California AB 2598 FAQ for facility administrators
Published October 26, 2026
Administrators of California hospitals and skilled nursing facilities can use this FAQ for the short version of AB 2598: who is covered, what a reasonable attempt is, and when the county public administrator is notified.
Assembly Bill 2598 is Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026, approved and filed on September 27, 2026. The chaptered wording is on the AB 2598 law page and the bill page on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Longer briefs cover what AB 2598 requires, an SNF checklist, documenting contact attempts, and what AB 2598 means for families.
These answers follow the statute. Questions: hello@nextofkinnotice.com, without patient or family health information. Next of Kin Notice is in early access and is not yet processing real cases.
Which California facilities does AB 2598 cover?
Probate Code section 7600.4 applies to the licensee of a general acute care hospital or a skilled nursing facility. In that section, “hospital” has the meaning in Health and Safety Code section 1250(a), and “facility” means a skilled nursing facility under section 1250(c). The same section also states the attempt when a body is transferred to a hospital after death.
When does California AB 2598 take effect?
The bill was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on September 27, 2026, as Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026. It has no urgency clause and no separate operative-date section. It takes effect January 1, 2027, under California Constitution article IV, section 8(c)(1).
What does AB 2598 require when a person dies in the hospital or facility?
Section 7600.4(a)(1)(A) says the licensee makes a reasonable attempt to notify any known next of kin that the person died in the hospital or facility. If a body is transferred to a hospital after death, section 7600.4(a)(1)(B) says the licensee makes a reasonable attempt to notify any known next of kin that the hospital is holding the body.
What is a reasonable attempt under California AB 2598?
Section 7600.4(d)(3) defines a reasonable attempt as a documented, good-faith effort to contact any known next of kin within 72 hours of the death, using contact information available at the time. Examples include speaking by telephone or leaving a voicemail and, if available, a text or an email. The list is open. The section sets no form and no required number of attempts, and it states the period in hours.
Does a voicemail count as part of a reasonable attempt?
Leaving a voicemail is named in the definition of a reasonable attempt in section 7600.4(d)(3), along with the rest of that definition: documented, good faith, within 72 hours, and contact information available at the time. Health and Safety Code section 1280.7(a) is a separate sentence. It measures the civil penalty for failing to make a reasonable attempt until the next of kin has actual knowledge of the death.
Who is a known next of kin under AB 2598?
Section 7600.4(d)(2) and Health and Safety Code section 1280.7(e) use the same definition: a relative by blood, marriage, or registered domestic partnership, identified to the hospital or facility by the person or the person’s representative, or identified by information in the person’s belongings.
What if the person asked, in writing, not to notify next of kin?
Section 7600.4(a)(2)(B) says the paragraph (1) requirement may be met if the person, prior to death and in writing, informed the hospital or facility that they do not want known next of kin notified of their presence or death. A skilled nursing facility may also meet paragraph (1) by notifying the designated resident representative, as that term is used in Health and Safety Code section 1599.15(a). Section 7600.4(b) still requires notice to the county public administrator in those cases.
When does AB 2598 require notice to the county public administrator?
Section 7600.4(b) requires notice to the public administrator of the county where the hospital or facility is located, within two business days of the fact of the death, if after a reasonable attempt the licensee cannot locate any next of kin, or if paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) is satisfied. The section does not define “business days.” Section 7600.4(c) lists identifying information the facility has, including full legal name, Social Security number, driver’s license or other identification, residence or last known address, and contact information for known next of kin.
How do the two-business-day notice and the fifth business day differ?
Section 7600.4(b) places the public administrator notice within two business days of the fact of the death. Section 1280.7(b) measures the civil penalty for failing to give that notice from the fifth business day after the death until the public administrator is notified. The fifth business day starts that penalty measurement. Section 7600.4(b) also describes liability for interment costs and specified estate losses if the notice is not given.
What civil penalties does AB 2598 state, and how is a penalty disputed?
Section 1280.7(a) sets $200 per day, up to $50,000, for failing to make a reasonable attempt, measured from the time it would take to make a reasonable attempt until the next of kin has actual knowledge of the death. Section 1280.7(b) sets the same amount and cap for failing to notify the county public administrator, measured from the fifth business day after the death. A licensee may request a hearing within 10 working days of receiving the penalty notice, under section 131071. The Digest names the State Department of Public Health as the licensing agency; the penalty text says “the department.”
Do other health facilities, board and care homes, or CDCR deaths follow section 7600.4?
Amended Probate Code section 7600.5 requires immediate notice to the county public administrator when a person dies without known next of kin in a health facility other than a general acute care hospital or a skilled nursing facility, or in a board and care facility. Section 7600.4(e) and section 7600.5(c) exclude the death of an incarcerated individual in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The bill says those notifications are governed by Penal Code sections 5022 and 6401.
This is general information about California AB 2598 (Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026), not legal advice. The chaptered bill controls. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and families should confirm how the law applies with their own counsel.