Washington Funeral Resources & Education
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    • Get Help Now
    • Learn the law
    • Have a Home Funeral
    • Perform Body Care >
      • Cooling Techniques
    • Complete Paperwork
    • Arrange Disposition
    • Transport the Dead
    • Create Ceremony
    • Go Out Greener
    • Pay for a Funeral
    • Work With Professionals
  • Learn More
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    • Tools for Community Education
    • Organizations, Articles, Books
    • Sample Forms
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GET HELP NOW

​At-a-Glance Information

​If this is the first time you have had to arrange a funeral, this page is designed to help you get straight to the most critical information about what to expect and whom to call for help. There are several steps that must be followed, but taken one at a time they are all achievable.

On This Page

  • Step-by-step family- or community-led funeral planning
  • List of local authorities with contact info
  • Death certificate worksheet

Step-by-Step Family- & Community-Led Funerals in ​Washington

Detailed descriptions of the following can be found on the How-To pages:
  • Determine who has the legal authority to make funeral arrangements.
  • Care for the body by bathing, dressing, and cooling.
  • Purchase or make burial containers such as caskets or shrouds.
  • Arrange for burial plot purchase if desired.
  • Obtain, complete, and file the death certificate. (See Complete Paperwork for details.)
  • Obtain the Burial-Transit permit.
  • Design and conduct ceremonies in the home, other facility, or graveside, if desired.
  • Hire professionals (clergy/celebrant, funeral director, transport company, etc.) as needed.
  • Transport the body as necessary to the home, place of worship, other facility, or place of disposition.
  • File for Social Security and Veteran’s Benefits.
  • Obtain and distribute copies of certified death certificates to banks, insurance companies, etc.

Funeral Goods and Services, Options and Opportunities

Picture
Adapted from Bereavement Authority of Ontario, Canada. Note: ​The term “family” in the chart above refers inclusively to family or designated unpaid support people, friends, and community members within legal requirements. 

State and County Authorities Contact Info

Washingtonians wishing to handle the paperwork without hiring a funeral director must:
  • Contact the Health Department in the county where the death occurred to obtain a blank paper death certificate (find the county office from this list of local health jurisdictions).
  • Complete the demographic portion and obtain the signature of the appropriate medical authority.
  • File with a local registrar in the local health jurisdiction where the person died.
  • Obtain a Burial/Transit Permit from the registrar.

(See Learn the Law and How to Complete Paperwork for more details.)

Death Certificate Completion Worksheet and Instructions

  • Download the Washington Death Certificate Worksheet to capture information that will be transferred to the actual death certificate.
  • Read the directions for filing a death certificate without a funeral director from the State of Washington's Department of Health.

Resources and Online Links

Families Acting as Funeral Directors
County and District Health Department Map

Washington Death Certificate Worksheet

Learn How To:

Perform Body Care
Complete Paperwork
Arrange Disposition
Transport the Dead
Create Ceremony
​Go Out Greener
Work With Professionals
Pay For a Funeral

Learn About:

How to Get Help
Washington Funeral Law

Professionals
Community Education
Home Funeral Resources
FAQs
​Glossary of Terms
Stories
Picture
Washington Funeral Resources
and Education
 

WAstatefuneral@gmail.com
​

Contact

Landscape photos courtesy of
Sean Proll
Justin Craig

All Rights Reserved
Picture
Washington Funeral Resources and Education is a non-commercial public interest site dedicated to helping Washington consumers care for their own dead with or without the assistance of a funeral director. See FuneralPartnership.org for more state funeral information. This site is maintained as a project of White Eagle Memorial Preserve and Sacred Earth Foundation, which coordinates responses to inquiries with other Washington-based organizations and practitioners that support the mission of the Funeral Partnership.
Disclaimer: 
This website has been created by volunteers making reasonable efforts to provide resources and materials for informational purposes only. Any information you obtain from this website is not legal advice and should not be relied upon without confirmation of current law. No warranties, expressed or implied, are made with respect to the information herein. There is no guarantee that the information contained here is complete or up-to-date as of the date that you view this site. ​The agencies linked via hyperlinks are responsible for the content of those sites. Their information is subject to change and should be consulted directly to ensure accurate and up-to-date information. Please report any inaccuracies to us in the form on the CONTACT page. Thank you!
  • Home
  • How To
    • Get Help Now
    • Learn the law
    • Have a Home Funeral
    • Perform Body Care >
      • Cooling Techniques
    • Complete Paperwork
    • Arrange Disposition
    • Transport the Dead
    • Create Ceremony
    • Go Out Greener
    • Pay for a Funeral
    • Work With Professionals
  • Learn More
    • Resources For Professionals
    • Tools for Community Education
    • Organizations, Articles, Books
    • Sample Forms
    • Glossary
    • Media Kit
    • Pandemic Care Guide >
      • Pandemic Care Guide
      • Practical Guidelines
      • Ceremony Resources
      • Articles
      • Covid-19 FAQs
    • FAQs
  • Read Stories
    • Read Their Stories
    • Heather's Story
    • Mikaela's Story, P 1
    • Mikaela's Story, P 2
    • Mikaela's Story, P 3
    • Alicia's Story
    • Rich's Story
    • Jake's Story
    • Briar's Story
    • Karen's Story
    • Lashanna's Story
  • Blog
  • Contact