What California AB 2598 means for families

Published October 26, 2026

California AB 2598 is written for certain health facilities, not as a set of rules for families. It tells the licensee of a general acute care hospital or a skilled nursing facility how notification works after a death. Families look it up to understand what that facility is asked to do, including when relatives cannot be reached.

The bill was approved by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State on September 27, 2026. It is Chapter 627, Statutes of 2026, and it takes effect January 1, 2027. The chaptered text is on our AB 2598 law page and on leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. This page is general information. It cannot say what a specific facility did in a specific case, and it is not a lookup for a particular person.

When the statute applies

Probate Code section 7600.4 covers two situations. If a person dies in a general acute care hospital or a skilled nursing facility, the licensee makes a reasonable attempt to notify any known next of kin that the person died there. If a body is transferred to a hospital after death, the licensee makes a reasonable attempt to notify any known next of kin that the hospital is holding the body.

“Hospital” and “skilled nursing facility” use Health and Safety Code section 1250, subdivisions (a) and (c). Other health facilities, and board and care facilities, follow amended section 7600.5: if a person dies there without known next of kin, the person in charge gives immediate notice to the public administrator of the county.

Section 7600.4 does not apply to the death of an incarcerated individual in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The bill points those notifications to Penal Code sections 5022 and 6401.

Who is a known next of kin

The duty runs to “known next of kin,” a defined term. It means 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. The same words are in section 7600.4(d)(2) and Health and Safety Code section 1280.7(e).

The definition is specific. It describes relatives identified in one of those ways. A friend or neighbor may matter deeply and still sit outside the definition. The attempt, as written, is aimed at known next of kin.

The contact information that matters is what the hospital or facility already has: a phone number, and a text or email address if it has one. The statute tells the facility to use contact information available to it at the time.

What the attempt can look like

A reasonable attempt is a documented, good-faith effort to make contact within 72 hours of the death, using that available information. The examples are speaking by telephone or leaving a voicemail and, if available, a text or an email. The definition says “including, but not limited to,” so the examples are not a closed list.

A family might hear by call, voicemail, text, or email, depending on the information on file. The statute asks the facility to notify known next of kin of the death, or that the hospital is holding the body. It sets no message script. The 72 hours run from the death.

A written wish, and the resident representative

The person may have told the hospital or facility, in writing and before death, that they do not want known next of kin notified of their presence or death. Section 7600.4(a)(2)(B) says the notification requirement in paragraph (1) may be met that way.

A skilled nursing facility may also meet that paragraph by notifying the designated resident representative. The bill uses “resident representative” as in Health and Safety Code section 1599.15(a). In those situations, section 7600.4(b) still calls for notice to the county public administrator. The written wish and the county notice are separate steps.

If relatives cannot be located

If, after a reasonable attempt, the licensee cannot locate any next of kin, the licensee gives notice within two business days of the fact of the death to the public administrator of the county where the hospital or facility is located. The same county notice follows when the family-notification requirement was met through one of the alternatives above.

The notice includes identifying information the facility has that may help identify the person who died and any known next of kin. Section 7600.4(c) lists the full legal name, Social Security number, driver’s license or other identification, residence at death or last known address, and contact information for known next of kin. The county is the one where the hospital or facility is located. The section uses “business days” without defining the term.

What the statute says about facility liability

Health and Safety Code section 1280.7 describes civil penalties when a hospital or skilled nursing facility fails to make the reasonable attempt, and separate civil penalties when it fails to notify the county public administrator. Section 7600.4(b) says that if the required public administrator notice is not given, the facility is liable for interment costs incurred by the estate or the county because of that failure, and for certain losses to the estate or beneficiaries. Those sentences are about the facility. For a particular death, speak with the facility and, for advice about your own situation, with your own counsel. The amounts and the way they are measured are on the law page.

These pages

Families can read these pages without an account. The site cannot look up a patient, confirm a death, or contact a public administrator. Facility staff use Next of Kin Notice, when they use it, as a record of attempts and a prepared county notice.

Please keep health information, and details that identify a patient or a family, out of email. General questions about these pages: hello@nextofkinnotice.com.

Facility readers can continue with what AB 2598 requires, the skilled nursing checklist, documenting contact attempts, and the administrator FAQ.

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.