A guide for families
After a death at home: what happens, step by step
If someone has died at home in Santa Rosa or elsewhere in Sonoma County, this is the usual order of things. Take it one step at a time. Nothing on this page needs to be done in a hurry except the first step.
The usual order
Call 911
If the death was sudden, or you are not sure what happened, call 911. Police and paramedics come first. If the person was in hospice care and the death was expected, call the hospice instead; they will guide you.
The coroner decides what happens next
California asks the coroner to look into sudden, violent and unattended deaths, among others. In Sonoma County that is the Coroner Bureau of the Sheriff’s Office, 3336 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa, (707) 565-5070. Until the coroner gives permission, the person may not be moved (Government Code 27491.2).
Choose a funeral home
The family chooses a funeral home or mortuary and tells the coroner's office. The two then arrange the rest between them.
Collect belongings
If the coroner's office kept the person's belongings, a spouse, relative or estate guardian can ask for them back, or name a funeral director to collect them. They must be collected within 90 days of the death, and the office asks for photo ID.
The home is released
When the police and the coroner have left, the home is back with the family or the owner. Ask the officer which number to call with questions later.
Arrange the cleanup
Call this number when you are ready. An independent company will ask what happened and which rooms are affected, and explain what it would do before you agree to anything.
Keep these handy
Numbers for Santa Rosa and Sonoma County
- Sonoma County Coroner
- 3336 Chanate Road, Santa Rosa. (707) 565-5070.
- Santa Rosa Police, non-emergency
- 707-528-5222. 965 Sonoma Avenue.
- Sheriff's dispatch, non-emergency
- 707-565-2121, any hour. For the unincorporated county, Windsor and the City of Sonoma.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Call or text 988, any hour.
- Insurance questions
- California Department of Insurance consumer hotline, 800-927-4357.
Town police numbers are on each town page.
Questions families ask
Do we have to hire the first cleanup company we speak to?
No. You choose who to hire, and you can ask more than one company for a written price.
Can we stay in the house?
Once it is released, that is up to you. Many families stay out of the affected room, or stay elsewhere, until the cleanup is finished.
Who tells the landlord?
If the person rented, the family or the executor should tell the landlord or manager as soon as they can. The landlord may want a say in who does the cleanup.
When you are ready
Talk to a cleanup company about your home
Describe what happened and which rooms are affected, and say whether the police or the coroner have finished. The company will explain the work and its price.
Ready to talk to a cleanup company?
You will speak with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in Santa Rosa and nearby towns. Ask what it would do and what it would charge. Nothing is agreed until you say so.
Call (707) 271-4587Answered 24 hours a day, every day
Calls may be recorded. The referral disclosure explains how this site is paid.