Frequently Asked Questions

Pennsylvania Law requires the Coroner to inquire into and determine the manner and cause of sudden deaths where the attending physician is unable to determine the cause of death or the death is the result of homicide, suicide, accidental or undetermined means. It also includes deaths where the deceased has not been seen by a physician recently prior to the death.

All deaths in Dauphin County are not reported to the Coroner's Office. Only unattended, non-natural, and suspicious deaths are reported.

As soon as the Legal Next of Kin selects a funeral home the Coroner’s Office must be contacted. The Legal Next of Kin may contact the office at 717-564-4567.

Autopsies are normally only performed on cases that have suspicious circumstances or the cause and manner of death are unable to be determined.

If the family wants an autopsy for a case that the Coroner has released, they may contact a private pathologist for a private autopsy. There is a fee for private autopsies, which varies depending upon the pathologist. There is no charge to the family for a coroner's autopsy. The decision to perform an autopsy rests with the Coroner's Office.

No. Autopsies are performed in a professional fashion that does not interfere with the viewing of the deceased in a normal manner.

No, most cases visual identification is not required.

Viewing of the body is not allowed at the Coroner’s Office. Viewing of the body will take place at the funeral home of the Legal Next of Kin's choice.

If established after a preliminary Coroner's investigation, forensic examination of the deceased, and review of medical records, the cause of death will generally be available to the Legal Next of Kin within 24 to 48 hours after the death is reported to the Coroner's Office. If further testing and investigation is required, it may take several months before a cause of death is available. In these cases, the initial death certificate will show "Pending" in the cause of death section.

Death certificates are not issued to family by the Coroner's Office. You should request copies from the funeral home when arrangements are made. After 30 days, death certificates are available through the Division of Vital Records.

 A friend can only make arrangements for the decedent if the Legal Next of Kin gives written authorization for the friend to act.

Please complete the reports request form and  mail the form and payment to:


Dauphin County Coroner
1271 S 28th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111

The cost of the reports are as follows:
Coroner Report - $100.00
Autopsy Report - $500.00
Toxicology Report - $100.00

Forms of payment accepted:
Money order and checks made payable to Dauphin County Treasurer

Generally, personal possessions/valuables are released to the funeral home with the decedent.

Photography can only be requested for legal purposes by a Law Firm or Attorney. The request can be made by submitting the Attorney Photography Request Form and payment to the Coroner's Office.

Yes the Coroner's Office has an internship program.

The requirements to qualify for the internship program are as follows:
     - The student must be enrolled at an undergraduate or graduate school with an official internship program.
     - The student must receive academic credit for the internship term.
     - Undergraduate students must be of at least junior status and have a GPA    of 3.0 or grater.
     -  Graduate student applications will be assessed on an individual basis.
     - Preference will be given to individuals pursuing education in the following fields: Forensic Science, Medicine, Mortuary Science, Criminal Justice, and Law Enforcement.

For more information regarding the internship please review the  internship informational letter

Any student that meets the requirements can apply for the internship program by submitting the  internship application and all other required documents to the Coroner's Office.