upon the request of and payment of a fee by a parent of the stillborn child or other individual with a direct interest in such record under § 3110 of this title, the State Registrar of Vital Statistics shall reissue a stillbirth certificate filed with the State Registrar before February 9, 2018, as a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth.
81 Del. Laws, c. 123, §  3;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3122. Infants of unknown parentage; foundling registration.

§ 3122. Infants of unknown parentage; foundling registration.
(a) When the State assumes the custody of a live born infant of unknown parentage, an officer of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families shall report on a form and in a manner prescribed by the State Registrar within 5 days to the Office of Vital Statistics the following information:
(1) The date and place of finding;
(2) Sex, race and approximate age of child;
(3) Name and address of the person or institution with whom the child has been placed for care;
(4) Name given to the child by the custodian of the child;
(5) Other data required by the State Registrar.
(b) The place where the child was found shall be known as the place of birth and the date of birth shall be determined by approximation.
(c) The report shall constitute the certificate of birth.
(d) If the child is identified and a regular certificate of birth is found or obtained, the report shall be sealed and filed in the Office of Vital Statistics and may be opened only by court order.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  6;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  12;  Code 1915, §  803;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 64, §  1;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §  786;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3123;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3124. Registration of spontaneous fetal death.

§ 3124. Registration of spontaneous fetal death.
Each spontaneous fetal death of 350 grams or more, or in the absence of weight, of 20 completed week's gestation or more, calculated from the date the last normal menstrual period began to the date of delivery, which occurs in this State shall be reported within 3 days after delivery to the Office of Vital Statistics by filing a report of fetal death. Induced terminations of pregnancy shall not be reported as spontaneous fetal deaths. The report of fetal death is the official record of birth and death for the fetal death.
(1) When a fetal death occurs in an institution, and the death is attended by a physician or advanced practice registered nurse/certified nurse midwife (APRN/CNM), the report of fetal death shall be prepared by a hospital clerk or head of admissions and shall be filed with the Office of Vital Statistics, or as otherwise directed by the State Registrar, within 3 days after delivery or as soon as possible thereafter but prior to final disposition of the dead body.
(2) When a fetal death occurs outside an institution, only a physician may sign a report of fetal death. The physician shall file the report of fetal death with the Office of Vital Statistics, or as otherwise directed by the State Registrar, within 3 days after delivery or as soon as possible thereafter but prior to final disposition of the dead body.
(3) When a fetal death occurs without medical attendance at or shortly after the delivery, in a moving conveyance and the fetus is first removed from the conveyance in this State, the place of fetal death is unknown, the Division of Forensic Science shall conduct an investigation to determine the cause and manner of the fetal death and the medical examiner shall file the report of fetal death.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  3;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  7;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  13;  Code 1915, §  804;  35 Del. Laws, c. 55;  Code 1935, §  787;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  48 Del. Laws, c. 319, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3125;  52 Del. Laws, c. 88, §  2;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  79 Del. Laws, c. 265, §  15;  81 Del. Laws, c. 123, §  5;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3125. Registration of marriage.

§ 3125. Registration of marriage.
(a) A record of each marriage performed in this State shall be filed with the Office of Vital Statistics and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this section.
(b) The official who issues the marriage license shall prepare the record on the form prescribed and furnished by the State Registrar upon the basis of information obtained from the parties to be married.
(c) The person who performs the marriage ceremony shall certify the fact of marriage and, within 5 days following the day on which the marriage was solemnized, file the marriage license/certificate with 1 of the 3 vital statistics offices in this State.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  15;  Code 1915, §  816;  Code 1935, §  799;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3126;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3126. Registration of adoptions; duty of clerk of court; old and new birth certificates.

