Direct cremation: prices, containers and what the Funeral Rule requires
What direct cremation includes, why you don't need a casket, embalming, funeral homes vs. crematories, authorizing cremation, urns and questions to ask.
Cremation is now the most common choice in many parts of the country, and it covers a wide range of arrangements and prices. Knowing the vocabulary, and what the FTC Funeral Rule requires, makes it much easier to compare providers and avoid paying for things you don't want.
Direct cremation
A direct cremation is cremation without embalming, viewing or a ceremony with the body present; families often hold a memorial service later with the cremated remains, or none at all. Under the Funeral Rule (16 CFR 453.2(b)(4)(ii)(C)), every funeral provider that arranges direct cremations must show on its general price list the price range for them, a separate price for a direct cremation when you provide the container, separate prices for each option that includes an alternative container, and a description of the services and container included in each price. The basic services fee is already included in that price; the list must say so if the basic fee can't otherwise be declined.
You don't need a casket
The rule makes it an unfair practice for a funeral provider or a crematory to require that a casket be purchased for direct cremation (§ 453.4(a)), and a deceptive practice to claim that law requires one (§ 453.3(b)). Providers that arrange direct cremations must offer an alternative container and must include this disclosure next to the direct cremation prices: "If you want to arrange a direct cremation, you can use an alternative container. Alternative containers encase the body and can be made of materials like fiberboard or composition materials (with or without an outside covering)."
Embalming is not required for direct cremation
The rule bars providers from claiming embalming is required for direct cremation (§ 453.3(a)(2)(i)(A)) and from charging for embalming without prior approval unless law requires it in the circumstances (§ 453.5). If you choose a viewing before cremation, embalming may be a practical requirement of that choice; the general price list will say so.
Funeral home or crematory?
Many families arrange cremation through a funeral home, which contracts with or owns a crematory. Some crematories sell directly to the public. The FTC defines a crematory as a business that performs cremation and sells funeral goods, and the Funeral Rule applies to funeral providers including those crematories. States license crematories separately; on this site you can browse licensed crematories in California and Connecticut, and California's licensed alkaline hydrolysis facilities, which use water and alkali rather than flame and are licensed as their own facility type.
Authorizing the cremation
Cremation is irreversible, so states require written authorization from the person with the legal right to control the disposition. In California that order of priority is set by Health and Safety Code section 7100: an agent under a health-care power of attorney with that authority, then the surviving spouse, then a majority of adult children, then parents, then a majority of adult siblings, then the next degrees of kin, and finally a conservator or the public administrator. Other states have similar lists. If relatives disagree, the provider will usually wait for the legally authorized person.
Urns and what happens to the remains
You may buy an urn anywhere, and the provider may not require you to buy one from it. Ask what container the remains will be returned in if you don't buy an urn, when they will be ready, and whether the provider charges for holding them. If you plan to scatter, keep or bury the remains, ask about local rules; cemeteries have their own requirements for burying or placing urns in a columbarium niche.
Questions to ask on the phone
- What is your price for a direct cremation with an alternative container, and what exactly does it include? (Transfer of the body, refrigeration, the container, the crematory fee, death certificates, the permit.)
- Which items are cash advances, such as death certificate copies, permit fees or a medical examiner's fee, and what do they cost?
- Do you own the crematory, or do you use another one? Which one, and is it licensed?
- How long will it take, and how will I be told the remains are ready?
- Is there any extra charge for a body above a certain weight, for a pacemaker, or for a weekend or after-hours removal?
The rule requires providers to answer price questions by phone (§ 453.2(b)(1)), so you can compare several before committing.
Death certificates and permits
Whatever you choose, you will need certified copies of the death certificate for banks, insurers, pension plans, motor vehicle departments and the estate. Funeral providers usually order them for you and list them as a cash advance item on the itemized statement, along with any permit fees. Ask how many copies are included, what extra copies cost, and how long they take; it is often cheaper and faster to order enough at the start than to come back later.
Memorials after cremation
A memorial service without the body can be held at the funeral home, a place of worship, a park or a family home. If you use the funeral home's facilities and staff for a memorial service, that is a separate line on the general price list. You are free to hold the service elsewhere and buy only the cremation.
Checking the provider
Look the funeral home or crematory up on this site, then confirm its license on the state's lookup: the DCA License Search for California's Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, the Connecticut eLicense lookup, or the relevant board elsewhere. Ask for the general price list at the start of any in-person meeting, and compare the itemized statement with it before you sign.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Funeral Home License Check is not a recommendation or a guarantee of anyone's work. A license record shows registration status on the date shown, not workmanship, insurance coverage at the time of your job, or suitability for your project. Confirm license, insurance and permits directly before you hire. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.