Are Autopsy Reports Public in Vermont? (2026)

Vermont autopsy reports are not public records. Under HIPAA, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner keeps autopsy and toxicology findings confidential and releases the Final Report of Autopsy only to the legal next of kin (or personal representative) who submits a signed request. The general public cannot obtain these reports.

Are Autopsy Reports Public in Vermont?

No. Vermont autopsy reports are not public records. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), part of the Vermont Department of Health, treats its records as confidential under the federal HIPAA Privacy Rule.

Because of that protection, the Final Report of Autopsy is released only with the written consent of the legal next of kin or a personal representative. A member of the general public, a journalist, or a curious neighbor cannot simply request the report.

This is different from many open-records requests. Vermont's Public Records Act has exemptions for medical and confidential records, and autopsy findings fall under the OCME's HIPAA-based confidentiality rules rather than open public disclosure.

If a death is tied to a criminal case, even fewer people can access the file while that case is active. We explain that hold below.

Who Performs Autopsies in Vermont?

Vermont has a centralized, statewide medical examiner system. There are no county coroners. A single Chief Medical Examiner, housed in the Department of Health, oversees death investigation across the entire state.

The Chief Medical Examiner may appoint regional and assistant medical examiners (licensed physicians) to assist with investigations and autopsies. The main office sits at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

Not every death gets an autopsy. Under 18 V.S.A. Chapter 107, the OCME investigates deaths that are sudden, violent, suspicious, unexpected, or otherwise unexplained, as well as deaths that affect public health, welfare, or safety.

Under 18 V.S.A. § 5205(f), the Chief Medical Examiner or a State's Attorney may order an autopsy if either deems it necessary and in the interest of public health, welfare, and safety, or in furtherance of the administration of the law. They are not the only officials who can. Under 13 V.S.A. § 5162, a Superior Judge or the Attorney General may order an autopsy, or an exhumation and autopsy, upon the State's Attorney's petition, and 18 V.S.A. § 505 directs that such an autopsy be performed by the Chief Medical Examiner or under the Chief Medical Examiner's direction. Toxicology testing is added when results may directly affect the cause-or-manner determination.

A death from natural causes under a doctor's care usually does not trigger an OCME autopsy. In those cases the attending physician certifies the cause of death on the death certificate instead.

Who Can Request a Vermont Autopsy Report?

Only the legal next of kin or a personal representative can obtain the Final Report of Autopsy. Vermont follows an order of precedence for who counts as next of kin.

That order generally runs: the surviving spouse or civil-union partner; then adult children or a legal custodian; then parents; then siblings; then grandparents; then other relatives by degree of relationship. For an unemancipated minor, the parents or guardian come first.

What about attorneys, insurers, and researchers?

Those parties cannot request the report directly from the OCME. They typically need written authorization from the next of kin, a court order, or release through the State's Attorney if a criminal case is involved.

What about the press and the public?

The press and general public are not on the access list. The HIPAA-based confidentiality rule controls, so the OCME does not hand out autopsy reports as open public records.

How to Get an Autopsy or Toxicology Report in Vermont

To get a Vermont autopsy report, the legal next of kin must submit a signed Statement of Next of Kin form to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The OCME releases the Final Report of Autopsy only after it confirms the requester's legal standing.

Start by contacting the OCME directly. The office can be reached by phone at 802-863-7320 or by email, and it is located on Baird 1 at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the same level as the Emergency Department.

The Statement of Next of Kin must be signed by the legal next of kin. The OCME uses it to verify that the person requesting the report is authorized to receive confidential records.

Expect a wait. The OCME notes that a Final Report of Autopsy can take weeks to several months to finalize, because detailed tissue studies and toxicology testing take time to complete. Toxicology results alone can take several weeks.

The pending-case hold

If the death is part of an active criminal investigation, the file may be held. All Final Reports of Autopsy are distributed to the State's Attorney under 18 V.S.A. § 5205.

In cases with an ongoing criminal investigation, the State's Attorney has jurisdiction over the distribution of the autopsy findings. That means even the next of kin may have to wait, or go through the State's Attorney, until the case allows release.

For a broader overview of how these rules work across states, see Are Autopsies Public Records?

Autopsy Report vs Death Certificate in Vermont

The autopsy report and the death certificate are two different documents. They are issued by different processes and have very different access rules.

The death certificate is a vital record. It lists the official cause and manner of death on a short certified line, and certified copies are available to qualified applicants through the Vermont Vital Records Office.

The autopsy report is the detailed medical document behind that cause-of-death line. It can run many pages and includes examination findings, toxicology, and the medical examiner's analysis. It is confidential and released only to next of kin.

So a death certificate gives you the conclusion. The autopsy report gives you the full medical reasoning, and you can only get it if you are the legal next of kin. For certified death certificates, see Vermont Death Records.

Vermont Autopsy Report Facts

Disclaimer: This page provides general information, not legal advice. Autopsy report access rules and procedures can change. Always confirm current requirements, forms, and any fees directly with the Vermont Office of the Chief Medical Examiner before relying on this information.

Sources

This page is based on the Vermont Department of Health Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Vermont Statutes (18 V.S.A.), and the CDC summary of Vermont coroner and medical examiner laws.

Vermont Death Records | Death Records by State