2021 Colorado Code
Title 25 - Public Health and Environment
Article 2 - Vital Statistics
§ 25-2-103. Centralized Registration System for All Vital Statistics - Appointment of Registrar - Rules

1. In order to provide for the maintenance of a centralized registry of the vital statistics of this state, the office of state registrar of vital statistics, referred to in this article as the “state registrar”, is hereby created in the department of public health and environment. The state registrar shall be appointed by the state board of health and shall have such staff and clerical help as reasonably may be required in the performance of the state registrar's duties. The state registrar and the staff and clerical help of the state registrar shall be subject to the state constitution and state personnel system laws.
2. The state board of health shall adopt, promulgate, amend, and repeal such rules and orders in accordance with the provisions of section 24-4-103, C.R.S., as are necessary and proper for carrying out the provisions of this article.
3. 1. The state registrar shall direct and supervise the operation of the vital statistics system, prepare and publish annual reports of vital statistics, and administer and enforce the provisions of this article and all rules issued under this article.
   2. In conjunction with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), the state registrar shall collect the name of the provider of prenatal care, if any, and the name of the provider of initial delivery services and shall require that such information be reported on all birth certificates. In addition, whenever an investigation or inquest is conducted pursuant to section 30-10-606, C.R.S., concerning the death of a child under one year of age, the coroner shall forward the information described in this paragraph (b) to the state registrar for inclusion on the death certificate of the subject of the inquest or investigation.

4. Federal, state, local, and other public or private agencies may, upon request, be furnished copies of records of data for statistical purposes upon such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by regulation. (4.5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law that limits the sharing of vital statistics, after receiving the list of names and social security numbers of individuals who received property tax exemptions as either qualifying seniors or disabled veterans for the prior year that is provided by the property tax administrator pursuant to section 39-3-207 , C.R.S., the state registrar shall identify all individuals on the list who have died and transmit a list of the names and social security numbers of such individuals to the administrator.
5. The state registrar shall designate organized county, district, or municipal public health agencies established pursuant to part 5 of article 1 of this title and may establish or designate additional offices throughout Colorado to aid in the efficient administration of the system of vital statistics.
6. The state registrar may:
   1. Require departments or offices so designated or established to comply with performance and accounting standards as set forth in rules promulgated by the state board of health;
   2. Delegate such functions and duties to the staff and clerical help and to any offices established or designated by the state registrar pursuant to this section as deemed necessary or expedient;
   3. Conduct training programs to promote the uniformity of the administration of this article throughout Colorado.

History. Source: L. 67: R&RE, p. 1057, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 66-8-3. L. 76: Entire section amended, p. 309, § 48, effective May 20. L. 84: Entire section amended, p. 743, § 4, effective July 1. L. 94: Entire section amended, p. 2748, § 398, effective July 1. L. 96: Entire section amended, p. 401, § 13, effective April 17. L. 2010: (5) amended,(HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2092, § 87, effective August 11. L. 2016: (4.5) added,(HB 16-1175), ch. 332, p. 1344, § 1, effective June 10. History. Source: L. 67: R&RE, p. 1057, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 66-8-3. L. 76: Entire section amended, p. 309, § 48, effective May 20. L. 84: Entire section amended, p. 743, § 4, effective July 1. L. 94: Entire section amended, p. 2748, § 398, effective July 1. L. 96: Entire section amended, p. 401, § 13, effective April 17. L. 2010: (5) amended,(HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2092, § 87, effective August 11. L. 2016: (4.5) added,(HB 16-1175), ch. 332, p. 1344, § 1, effective June 10.

For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending this section, see section 1 of chapter 345, Session Laws of Colorado 1994.

Annotator's note. Since provisions similar to those in repealed § 25-2-109 were included in this section when it was amended in 1984, the applicable annotations under the repealed section have been included in the annotations to this section.

Purpose of this section is to place the state system of registration of births and deaths in charge of the state board of health with power to appoint local registrars. McNichols v. People ex rel. Hershey, 92 Colo. 469 , 22 P.2d 131 (1933).

Section supersedes municipal ordinances. And so far as local registrars of vital statistics are concerned, municipal ordinances are superseded by this section. McNichols v. People ex rel. Hershey, 92 Colo. 469 , 22 P.2d 131 (1933).

Birth certificate certified by the local registrar is as dependable as one certified by the state registrar, since it is the former who furnishes the information to the latter. Trujillo v. People, 122 Colo. 436 , 222 P.2d 775 (1950).

Effect of failure to appoint local registrar. Under former provision, failure of the state board of health to appoint a local registrar of vital statistics for Denver for a number of years did not deprive it of its statutory power to appoint, nor relieve it of the necessity of performing a plain statutory duty. McNichols v. People ex rel. Hershey, 92 Colo. 469 , 22 P.2d 131 (1933).