Source: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/district-columbia-home-funeral-laws.html
Timestamp: 2018-07-19 17:47:50
Document Index: 97220667

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 7', '§ 43', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 7', '§ 29']

District of Columbia Home Funeral Laws | Nolo.com
District of Columbia Home Funeral Laws
Learn the rules that govern home funerals in D.C.
If you are interested in holding a home funeral for a loved one who has died, you’ll need to be aware of the laws that apply. Here is an overview of the rules that govern home funerals in the District of Columbia.
Do You Need a Funeral Director in the District of Columbia?
In all states, it is legal to have your loved one’s body at home after they die. The District of Columbia does not require you to involve a licensed funeral director in making or carrying out final arrangements. (See, for example, D.C. Code § 7-211 (2018), which allows the “funeral director or person acting as such” to file the death certificate.)
District of Columbia law determines who has the right to make final decisions about a person’s body and funeral services. This right goes first to the deceased person, if they wrote down instructions before their death, and after that to family members in an established order.
To learn the rules and the exact order of priority, see Making Funeral Arrangements in the District of Columbia.
The District of Columbia has no embalming requirements, but final disposition of the body must occur within one week after death. (D.C. Code § 43-120 (2018).)
If you will not be using a funeral director to carry out final arrangements, you must complete and file the death certificate yourself. District of Columbia law requires you to file the death certificate with the local vital records office within five days of the death and before you dispose of the remains. (D.C. Code § 7-211 (2018).)
The deceased person’s doctor, the chief medical officer of the institution where the person died, or another approved medical provider must complete the medical portion of the death certificate within 48 hours. (D.C. Code § 7-211 (2018).)
The District of Columbia now uses an electronic death registration system, but you can still obtain paper death certificates from the attending physician or a medical examiner. This person will supply the date, time, and cause of death before returning the certificate to you for completion and filing.
You must obtain permission from the medical examiner or the doctor who signs the death certificate before moving the body to prepare it for final disposition. (D. C. Code § 7-214 (2018).) For example, if someone dies outside the home, this authorization would be necessary to bring the body home for care. Or, if someone dies at home, permission is necessary to move the body to a location away from home for burial or cremation.
In the District of Columbia, bodies must be buried in established cemeteries. (D.C. Code § 7-121 (2018).) Because of D.C.’s urban environment, home burial -- which would require establishing a new family cemetery -- probably won’t be possible. For more on D.C.’s cemetery and burial laws, see Title 43 of the D.C. Code.
Some crematories require that you use a funeral director to arrange cremation. If you don’t want to use a funeral director, make sure the crematory is willing to accept the body directly from the family. A medical examiner must issue a permit before a body can be cremated, but there are no laws in D.C. restricting the disposition of the ashes. (D.C. Municipal Regulations § 29-2815 (2018).)
For more information about cremation, including information on scattering ashes, see Burial & Cremation Laws in the District of Columbia.