Are Autopsy Reports Public in Maryland? (2026 Guide)

In Maryland, an autopsy report is generally a public record. Unless the death is still under active investigation, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) will release the report to first-degree relatives, a person in interest, and the public on request. The main restriction is the pending-investigation hold, which keeps an open case confidential until it closes.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Maryland?

Yes. In most cases a Maryland autopsy report is a public document. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner states that, unless a death is under investigation, an autopsy report is generally releasable to the requester.

Public access rests on the Maryland Public Information Act. Md. Code, General Provisions 4-329(b)(1) requires a custodian to deny inspection of medical information about an individual, but it expressly excepts "an autopsy report of a medical examiner" from that mandatory denial, which is what leaves the report open to the public.

The completed report covers the official cause and manner of death, the pathologist's findings, and any toxicology results. These details are not sealed simply because they are sensitive.

The key limit is the pending-investigation exemption. While a case is open, or where another appropriate reason for denial exists, the OCME may withhold the report until the investigation closes.

Records beyond the autopsy report itself, such as photographs, slides, and other investigative file material, are more restricted. Those typically require a court order or subpoena unless the Custodian of Records finds compelling circumstances to release them.

Who Performs Autopsies in Maryland?

Maryland runs a centralized medical examiner system, not a coroner system. The statewide Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, housed in the Maryland Department of Health in Baltimore, handles medicolegal death investigations for the entire state.

This means there is one office to contact, rather than a separate elected coroner in each county. The Chief Medical Examiner must be a physician board certified in anatomic and forensic pathology, and the office is staffed by deputy and assistant medical examiners who are also physicians.

A medical examiner investigates a death when it occurs by violence, by suicide, by casualty, suddenly when the person was in apparent good health or unattended by a physician, or in any suspicious or unusual manner. This authority comes from Md. Code, Health-General 5-308.

An autopsy is performed when the investigating medical examiner considers it necessary to determine the cause and manner of death. Autopsies are mandatory for firefighters and sworn State Fire Marshal personnel who die in the line of duty or from fire-related circumstances.

Many natural, attended, or clearly explained deaths never become medical examiner cases, so no autopsy report exists for them. For background on how these rules vary by state, see Are Autopsies Public Records?

Who Can Request a Maryland Autopsy Report?

A broad group can request a Maryland autopsy report. First-degree family members, including a spouse, parent, child, or sibling, may request a copy directly.

Others may also request the report, including attorneys, insurers, and members of the public. Maryland law also gives a person in interest, a term defined in Md. Code, General Provisions 4-101, a separate right to inspect the record under General Provisions 4-329(c). Because the report is generally a public document once a case closes, you do not need to prove next-of-kin status to get a closed-case report.

The OCME may still deny a request if the death remains under investigation or another appropriate reason for denial applies. Material outside the report itself usually needs a subpoena or court order.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Maryland

To get a Maryland autopsy report, you submit a request to the OCME Records office. The OCME provides an autopsy report order form on its website, which is the simplest route.

If you write a letter instead, include the decedent's full name, your relationship to the decedent, the date of death, and where the report should be sent. Toxicology results are part of the autopsy report file, so a single request covers both.

There is no charge for first-degree relatives. All other requesters pay a $50 fee. The OCME accepts checks or money orders payable to MDH-OCME, but does not accept cash or credit cards.

Mail the form or letter and payment to:

Records, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 900 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21223.

On timing, the OCME completes roughly 90% of reports within 90 days of the cause-and-manner determination. If the death is still under active investigation, expect the report to be held until the case closes.

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Maryland

An autopsy report and a death certificate are two different documents in Maryland. The autopsy report is the medical examiner's detailed findings, including the full cause-and-manner analysis and toxicology.

The death certificate is the official vital record. It lists only a short cause-of-death line, not the full forensic narrative.

The OCME does not issue death certificates. Certified copies come from the Maryland Division of Vital Records or through the funeral director, while the autopsy report comes from the OCME. For certificates and the broader process, see Maryland Death Records.

Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Release policies, fees, and forms can change, so verify the current process directly with the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner before you submit a request.

Sources

This page draws on the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Maryland Annotated Code (General Provisions 4-329 and 4-101; Health-General 5-308 and 5-309), the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR 10.35.01.14), and the CDC public health law program.