Source: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/hawaii-home-funeral-laws.html
Timestamp: 2019-02-21 19:15:02
Document Index: 241611991

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 338', '§ 11', '§ 338', '§ 338', '§ 338', '§ 338', '§ 441', '§ 11', '§ 338']

Hawaii Home Funeral Laws | Nolo.com
Hawaii Home Funeral Laws
Learn the rules that govern home funerals in Hawaii.
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 Hawaii.
Do You Need a Funeral Director in Hawaii?
In all states, it is legal to have your loved one’s body at home after they die. Hawaii does not require you to involve a licensed funeral director in making or carrying out final arrangements. (See, for example, Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-1 (2018), which defines a “person in charge of disposition of the body” as “any person” who makes final arrangements for a deceased person’s remains.)
Hawaii law determines who has the right to make final decisions about a person’s body and funeral services. This right goes first to a person named by the deceased person before 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 Hawaii.
Embalming is almost never required. In Hawaii, a body must usually be embalmed, cremated, or buried within 30 hours after death. However, if the body is in the custody of the coroner, medical examiner, county, or county physician, it must be embalmed, cremated, or buried within 30 hours of release, or placed in refrigerated storage in a state-approved hospital. (See Hawaii Department of Health Administrative Rule § 11-22-4 (2018).)
If you will not be using a funeral director to carry out final arrangements, you must complete and file the death certificate yourself. Hawaii law requires you to file the death certificate with the department of health within three days of the death. (Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-9 (2018).)
The deceased person’s doctor or advanced practice nurse, or the coroner’s physician must complete the medical portion of the death certificate before filing. (Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-9 (2018).) The medical certification contains such information as the date, time, and cause of death.
Hawaii now uses an electronic death registration system, but you can still use a paper death certificate. You must go to the local health department and obtain a death certificate worksheet, fill in the section for personal data, and take it to the deceased person’s doctor to complete and sign.
You must obtain written permission from the local health department before handling the final disposition of remains -- for example, burying the body or having it cremated. You’ll also need the health department’s authorization if you plan to move the body from the district where the death occurred. (Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-23 (2018).) The death certificate must be filed with the health department before it will issue a permit to move or dispose of the remains. (Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-25 (2018).)
In Hawaii, bodies must be buried in cemeteries authorized by the county council. (See Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 441-2 (2018) and Hawaii Department of Health Administrative Rule § 11-22-5 (2018).) Before burying a body on private land or establishing a family cemetery, you should check with the local registrar.
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. The burial-transit permit also authorizes cremation -- no additional permit is required. (Hawaii Rev. Stat. § 338-23 (2018).)
For more information about cremation, including information on scattering ashes, see Burial & Cremation Laws in Hawaii.