§ 3126. Registration of adoptions; duty of clerk of court; old and new birth certificates.
(a) Upon the issuance of a final decree of adoption or of an order certifying the validity of a foreign adoption, the clerk of the court in which the decree of adoption was made, or filed in the case of a foreign adoption under § 927 of Title 13, shall immediately file in the office of the State Registrar, on forms provided by the State Registrar for this purpose, a report setting forth the information required by § 921 of Title 13, together with a certified copy of the final decree of adoption.
(b) Upon receipt of the information, the State Registrar shall remove from the files the original certificate of birth and, after proper identification, shall place it in a confidential file. The State Registrar shall file a new certificate setting forth the adopted name and sex of the child, together with the names of the adopting parents and the actual birth date and birthplace of the child. Certificates may be issued in accordance with § 3110 of this title.
(c) The State Registrar shall file a new certificate of birth for any child born in Delaware who is legally adopted in another state upon receipt of a certified or exemplified copy of the court order of adoption from the clerk of the court of such other state, and shall issue a certificate as provided under § 3110 of this title.
(d) In the event of a child born outside of the United States and who is adopted in Delaware and for whom no certificate of birth can be secured from the nation of birth, the State Registrar may file and issue a special certificate of birth in accordance with this chapter, provided the adopting parents can furnish evidence considered satisfactory by the State Registrar of the facts and circumstances surrounding the birth of the child.
27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  11;  Code 1915, §  811;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  Code 1935, §  794;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3127;  52 Del. Laws, c. 88, §  3;  62 Del. Laws, c. 157, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;  71 Del. Laws, c. 481, §  2;  72 Del. Laws, c. 306, §  3;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3127. Acknowledgment or establishment of paternity.

§ 3127. Acknowledgment or establishment of paternity.
In cases of acknowledgment or establishment of paternity, the State Registrar, upon receipt of a court order, an administrative order or a properly executed acknowledgment of paternity, executed or issued in this State or any other state, which establishes paternity or creates a presumption of paternity under the law of the state in which it was executed or issued, shall prepare an amended or new certificate of birth, as the case may be, consistent with the document. The fact that the father-and-child relationship was declared after the child's birth shall not be ascertainable from the amended or new certificate, but the actual place and date of birth shall be shown. The evidence upon which the amended or new certificate was made and the original birth certificate shall be sealed and filed and may be opened only upon court order or upon application of the Division of Child Support Services certifying that the child for whom information is sought is the subject of a child support case administered by the Division under Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.).
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §§  7, 8;  Code 1915, §  812;  33 Del. Laws, c. 57, §  4;  34 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  40 Del. Laws, c. 99, §  1;  Code 1935, §  795;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3128;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  69 Del. Laws, c. 296, §§  24, 25;  80 Del. Laws, c. 234, §  20;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3128. Divorce or annulment registration for statistical purposes.

§ 3128. Divorce or annulment registration for statistical purposes.
(a) A record of each divorce or annulment granted by the Family Court in this State shall be filed by that court with the Office of Vital Statistics and shall be registered if it has been completed and filed in accordance with this section. The record shall be prepared by the petitioner or the petitioner's legal representative on a form prescribed and furnished by the State Registrar and shall be presented to the Family Court with the petition. In all cases the completed record shall be a prerequisite to the granting of the final decree.
(b) The Family Court shall complete and forward to the Office of Vital Statistics on or before the fifteenth day of each calendar month the records of each divorce or annulment decree granted during the preceding calendar month.
(c) Records of divorce are collected by the Office of Vital Statistics for statistical purposes only. Certified copies of a divorce decree may be issued by Family Court in the county in which the decree was granted.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  11;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  12;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  9;  Code 1915, §  817;  Code 1935, §  800;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3129;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3129. Registration of birth, death, marriage, divorce or fetal death where registration neglected or omitted.

§ 3129. Registration of birth, death, marriage, divorce or fetal death where registration neglected or omitted.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the State Registrar, on the production of evidence satisfactory to the State Registrar relative to a birth, death, marriage, divorce or fetal death, if for any reason registration has been neglected or omitted, may register any birth, death, marriage, divorce or fetal death which may have occurred when registration was not effective or which may from any cause have escaped registration.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §§  23, 24;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §§  23, 24;  Code 1915, §§  823, 824;  Code 1935, §  805;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3131;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3130. Certificates as evidence.

