Tex. Code of Criminal Procedure § 49A.064
This is the official text of Tex. Code of Criminal Procedure § 49A.064, part of Texas’s Code of Criminal Procedure — sets the procedural rules for criminal cases in Texas.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 49A.064. TAKING SAMPLES; LIMITED AUTOPSIES.
Official statutory text
(a) If a justice of the peace determines that a complete autopsy is unnecessary to confirm or determine the cause of death, the justice may order a physician to take or remove from a body a sample of body fluids, tissues, or organs to determine the nature and cause of death. Except as provided by Subsection (b), a justice may not order a person other than a physician to take a sample from the body of a deceased person.
(b) A justice of the peace may order a physician, qualified technician, paramedic, chemist, registered nurse, or licensed vocational nurse to take a specimen of blood from the body of a person:
(1) who died as the result of a motor vehicle collision if the justice determines that circumstances indicate that the person may have been driving while intoxicated; or
(2) to aid in the confirmation or determination of the cause and manner of the person's death while conducting an inquest.
(b) A justice of the peace may order a physician, qualified technician, paramedic, chemist, registered nurse, or licensed vocational nurse to take a specimen of blood from the body of a person:
(1) who died as the result of a motor vehicle collision if the justice determines that circumstances indicate that the person may have been driving while intoxicated; or
(2) to aid in the confirmation or determination of the cause and manner of the person's death while conducting an inquest.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Dealing with a criminal defense matter in Texas?
See all Texas Criminal Defense lawyers
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.