D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 29-2810
The funeral director or person acting as such who first takes custody of the dead body shall file a certificate of death. He or she shall obtain the personal data from the next of kin or the best qualified person or source available and obtain the medical certificate required under this section.
A certificate of death for each death which occurs in the District shall be filed within five (5) days after death and before final disposition. The certificate shall be registered if it has been completed and filed according to these rules.
If the place of death is unknown but the dead body is found in the District, the certificate of death shall be completed and filed in the District.
The place where the body is found shall be shown as the place of death. If the date of death is unknown, it shall be determined by approximation.
When death occurs on a moving conveyance in the United States and the body is first removed from the conveyance in the District, the death shall be registered in the District and the place where it is first removed shall be considered the place of death.
When a death occurs on a moving conveyance while in international waters or air space, or in a foreign country or its air space and the body is first removed from the conveyance in the District, the death shall be registered in the District, but the certificate shall show the actual place of death insofar as can be determined.
Within forty-eight (48) hours after death, the physician in charge of a patient's care for the condition which resulted in death shall complete, sign, and return the medical certification portion of the death certificate, to the funeral director, except when inquiry is required by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
In the absence of the physician or with his or her authorization, the certificates may be completed and signed by his or her associate physician, the chief medical officer of the institution in which death occurred, or the physician who performed an autopsy upon the decedent, if that individual has access to the medical history of the case, views the deceased at or after death, and death is due to natural causes.
When an inquiry is conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the medical examiner shall determine the cause of death and complete, sign, and return the medical certification portion of the death certificate to the funeral director within forty-eight (48) hours after taking charge of the case.
If the cause of death cannot be determined within forty-eight (48) hours after death, the medical certification shall be completed as provided by § 2810.12.
The physician completing the medical certification or medical examiner shall give the funeral director or person acting as the funeral director, notice of the reason of the delay.
If the cause of death cannot be determined within forty-eight (48) hours after death, the physician or medical examiner shall issue notice that the cause of death is pending and complete the medical certification accordingly.
Final disposition of the body shall not be made until authorized by the physician completing the medical certification or the medical examiner.
When a death is presumed to have occurred within the District as a result of physical absence for a period of seven (7) years without having been heard from, the Registrar shall prepare a death certificate upon receipt of an order of the Court pursuant to D.C. Official Code § 14 -701.
The death certificate shall be marked "Presumptive", show on its face the date of registration, identify the Court, and state the date of the decree.
After an examination or autopsy of the body the physician or medical examiner will determine the cause of death which will be attached to the death certificate.
D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 29-2810