§ 3130. Certificates as evidence.
Certificates filed within 6 months after the time prescribed therefor shall be prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated. Data therein pertaining to the father of the child are prima facie evidence only if the alleged father is the husband of the mother. The data pertaining to the father of the child are not evidence in any proceeding adverse to the interests of the alleged father or of his heirs, next-of-kin, devisees, legatees or other successors in interest if the father is not the husband of the mother and the paternity is not acknowledged.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  14;  Code 1915, §  806;  Code 1935, §  789;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3135;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3131. Delayed or amended certificates; procedures; evidence.

§ 3131. Delayed or amended certificates; procedures; evidence.
(a) A person born in this State may file or amend a certificate of birth after the time prescribed by this chapter upon submitting such evidence relative to the circumstances surrounding the birth as may be required by the State Registrar. In the case of a correction to the birth record of an American Indian, the substantiating documentary proof may include, but shall not be limited to, an affidavit satisfactory to the State Registrar or any local registrar and signed by the chief of the tribe that according to tribal records the person whose certificate is to be amended is a member of the tribe of the chief whose signature appears on the affidavit.
(b) Any certificate in the custody of the State Registrar upon which the information thereon is charged to be in error may be corrected or amended upon submitting such proof of error as may be required by the State Registrar.
(c) Certificates accepted subsequent to 6 months after the time prescribed in this chapter for filing or certificates which have been amended after being filed with the State Registrar shall contain the date of the delayed filing or the date of amendment and shall be marked “delayed” or “amended,” respectively.
(d) A summary statement of the evidence submitted in support of the acceptance for delayed filing or amendment shall be endorsed on the certificate.
(e) Such evidence submitted in support of a delayed or amended registration as may be retained by the State Registrar shall be kept in special permanent file.
(f) The probative value of a delayed or amended certificate shall be determined by the judicial or administrative body or official before whom the certificate is offered for evidence.
27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  8;  Code 1915, §  809;  38 Del. Laws, c. 164;  Code 1935, §  792;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3136;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter II. Registration Requirements and Procedures › § 3133. Reports of induced termination of pregnancy.

§ 3133. Reports of induced termination of pregnancy.
Each induced termination of pregnancy which occurs in this State, regardless of the length of gestation, shall be reported to the Delaware Health Statistics Center within the Division of Public Health by the person in charge or a designated representative of the institution or abortion facility in which the induced termination of pregnancy was performed. If the induced termination of pregnancy was performed outside an institution or abortion facility, the attending physician shall prepare and file the report. Such reporting shall occur within 30 days after the end of the month in which the induced termination of pregnancy was performed. These reports are to be used only for purposes of statistical analysis and shall not be incorporated into the permanent official records of the system of vital statistics. The reporting form shall include only those items recommended by the federal agency responsible for national vital statistics except that it shall not include any item that allows identification of patients or physicians. Furthermore, no statistical analysis shall be released which identifies the reporting institution or abortion facility.
70 Del. Laws, c. 378, §  2;  76 Del. Laws, c. 194, §  3;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3151. Permit for removal, burial or other disposition; foreign permits; prerequisites for permit.

§ 3151. Permit for removal, burial or other disposition; foreign permits; prerequisites for permit.
When a death or a fetal death occurs or a dead body is found, the body shall not be disposed of until the burial/transit permit is completed. Said permit is required to accompany the body and is to be:
(1) Given to the sexton of the cemetery when the body is interred.
(2) Retained by the funeral director when the cemetery has no sexton.
(3) Retained with the ashes in cases of cremation, or by the funeral director if so desired.
27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  10;  Code 1915, §  814;  28 Del. Laws, c. 60, §  1;  Code 1935, §  797;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  48 Del. Laws, c. 319, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3151;  52 Del. Laws, c. 88, §  4;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3152. Burial/transit permits for shipment of corpses — Required.

§ 3152. Burial/transit permits for shipment of corpses — Required.
No common carrier shall receive for shipment from any point within this State to any other point either within or without this State any dead human body, unless the funeral director or person acting as such presents a completed burial/transit permit as provided in § 3151 of this title.
26 Del. Laws, c. 75;  Code 1915, §  770;  Code 1935, §  776;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3153;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3153. Disinterment — Rules and regulations.

