State |
Burial Depth Requirement |
Home Burial |
Distance from Water |
Distance from Buildings |
Body Care |
Alabama |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Embalming is required in order to leave the state unless the body is going to be used for medical research |
Alaska |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Arizona |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours |
Arkansas |
-- |
Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated at <45° after 24 hours unless cremating; neither are required for 48 hours if planning to cremate; embalming is required in order to leave the state |
California |
18” from top of body or coffin/vault to surface |
Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Colorado |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours; contagious or communicable diseases must be reported to local or state health officers by person acting as funeral director |
Connecticut |
30” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
1.2 mile from reservoir 600’ |
350' from buildings |
Funeral director must be hired to supervise interment, remove body, file death certificate; if the person dies of a communicable disease, disposition must be handled by a licensed embalmer; disposition must occur within a reasonable time |
Delaware |
18” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning; outside town limits in Kent and Sussex counties |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours; disposition must occur within 5 days |
District of Columbia |
-- |
Not allowed due to space constraints |
-- |
-- |
Disposition must occur within one week; disposition of contagious or infectious diseased bodies must be handled by a licensed FD |
Florida |
12” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours |
Georgia |
-- |
Check zoning; not allowed in Bibb County |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Hawaii |
Must be sufficient to avoid public health nuisance and animal disturbance |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 30 hours |
Idaho |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Illinois |
18” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Funeral director must be hired to file death certificate |
Indiana |
24" from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit |
-- |
-- |
Disposition must occur within a reasonable time; funeral director must be hired to handle disposition permit, receive cremated remains |
Iowa |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body can be held without preservation up to 72 hours; then refrigerated at between 38 and 42 degrees for 72 more; communicable disease must be reported to attending physician; funeral director must be hired to handle arrangements with crematories; bodies with infectious diseases must be embalmed |
Kansas |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours; extensions possible; check statutes for specific infectious or contagious diseases that must be handled by a licensed FD unless disposition occurs within 24 hours |
Kentucky |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Louisiana |
24” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated at below 45° after 30 hours; funeral director must be hired for “…any service whatsoever connected with the management of funerals…” |
Maine |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Report diseases to attending physician to see if medical examiner needs to be involved |
Maryland |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Report contagious disease to attending physician |
Massachusetts |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Michigan |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Funeral director must be hired to file the death certificate and oversee disposition; embalming is required for bodies with rare infectious or communicable diseases |
Minnesota |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 72 hours; refrigeration limited to 6 days; dry ice use limited to 4 days; disposition must occur within a reasonable time |
Mississippi |
24” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
500’ from medical buildings |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 24 hours if destination cannot be reached and does not take place within 48 hours; contagious disease that endangers public health must be reported to a Medical Examiner |
Missouri |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Embalming is required for bodies with infectious or communicable diseases if not buried or cremated within 24 hours |
Montana |
18” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
A body that died of infectious disease must be disposed of as soon as reasonably possible and with minimal handling; body must be embalmed OR refrigerated if not expected to reach its destination within 48 hours |
Nebraska |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Funeral director must be hired to file the death certificate, sign transit permits, and supervise interments |
Nevada |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Bodies held for cremation must be refrigerated after 24 hours; report contagious or communicable disease to attending physician to consult state guidelines |
New Hampshire |
-- |
Check zoning |
50’ from known water source |
100' from buildings 50' from highways |
Dead bodies may not be exposed to the public for a period in excess of 24 hours without embalming |
New Jersey |
4’ adult from top to surface 3.5’ child from top to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Funeral director must be hired to file the death certificate and supervise disposition |
New Mexico |
6’ minimum bottom depth |
Check zoning |
50’ from known water source |
5’ from property line |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated at below 40° if not disposed of within 24 hours; report contagious or communicable disease to the Office of Medical Investigation |
New York |
-- |
Check zoning Funeral director must be hired to supervise interment |
-- |
-- |
Funeral director must be hired to file the death certificate; receive body from a hospital, institution or other place; personally supervise the funeral services; supervise interment |
North Carolina |
18" from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Embalming is not allowed when death is due to specific diseases |
North Dakota |
3.5' from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Requires immediate disposition under specific conditions; any body must be embalmed if it will not reach its destination within 24 hours, or if disposition is not accomplished within 48; all dispositions must occur within 8 days |
Ohio |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Bodies with communicable diseases must be buried or cremated within 24 hours |
Oklahoma |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Oregon |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Dispositions not occurring within 10 days must be reported to the Mortuary Board |
Pennsylvania |
24” from the hipbone or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
Cannot have water on property that drains into municipal water source |
-- |
-- |
Rhode Island |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
South Carolina |
10” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
South Dakota |
-- |
Check zoning |
150’ from known water source |
-- |
-- |
Tennessee |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Texas |
24” from top of body or casket/vault to surface |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Bodies must be embalmed OR refrigerated to 35-40° after 24 hours unless placed in a sealed container |
Utah |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Vermont |
3.5’ adult and infant min. bottom depth |
Check zoning |
200’ from drilled well; other municipal water and flood plain restrictions |
-- |
-- |
Virginia |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Body must be embalmed OR refrigerated after 48 hours |
Washington |
-- |
Must be an established cemetery |
-- |
-- |
-- |
West Virginia |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Wisconsin |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
-- |
Wyoming |
-- |
Check zoning |
-- |
-- |
Embalming is required for bodies with specific communicable diseases |