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