§ 4121. Vital statistics; registrar; qualifications and appointment.
1. In each primary registration district there shall be a registrar of
vital statistics.

2. Qualifications of registrars of vital statistics hereafter
appointed may be prescribed by the public health council, provided that:

(a) a local health officer shall be eligible for appointment as
registrar of vital statistics; and,

(b) no licensed and registered funeral director, undertaker or
embalmer engaged or employed in the business or practice of funeral
directing, undertaking or embalming, and no other person engaged or
employed in the business of funeral directing, undertaking or embalming
shall be eligible for appointment as a registrar, deputy registrar or
sub-registrar of vital statistics.

3. (a) In towns and villages the registrar or registrars of vital
statistics shall be appointed by the town board and by the village board
of trustees respectively; a local town clerk shall be eligible for
appointment as registrar of his town and of any village wholly within
said town in which he has an office, and a village clerk shall be
eligible for appointment as a registrar of his village and of any town
in which he resides.

(b) In the cities, unless otherwise provided by charter, the registrar
or registrars of vital statistics shall be appointed by the mayor.

(c) In each primary registration district consisting of a state
hospital, charitable or penal institution, the registrar shall be the
director or person in charge of such institution, provided, however,
that he shall receive no additional remuneration for acting as such
registrar.

(d) In an area designated as a county or part-county registration
district, the county commissioner of health or public health director
shall be appointed by the board of supervisors as registrar of such
county or part-county registration district. If there be no county
commissioner of health or public health director, then the board of
supervisors, with the approval of the commissioner, shall designate the
registrar. When such appointment is made, the terms of office of
registrars theretofore appointed within such county or part-county
registration district shall thereupon terminate, and the county
commissioner of health or public health director or registrar so
designated shall be the registrar of the entire area embraced within
such county or part-county registration district.

4. When a district is divided into two or more primary registration
districts, the appointment of a registrar for each shall be made by the
same appointing authority which had jurisdiction over the original
district.

5. (a) When two or more primary registration districts are combined,
the registrar for such combined district shall be appointed by the board
or city council of those former primary registration districts having
had an aggregate of one hundred or more births, deaths or fetal deaths
in each of the two preceding calendar years, and which theretofore made
the appointment of registrars of the original districts, except that;

(b) in a county registration district, the county commissioner of
health or public health director, or if there be no county commissioner
of health or public health director, the designee of the board of
supervisors of such county shall be appointed as registrar for the area
of his jurisdiction as provided in paragraph (d) of subdivision three of
this section;

(c) where the combined primary registration districts have each
registered less than an aggregate of one hundred births, deaths or fetal
deaths in each of the two preceding calendar years the registrar of the
combined districts, or of the districts forming a part-county
registration district shall be appointed by the board of supervisors of
such county.