VT S0210

Amends 18 V.S.A. § 505 to allow individuals not otherwise authorized to receive autopsy reports to petition the Probate Division of the Superior Court for access

Petitioners must file an affidavit attesting to their relationship to the decedent and reason for seeking the report, then notify both the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the State's Attorney within five days

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and State's Attorney have 14 days to respond; the court may grant access if the petitioner demonstrates good cause and the State's Attorney does not object

Courts must consider five factors when determining good cause: relationship to decedent/family, necessity for evaluating governmental performance, seriousness of privacy intrusion, whether disclosure uses least intrusive means, and availability of similar information in other public records

Effective date: July 1, 2026