Is Home Burial Legal in the U.S.?
If you are considering a home burial for a loved one, it is good to know that most states make it perfectly legal to take a body home from the hospital, nursing home, or other institution and bury it on your private property. Only Indiana, California and Washington State outlaw the practice totally.
Rules and Considerations for Home Burial
- Why are people buried without shoes? The family of the deceased also sometimes finds it wasteful to bury shoes, especially if someone else could wear them. Putting shoes on a dead person can also be very difficult.
- Can You Bury a Body at Home? There are no state laws in South Carolina prohibiting home burial, but local governments may have rules governing private burials. Before burying a body on private property or establishing a family cemetery, you should check with the county or town clerk for any zoning laws you must follow.
- Can you bury a person on your own property in Oregon? Oregon families may bury on their own property if certain conditions are met. Embalming is not required in Oregon unless a person dies from a communicable disease.
- Can I bury my mom in my backyard?
- Can you bury a relative in your garden? It is legal to be buried on your own property, as long as you own it in entirety and the burial plot is far enough from a ditch or water source to meet Environment Agency rules.
- What is the average cost of a green burial? Natural burials cost an average of $2,000 to $3,000 including a burial plot, interment fees and a shroud or environmentally friendly casket, according to Sehee.
- Can cremated ashes be spread anywhere?
- Do I need permission to bury ashes in a family plot? Permission must first be granted if you want to bury an urn on private land.
Specific State Considerations
- Is it against the law to bury someone at home in Maryland? There are no laws that prohibit home burial in Maryland, but you must check local zoning laws before establishing a home cemetery or burying on private land.
- Is it against the law to bury someone at home in Illinois? As stated above, only 3 states prohibit home burials: Indiana, California, and Washington State.
- How long does it take for a coffin to decompose? Generally speaking, a body takes 10 or 15 years to decompose to a skeleton.
- Can I bury my wife in the garden? You can apply to be buried on private property.
- Is it legal to bury someone in the backyard in Pennsylvania? According to the Information on State Laws and Regulations Governing Cemeteries in Pennsylvania, “The burial, regardless of whether in an established cemetery, the backyard, or the family farm must comply with the state’s ‘depth-of-grave’ requirements.”
Miscellaneous Considerations
- Does a deceased person own his own cemetery plot? My 84 year old dad owns several burial plots in a city cemetery. My mom is already buried in one of the plots. He wants to be buried next to her.
- Can I bury my mom in my backyard?
- The legality of burial on private property in Arkansas is in local rules.
- In Denmark, burial in your garden, shroud or vault without a coffin is legal if regulations on distance from water are met.
Conclusion
In general, burial on one’s own property is an option available to anyone who has space to spare on a site where the burial will not cause a nuisance to neighbors or create an environmental or health problem. However, there are statutory requirements that must be complied with. Most states in the U.S. allow you to be buried on your own property, provided you hold the deed to the land and live in a relatively rural area, but state and local regulations vary greatly.