§ 3153. Disinterment — Rules and regulations.
No body or stillborn fetus shall be disinterred within the State except upon a permit granted by the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. The forms of disinterment permits shall be prepared by the Office of Vital Statistics. Disinterment and removal must be conducted under the personal supervision of a licensed funeral director.
68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3154. Authorization for disinterment and reinterment.

§ 3154. Authorization for disinterment and reinterment.
(a) Authorization. — A permit for disinterment and reinterment of a dead body or fetus shall be issued by the State Registrar upon receipt of a notarized application/authorization signed by the next-of-kin and the person who is in charge of the disinterment, or upon receipt of an order of a court of record of this state directing such disinterment, or upon notarized written application of the Attorney General to request a special disinterment permit for legal purposes.
(b) Mass disinterment and reinterment. — Upon receipt of a court order, a signed and notarized permission of the next-of-kin of all decedents, or a signed and notarized application for disinterment for legal purposes, the State Registrar may issue 1 permit for disinterment and reinterment of all remains in a mass disinterment provided that, insofar as possible, the remains of each body be identified and the place of disinterment and reinterment specified.
(c) Nature of permit. — The authorization issued in accordance with the statutes and regulations governing disinterment shall be permission for disinterment, transportation and reinterment.
(d) Fee for permit. — The Department shall receive a fee not to exceed $10 for each disinterment/reinterment permit issued.
68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  145;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3155. Permits for disinterment of bodies buried in Kent or Sussex County before January 1, 1893.

§ 3155. Permits for disinterment of bodies buried in Kent or Sussex County before January 1, 1893.
The State Registrar of Vital Statistics through the central office or any of the county vital statistics offices, upon application to and the payment of the usual fee to any or either of them, shall issue a permit to any relative of any deceased person buried prior to January 1, 1893, and now remaining in private, family or old and neglected burying grounds in Sussex County and Kent County for the disinterment of the remains and the reinterment of the remains in public or private cemeteries or any other chosen or designated place in Kent County or Sussex County or without the State, the same as if the application had been made by a duly licensed undertaker. Upon obtaining the permit, the relative is vested with the same authority as a duly licensed undertaker in the disinterment and reinterment of the remains including the securing of vaults and providing for all other necessary arrangements in connection therewith.
Code 1915, §  812a;  38 Del. Laws, c. 47, §  1;  Code 1935, §  889;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3158;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3156. Disinterment from condemned land.

§ 3156. Disinterment from condemned land.
The Department shall modify and relax its regulations and restrictions relative to the disinterring and reinterring of dead bodies, including the securing of separate disinterment and transfer permits of the bodies in those cases where the bodies are in public or private burying grounds which have been condemned by this State or the United States government for the purposes of public improvement, in order to enable the carrying into effect of complete removals in such cases to the full extent that the same can be accomplished, in the opinion of the Department, by licensed undertakers under its supervision and without jeopardizing the public health.
41 Del. Laws, c. 196;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3159;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  146;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3157. Cremation; prohibited except in licensed crematory.

§ 3157. Cremation; prohibited except in licensed crematory.
No person shall destroy or dispose of by burning in this State the body of an individual dead from any cause, except in a crematorium or crematory licensed for this express purpose and under the conditions provided in §§ 3158-3164 of this title.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3160;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3158. Crematory; approval for construction; requirements; inspection.

§ 3158. Crematory; approval for construction; requirements; inspection.
(a) A person, firm, organization or association desiring to acquire, erect, or construct a crematory shall first obtain approval from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
(b) The crematory shall be constructed in accordance with regulations adopted under Chapters 60 and 79 of Title 7 and shall not be located, managed, or conducted at any time in such a way to be a public nuisance.
(c) The crematory shall be subject at all times to inspection by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Department of Health and Social Services, and by such officers of the state law-enforcement departments as may desire to inspect it.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3161;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 149, §  147;  74 Del. Laws, c. 293, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3159. Permit for cremation; issuance, retention and inspection.

