Tarrant County Medical Examiner Release Form: Signers, Submission, and Timing

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner release form, formally called the Authorization to Release Remains, is a one-page document that lets the legal next-of-kin direct the office to transfer a decedent’s body to a chosen funeral home. You can download it from the Medical Examiner’s forms page on the Tarrant County website and submit it by fax to 817-920-5713, in person, or through the receiving funeral home. The office is at 200 Feliks Gwozdz Place, Fort Worth, TX 76104, and the main line is 817-920-5700, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.1Tarrant County. Medical Examiner – Tarrant County

Who Can Legally Sign the Release

Texas Health and Safety Code § 711.002 sets a strict priority list, and only the highest-priority living person can sign. In order:

  1. A person the decedent named in a written instrument signed before death
  2. The surviving spouse
  3. Any one of the decedent’s surviving adult children
  4. Either surviving parent
  5. Any one of the decedent’s surviving adult siblings
  6. An executor or administrator of the estate
  7. The next adult relative in line to inherit under Texas law

A person lower on the list only gains authority if no one above them is available or willing to act.2State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code Section 711.002 – Disposition of Remains; Duty to Inter The written instrument in the first position does not have to be notarized; a signed document is enough under the statute.

When two or more relatives at the same priority level disagree about which funeral home should receive the body, the Medical Examiner’s Office will typically hold the remains until the dispute is resolved, often through a court order directing the release. Reaching agreement before submitting paperwork saves days.

What the Form Asks For

The Authorization to Release Remains is available as a PDF on the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s forms page.3Tarrant County. Forms – Tarrant County Medical Examiner It is a short document with only a handful of fields:

  • The date you are signing and submitting the form.
  • The decedent’s full legal name, matching the Medical Examiner’s records exactly.
  • The receiving funeral home’s name, street address, city, state, ZIP code, phone number, and fax number.
  • A “Yes” or “No” checkbox authorizing the funeral home to receive the decedent’s personal valuables. Cash over $100 must be picked up in person by the next-of-kin regardless of what you check here.4Tarrant County. Authorization to Release Remains
  • Your signature, printed name, and relationship to the deceased.

By signing, you are also authorizing the funeral home or its agents to transport the remains and prepare the body for disposition. That permission is built into the form itself.4Tarrant County. Authorization to Release Remains

Check the decedent’s name against any paperwork the office has already given you. A mismatch between your form and the office’s intake records is the fastest way to stall the release.

How to Submit It

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner accepts the completed and signed form three ways:3Tarrant County. Forms – Tarrant County Medical Examiner

  • Through the funeral home. This is the most common route. The funeral director brings the signed form when picking up the remains, and most families simply hand the completed form to their director.
  • By fax to 817-920-5713. Useful when the funeral home is not local, or when you want the paperwork moving before the director arrives.
  • In person at 200 Feliks Gwozdz Place, Fort Worth, TX 76104, during business hours.

Email is not listed as an accepted submission method.3Tarrant County. Forms – Tarrant County Medical Examiner For questions, call 817-920-5700.

What Happens After You Submit

Once the office has your signed form, staff verify that the signer matches the § 711.002 priority and that the funeral home information is complete. Processing usually takes a few hours to one business day depending on caseload. When everything checks out, staff contact the designated funeral home to coordinate pickup, and the funeral director arrives with transportation and takes custody of the remains.

Stay in touch with your funeral director. They will confirm when the transfer is complete and can let you know if the office flags anything on the paperwork.

When the Release Form Applies

You only need this form if the Medical Examiner has taken custody of the body. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Article 49.25, that happens when the death falls into specific categories: unnatural or violent deaths, suspicious circumstances, unattended deaths where no physician can certify the cause, deaths within 24 hours of hospital admission, deaths in custody, unidentified remains, deaths of children under six reported under Chapter 264 of the Family Code, and cases where a treating physician cannot determine the cause with certainty.

If the death fits one of these categories, the office controls the remains until the investigation and any autopsy are complete. The release form can be submitted before then, but the body will not leave until the office clears it. Call ahead to confirm the case status so your paperwork lines up with the office’s readiness to release.

Timing Notes for Cremation and Death Certificates

If cremation is planned, Texas law imposes a 48-hour waiting period after the time of death before a crematory can proceed. The Medical Examiner can waive that in writing, or a court can order a waiver. The crematory also needs a cremation permit from the Medical Examiner’s Office. When the death is a medical examiner case, the permit comes from that investigation; otherwise, the funeral director must supply a physician-signed death certificate before the office will issue the permit.5Tarrant County. Medical Examiner Frequently Asked Questions Your funeral director handles most of this.

The release of the body and the death certificate run on separate tracks. Texas law requires the death certificate to be filed with the local registrar within 10 days of death. When the cause of death depends on toxicology, histology, or further investigation, the office files a “Pending” certificate that is later amended once testing is finished, which can take several months.5Tarrant County. Medical Examiner Frequently Asked Questions Banks, insurers, and probate courts sometimes require the final amended version before releasing funds, so a pending certificate is not always the end of the paperwork trail.