The county medical examiner or his deputy shall, in any case investigated, complete and sign the medical certification portion of the death certificate within twenty-four hours after being notified of the death.

The county medical examiner shall at the time of releasing a body to a funeral director or person acting as such, or as soon as practical thereafter, execute and sign the medical certification of the cause of death on the prescribed form.

In any case where autopsy is scheduled and the county medical examiner wishes to await its gross findings to confirm a tentative clinical finding, he shall give the funeral director notice as to when he expects to have the medical data necessary for the certification of cause of death. If the certificate cannot be signed within the prescribed time set forth, then the county medical examiner shall indicate that the cause of death is pending and sign the certification accordingly. Immediately after the medical data necessary for determining the cause of death has been made known, the county medical examiner shall, over his signature, forward the cause of death to the registrar and notify the funeral director involved that such action has been taken.