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On This Page

  • DIYs are legal
  • Embalming is not required
  • Filing death certificates
  • Funeral cost alternatives
  • Legal requirements
What do you mean by “family”?
​In the context of this site, references to family-led care are inclusive of biological family and chosen friends and family, i.e., those with nonbiological kinship bonds, whether legally recognized or not. For legal purposes, the “agent” of the deceased is the person who is legally allowed to make decisions for your death care. They do not have to be a blood relation. If a person has not designated an agent prior to their death, the position of agent automatically goes to the legal next-of-kin. In Washington, the order of authority for making funeral arrangements is: a) The designated agent, if appointed by the deceased prior to death; b) The surviving spouse or state registered domestic partner; c) The majority of the surviving adult children of the decedent; d) The surviving parents of the decedent; e) The majority of the surviving siblings of the decedent; f) A court-appointed guardian for the person at the time of the person's death. (RCW68.50.160) (Definition adapted with permission from Recompose.)

Is it legal to manage funerals yourself in Washington?
RCW§68.50.160 empowers a designated agent or family members to care for their own dead without a license as long as they are not accepting payment for these services. This ensures families the right to conduct any and all funeral details, including filing any necessary paperwork, care of the body, and transportation. You may choose to do some, or all of this yourself.

Can you choose who will conduct all of those details for you in Washington?
RCW§68.50.160 grants the right of an adult to control disposition of their own bodily remains and to either make a written delegation of a named individual to carry out those wishes or to delegate the authority to do so to someone else.  (For a list of who is legally to make decisions in succession, see How to Complete Paperwork>Authority to Make Arrangements.)
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Must a body be embalmed?
Embalming is NOT required in any state, and only two states require embalming to cross state lines (Alabama, Arkansas).
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What can be done instead of embalming?
Simple, inexpensive cooling methods such as lowering the heat, opening a window, using air conditioning, Techni Ice™.(available through Amazon) or dry ice, are sufficient for 1 to 3 days in the home or other appropriate venue. In fact, the average body will hold for that long in a 65 degree room with no adverse outcomes under typical circumstances.
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What paperwork is needed when someone dies and where do you find it? 
An attending doctor or the county Medical Examiner must sign the death certificate, and then the death certificate must be submitted to the Registrar’s office in the county where the death occurred to obtain a burial-transit permit. In Washington State this may be legally done by family members. However, Washington has transitioned to an electronic death certificate software system, and this step is most efficiently and easily done by hiring this service from a Funeral Director. (See our list of several "home funeral friendly" funeral homes in How to Complete Paperwork.) 

What is the timeline for filing paperwork in Washington?
Filing a complete report of death must be completed within five days of the discovery of the death, with the local registrar of the local health jurisdiction in the county where the death occurred. Once the report of death is certified, it shall be returned to the funeral director or person having the right to control disposition within two days.
See RCW70.58A.200 for complete details. However, extenuating circumstances such as holidays and bad weather can make meeting these deadlines difficult, so keep in mind that there are no funeral police. Do the best you can. (See "Washington Death Certificate Timeline" in How to Complete Paperwork.) 

Who may complete the death certificate? 
If the family hires a funeral director to handle the death certificate, it will be completed with information provided by the family and filed electronically. Alternatively, the next-of-kin or a designated agent acting as an unpaid funeral services practitioner may complete the death certificate and submit it to the county clerk. (See How to Complete Paperwork.) 

For more information on how to complete a death certificate electronically, contact the Office of Vital Statistics at 855-562-1928 or edrs@doh.wa.gov. Visit the DOH website to read Families Acting as Funeral Directors.

What information is needed for a death certificate in Washington?
Washington law requires that information sufficient for the death certificate includes social security number, parents’ names, place of birth, occupation, etc. Washington’s death certificate does not allow space to indicate nonbinary, to include individuals whose gender identity is not exclusively male or female. (See Washington Death Certificate Worksheet.)

Is it legal to move a body in Washington?
Yes. The death certificate signed by the Medical Certifier and submitted to the County Registrar, is sufficient to obtain a burial-transit permit, which must accompany the body to its place of final disposition. (See How to Transport the Dead.)

What happens when someone dies in a facility, such as a hospital, hospice house, or care facility, if the family wants to have a home funeral?
Even though a transportation permit (i.e., the death certificate, once signed by the medical certifier) is required only for transferring the body to burial or cremation, there are hospitals and care facilities that are unfamiliar with Washington families’ rights under the law. Because businesses can write their own policies, such institutions may have body release protocols in place that insist or imply that use of a funeral services company is required, or that transferring the body back home or to another location prior to disposition requires completion of the Death Certificate. To address this barrier, see How Washington Hospital Staff and Administrators Can Support Washington Families in Caring for Their Own Dead and Sample Hospital Body Release Policy].

Must a minister perform a service?
There is no legal requirement that clergy perform a service. Families may choose to create and conduct a unique and meaningful service themselves that celebrates and honors their family member, or invite clergy to participate. (See How to Create Ceremony.)
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What do funerals cost?
The average modern funeral in the U.S. was estimated in 2017 to cost $8,755 (National Funeral Directors Association) and the average cost in Washington was estimated at $8,500. These traditional funeral costs include basic non-declinable fees, embalming, other preparation of the body, transportation, use of facilities and staff, an average metal casket, a concrete outer burial vault, and use of a hearse. This figure does NOT include a cemetery plot or opening and closing fees, cremation fees, medical examiner fee, obituaries, flowers, monuments, grave markers, musician or clergy honorariums to conduct funeral or memorial services. 
 
Other than the non-declinable fee, families may choose which services to purchase from funeral establishments. Prices for cremation and funeral services can vary considerably. Washington is among the states leading the nation with the highest cremation rates, with the average cremation arrangement in Washington costing around $2,775 for cremation with viewing and service, or $1,500 for direct cremation. (See Paying for a Funeral.)

What are Direct Cremations and Immediate Burials?
Both refer simply to the cremation or burial, without embalming, viewing, funeral or memorial services in the funeral home (you may have one elsewhere) or other incidentals such as flowers, prayer cards, etc. (See our Glossary for more terminology and What to Expect When Funeral Shopping for more information about what is included or call a funeral director to learn what services they include.)

Is human composting legal in Washington?
Yes. Currently Washington state is the only state where human organic reduction is legal. (See How to Arrange Final Disposition.)

Resources and Online Links

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!