Tex. Occ. Code § 651.401 · Subchapter I. PRACTICE BY LICENSE HOLDER
FIRST CALL; REMOVAL OF BODY.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) First call occurs at the beginning of a relationship between a funeral director and a person authorized by Section 711.002, Health and Safety Code, to control the disposition of the decedent's remains.
(b) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a funeral director must direct the pickup of a dead human body under this chapter.
(c) A dead human body may be transferred without a funeral director directing the transfer at the direction of a justice of the peace or other law enforcement official.
(d) A funeral director may direct an unlicensed person, a provisional license holder, or an embalmer in the removal of a dead human body. A funeral director who directs the removal of a dead human body by an unlicensed person is strictly accountable for compliance with the requirements of this chapter. If an unlicensed person, a provisional license holder, or an embalmer inadvertently encounters a family member or other person with whom funeral arrangements are normally made, the person shall restrict communication with the family member or other person to:
(1) identifying the person's employer; and
(2) making any disclosure to the family member or other person that is required by federal or state law or regulation.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, Sec. 14.386(a), eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 124 (H.B. 1540), Sec. 25, eff. September 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.651.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 f4d62eaf25f546ff60ec415a5181985c07b46a25be1118a1950a35bfcb881b6d
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Cited by 1 provision
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Occ. Code § 651.401. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.