Embalming permission required from whom?

• A. The person named as executor of the will
• B. The person who has the right to control pursuant to the Health and Safety Code
• C. The beneficiary named pursuant to the Insurance Code
• D. The Public Administrator

Answer: (B)

In California, who can authorize embalming is determined by the Health and Safety Code, which sets who has the right to control the disposition of a deceased body. The person with that priority right—often the closest surviving relative or another legally designated individual—has the authority to consent to or refuse embalming. The funeral director must obtain permission from that person before embalming.

The executor named in a will handles the estate matters, not the specific control over body disposition, so their role isn’t automatically the source of embalming permission. A beneficiary under an Insurance Code doesn’t gain control over disposition just by virtue of the policy. The Public Administrator only steps in if no one else with the right to control disposition exists.

So the permission to embalm comes from the person who has the right to control disposition under the Health and Safety Code.