The Delaware County Office of the Medical Examiner (DCOME) business hours are from 8 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday, excluding Delaware County-approved holidays.
Funeral Home transfers are between 8:30 am and 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Transfers may be authorized if enough personnel are available on the weekends between these hours. Please call ahead before arrival, as we cannot guarantee staffing requirements. No transfers will be authorized unless a minimum of two DCOME staff are present.
For remains to be released, you must complete the DCOME Authorization for Release of Remains form located at www.delcopa.gov/meo/forms.html. Remains will NOT be authorized for release without this form being completed.
Through our secure software, the Delaware County Office of the Medical Examiner has created a new method for funeral homes and crematories to submit and receive cremation permit requests.
When submitting the cremation request, credit card information is necessary. Once accepted, the charges of $50.00 for the cremation permit fee and a supplementary $1.50 credit card processing fee will be levied. Payment for the cremation permission is required at the time of application.
Visit this link to access the login page: https://delco.jotform.com/212633555982058 or click on the "Funeral Home Resources" link on the navigation section of this page and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Your request will be transmitted to the DCOME immediately. The cremation approval will be completed after the request and death certificate have been examined, investigated, and authorized. This will be in line with P.A. laws pertaining to the issuance of the permit.
Please note: Per P.A. Revised Code, Title 49, Chapter 13, §13.212, "A dead human body may be cremated at any time after 24 hours beyond the time of death. This does not prevent taking the remains to the crematory prior to 24 hours as long as written explicit instructions are given to the crematory that cremation absolutely cannot be done before 24 hours. A signed receipt shall be the possession of the funeral director to that effect."
All cremation permits that have been received after 12:00 p.m. will be reviewed on the next business day. Weekends and holidays are excluded.
Please note that cremation permits will be emailed back to the funeral home or crematory on the next business day, after the weekend or holiday after the initial submission, unless a discrepancy is discovered.