If authorized by the county board of supervisors by ordinance, the coroner, whenever he or she takes custody of a dead body pursuant to law, may charge and collect from the person entitled to control the disposition of the remains, as specified in § 7100 of the Health and Safety Code, the actual expense incurred by the coroner in removing the body from the place of death and keeping the body until its release to the person responsible for its interment. The charge shall not exceed one hundred dollars ($100), shall not be imposed upon a person who claims and proves to be indigent, or in cases in which the body is that of a child not more than 14 years of age or in cases in which the coroner ascribes the death to the criminal act of another unless the coroner has reasonable grounds to believe that the deceased was involved in any criminal activity which contributed to his or her own death. The charge shall not include expenses of keeping the body during the time necessary for the coroner to perform his or her duties in connection with it. The charge, if not paid, may be considered a part of the funeral expenses and paid as a preferred charge against the estate of the decedent.

(Amended by Stats. 1985, Ch. 61, Sec. 1.)