Chapter 406 — Medical Examiners & Unclaimed Remains

Florida Statute 406.51

“Final disposition of unclaimed deceased veterans; contract requirements”

What it means

Florida Statute 406.51 is a one-sentence section about contracts. Any contract by a local governmental entity for the final disposition of unclaimed remains must provide for compliance with § 406.50(2) and must require that the procedures in 38 C.F.R. s. 38.620, relating to disposition of unclaimed deceased veterans, are followed.

Section 406.50(2) requires a reasonable effort to identify the deceased, contact relatives, and determine eligibility for burial in a national cemetery. Section 406.51 requires those duties to appear in the contract.

— What it says

Applies to any contract by a local governmental entity for the final disposition of unclaimed remains (§ 406.51).
The contract must provide for compliance with § 406.50(2): identification, contact with relatives, and the national-cemetery eligibility check (§ 406.51).
The contract must also require that 38 C.F.R. s. 38.620, on disposition of unclaimed deceased veterans, is followed (§ 406.51).

Text of the statute (2026)

§ 406.51

Any contract by a local governmental entity for the final disposition of unclaimed remains must provide for compliance with s. 406.50(2) and require that the procedures in 38 C.F.R. s. 38.620, relating to disposition of unclaimed deceased veterans, are followed.

Excerpts are the subsections the summary relies on. Read the full official text of § 406.51.

History. s. 2, ch. 2002-204; s. 43, ch. 2003-1; s. 7, ch. 2013-138.

— In a Florida probate

How it applies

The section applies to the contract itself. A county or other local governmental entity that contracts for the final disposition of unclaimed remains must include the § 406.50(2) duties and the 38 C.F.R. s. 38.620 procedures in the agreement.

Whether a particular contract does so is a question of the contract's text.

Where this shows up

Pages on this site where § 406.51 does real work:

The unclaimed body

Related sections

§ 406.50Unclaimed remains; disposition, procedure § 406.53Unclaimed remains of indigent person; exemption from notice to the anatomical board § 406.49Definitions § 406.52Retention of human remains before use; claim after delivery to anatomical board; procedures for unclaimed remains of indigent persons

Questions people ask

What happens to an unclaimed veteran's remains in Florida?

Under § 406.50(2)(b), the person or entity in control must make a reasonable effort to determine national-cemetery eligibility under 38 C.F.R. s. 38.620 and, if the person is eligible, cause the remains or cremated remains to be delivered to a national cemetery. Section 406.51 requires local government contracts for unclaimed-remains disposition to follow those procedures.

Sources

Fla. Stat. § 406.51 (2026) (“must provide for compliance with s. 406.50(2)”)
Fla. Stat. § 406.50 (2026) (The reasonable-effort and veteran-eligibility duties in subsection (2).)

Last checked: October 17, 2026

The official text

This page is a plain-English summary, verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes — it is not the statute, and it isn't legal advice for your situation.

Read § 406.51

Published by the Probate.Help editorial team.How these pages are written and checked.