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The End of Life Plannerby Valoren

General information · not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.

Free · general informationDistrict of Columbia

What to do when someone dies in the District of Columbia

The first things the District of Columbia’s own law asks for after a death, quoted word for word, then the pages for everything that follows, in the order it usually comes. Nothing here decides what a particular family must do. That belongs to the office named, the court, or an attorney in the District of Columbia.

  • Every fact dated, in the official words
  • Each state’s own law

Every quotation checked October 24, 2026

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The free first-week checklist

Pages taken from the planner, by email: who to phone first, and a blank records sheet.

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Every quotation on this page is the official body’s own words, as they stood on the day we read them. The date is beside each one.

Filing the report of death: who files it, how soon, and the medical certification

Registering the death comes first. These are the District of Columbia’s own words on who files the record, and how soon.

The funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall electronically submit a report of death to the Registrar within 5 days after date of death and before the final disposition of the body.

Within 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 certificate of death to the funeral director

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.12(a), (f)

What the person holding the will must do, how soon, and the fine for neglecting it

The will has its own rules. These are the District of Columbia’s own words on who brings it to the court after a death, and what the court does with it.

Whoever, having possession of a testamentary instrument, willfully neglects, for the period of 90 days after the death of the testator becomes known to him, to deliver it to the Probate Court, or to the Register of Wills, or to an executor named in the instrument, shall be fined not more than $500.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §18-111

Depositing an original will with the Register of Wills for safekeeping, and when that begins

Beginning January 1, 2028, an original will may be deposited by a domiciliary testator, the testator's agent, or the testator's attorney, with the Register of Wills for safekeeping.

Upon payment of the required fee, the Register of Wills shall give a receipt.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §18-1002 (D.C. Law 26-41)

The same page for other states

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FAQ

Common questions

The funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body shall electronically submit a report of death to the Registrar within 5 days after date of death and before the final disposition of the body.

Within 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 certificate of death to the funeral director

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §7-231.12(a), (f)

Whoever, having possession of a testamentary instrument, willfully neglects, for the period of 90 days after the death of the testator becomes known to him, to deliver it to the Probate Court, or to the Register of Wills, or to an executor named in the instrument, shall be fined not more than $500.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §18-111

Beginning January 1, 2028, an original will may be deposited by a domiciliary testator, the testator's agent, or the testator's attorney, with the Register of Wills for safekeeping.

Upon payment of the required fee, the Register of Wills shall give a receipt.

District of Columbia · general information · checked October 24, 2026 · D.C. Code §18-1002 (D.C. Law 26-41)

For anyone who would rather their family found it all in one place than went looking.

A couple. A parent. An adult child and a parent, doing it together. One sitting starts it; keep it current, and tell someone where it is.

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