Source: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/louisiana-home-funeral-laws.html
Timestamp: 2018-11-18 04:35:05
Document Index: 116297982

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 37', '§ 37', '§ 40', '§ 40', '§ 8', '§ 37']

Louisiana Home Funeral Laws | Nolo.com
Learn the rules that govern home funerals in Louisiana.
You Must Use a Funeral Director in Louisiana
By law, a licensed funeral director must oversee the final disposition of a body in Louisiana. State law requires that all human remains be “disposed of and prepared through a funeral establishment and under the supervision of a licensed funeral home or embalmer.” (See Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:848 (2018).)
Although a funeral director must carry out disposition arrangements, Louisiana 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 Louisiana.
Embalming is almost never required. In Louisiana, a body must be embalmed or refrigerated only if disposition does not occur within 30 hours after death. (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:848 (2018).)
The person in charge of filing the death certificate must do so within five days of the death and before final disposition of the body. (See Louisiana Revised Statutes § 40:47 (2018).)
After filing the death certificate, the funeral director will obtain the necessary permits for transporting the body, and for burial or cremation. In Louisiana, the transport permit is called a “burial transit permit.” (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 40:52 (2018).)
In Louisiana, bodies must be buried in established cemeteries. (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 8:652 (2018).) If you want to bury a body on private land and you live in a rural area, you may be able to establish a family cemetery. You should check with the county or town clerk for any zoning laws or other ordinances you must follow, and then contact the Louisiana Cemetery Board for more information on creating a new cemetery.
You must arrange cremation through a funeral director, who will obtain the required permits. (Louisiana Revised Statutes § 37:877 (2018).) There are no laws in Louisiana restricting disposition of the ashes.
For more information about cremation, including information on scattering ashes, see Burial and Cremation Laws in Louisiana.