§ 3159. Permit for cremation; issuance, retention and inspection.
(a) A body may be cremated only after the preparation of a special cremation permit signed by the chief medical examiner or an assistant or deputy medical examiner. In the presentation of the cremation permit to the chief medical examiner or the chief medical examiner's representative for signature, the permit must be accompanied by a death certificate signed by the attending physician and by a cremation authorization signed by the next-of-kin or legal representative of the deceased. The signature of the chief medical examiner or the chief medical examiner's representative to the cremation permit shall constitute an affirmation that there is no medical reason why the cremation should not take place. The chief medical examiner or an assistant or deputy medical examiner shall have the authority to hold the remains of the deceased pending any investigation into the cause and manner of death.
(b) One copy of the cremation permit shall be retained by the person, firm, corporation or association conducting the crematory and shall be produced for inspection or other purposes when asked for by the inspecting authority. A second copy of the cremation permit shall accompany the death certificate when it is filed in the Office of Vital Statistics.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3162;  65 Del. Laws, c. 413, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 164, §  1;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3160. Report of cremation.

§ 3160. Report of cremation.
Within 24 hours after the cremation is completed a report indicating the name of the individual, the individual's address while alive, the date and cause of death, the names of the individuals signing the permit, the date of the cremation and the disposal of the ashes shall be forwarded by the person in charge of the crematory to the central Office of Vital Statistics.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3163;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3161. Delivery, transportation and disposal of ashes.

§ 3161. Delivery, transportation and disposal of ashes.
The ashes resulting from the cremation of a body may be delivered by the attendants of the crematory to any member of the family of the deceased designated to receive them or to the person arranging for the cremation. After this delivery, they may be transported in any way in the State and disposed of in such a way as is desired by the person receiving them.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3164;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3162. Witnesses at cremation.

§ 3162. Witnesses at cremation.
A representative of the family or some individual accredited to act as representative of the family of the individual being cremated may be present at the time the cremation is being carried out.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3165;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3163. Permit where death occurs in this State and cremation takes place elsewhere.

§ 3163. Permit where death occurs in this State and cremation takes place elsewhere.
The provisions of § 3159 of this title, respecting the signatures of the chief medical examiner or an assistant or deputy medical examiner and by the Attorney General or a deputy attorney general, are required in respect of the cremation of the body of an individual dying in the State but removed to any other state for the purpose of cremation.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3166;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 31. REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, ANNULMENTS AND ADOPTIONS › Subchapter III. Burial, Removal or Cremation of Dead Bodies › § 3164. Cremation in this State when death occurred elsewhere.

§ 3164. Cremation in this State when death occurred elsewhere.
The cremation in this State of the bodies of persons dying in other states is permissible if all the legal requirements of the state in which the death occurred have first been complied with.
25 Del. Laws, c. 66, §  9;  27 Del. Laws, c. 84, §  14;  27 Del. Laws, c. 85, §  15;  Code 1915, §  818;  Code 1935, §  801;  44 Del. Laws, c. 69, §  1;  16 Del. C. 1953, §  3167;  68 Del. Laws, c. 274, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 32. CANCER CONTROL ACT › § 3202. Purpose.

§ 3202. Purpose.
The intent of the General Assembly is to require the establishment and maintenance of a cancer registry for the State. This responsibility is delegated to the Department of Health and Social Services, along with the authority to exercise certain powers to implement this requirement. To ensure an accurate and continuing source of data concerning cancer and certain specified tumors of a benign nature, the General Assembly by this chapter requires certain health care practitioners and all hospitals, clinical laboratories and cancer treatment centers within the State to make available to the Department of Health and Social Services information contained in the medical records of patients who have cancer or tumors of a benign nature. It is intended that the product of these efforts will be a central data bank of accurate, precise and current information regarding the subject diseases.
62 Del. Laws, c. 334, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 391, §  1;
2023 Delaware Code › Title 16 - Health and Safety › Chapter 32. CANCER CONTROL ACT › § 3203. Definitions.

§ 3203. Definitions.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning.
(1) “Benign tumor” means any nonmalignant neoplasm, regardless of the tissue of origin, that appears on the American College of Surgeons most recently published annual list of reportable cancers and benign tumors.
(2) “Cancer” means any malignant neoplasm, regardless of the tissue of origin, that appears on the American College of Surgeons most recently published annual list of reportable cancers and benign tumors.
(3) “Department” means the State of Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
62 Del. Laws, c. 334, §  1;  70 Del. Laws, c. 391, §  1;