Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 146 § 146.003 — Definitions

Definitions for ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992. As used in ORS 146.003 to 146.189 and 146.710 to 146.992, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Approved laboratory” means a laboratory approved by the Chief Medical Examiner as competent to perform the blood sample analysis required by ORS 146.113 (2). (2) “Assistant district medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed by the district medical examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district. (3) “Cause of death” means the primary or basic disease process or injury ending life. (4) “Death requiring investigation” means the death of a person occurring in any one of the circumstances set forth in ORS 146.090. (5) “District medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed by the Chief Medical Examiner to investigate and certify deaths within a county or district, including a Deputy State Medical Examiner. (6) “Law enforcement agency” means a county sheriff’s office, municipal police department, police department established by a university under ORS 352.121 or 353.125 and the Oregon State Police. (7) “Legal intervention” includes an execution pursuant to ORS 137.463, 137.467 and 137.473 and other legal use of force resulting in death. (8) “Manner of death” means the designation of the probable mode of production of the cause of death, including natural, accidental, suicidal, homicidal, legal intervention or undetermined. (9) “Medical examiner” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677, physician associate licensed under ORS 677.505 to 677.525 or nurse practitioner licensed under ORS 678.375 to 678.390 appointed as provided by ORS 146.003 to 146.189 to investigate and certify the cause and manner of deaths requiring investigation, including the Chief Medical Examiner. (10) “Medical-legal death investigator” means a person appointed by the district medical examiner to assist in the investigation of deaths within a county. (11) “Pathologist” means a physician licensed under ORS chapter 677 who is eligible for certification by the American Board of Pathology, or its successor organization, as approved by the State Medical Examiner Advisory Board. (12) “Unidentified human remains” does not include human remains that are unidentified human remains that are part of an archaeological site or suspected of being Native American and covered under ORS chapters 97 and 390 and ORS 358.905 to 358.961. [1973 c.408 §1a; 1995 c.744 §17; 2007 c.500 §1; 2011 c.506 §18; 2013 c.180 §18; 2017 c.151 §3; 2025 c.223 §1]