Where does this burial laws by state data come from?

Name: Burial Laws by State
Creator: Rankodex

Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Legal Burial Requirements by State - New Hampshire Funeral Resources; Burial and Cremation Laws - NOLO; Laws By State Guide - National Home Funeral Alliance.

State rankings

Burial Laws by State

Burial Laws by State: compare 50 US states on 6 metrics.

Culture Law50 states · 6 metricsUpdated Dec 28, 2025Original page

3 sources

Private Property Burial Allowed

7 values across 50 entries

Burial-Transit Permit

4 values across 50 entries

Data

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50 states


Alabama	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Cremation and disposition in a cemetery
Alaska	Depends (check local zoning)	Environmental Health recommends 3.5-4ft	Environmental Health recommends 200 ft	Environmental Health recommends 200 ft	Required	Burial, interment, cremation, or other disposition
Arizona	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Cremation, burial, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, and removal from the state
Arkansas	Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit	—	—	—	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Burial, interment, cremation, removal from Arkansas, or other authorized disposition
California	Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit	18in. from top of body or coffin/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Colorado	Must be recorded with county within 30 days; Check for county zoning ordinances	—	—	—	Required	Entombment, burial, cremation, natural reduction, or removal from the state.
Connecticut	Depends (check local zoning)	30in from top of body or casket/vault to surface	1/2 mile from reservoir 600ft.	350ft. from buildings	Required	Burial, removal, cremation
Delaware	Check zoning; outside town limits in Kent and Sussex counties	18in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, entombment, cremation, and natural organic reduction
Florida	Depends (check local zoning)	12in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, interment, entombment, cremation, removal from the state, anatomical donation, or other authorized disposition
Georgia	Check zoning; not allowed in Bibb County	Recommend 3ft	25ft. from state waters	50ft. from property lines	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Not limited to: earth interment, above-ground interment, cremation, organic human reduction, burial at sea, or delivery to a medical institution for lawful dissection
Hawaii	Depends (check local zoning)	Must be sufficient to avoid public health nuisance and animal disturbance	—	—	Required	Cremation, burial, entombment, and alkaline hydrolysis.
Idaho	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required only for out-of-state transport	Burial, entombment, and cremation
Illinois	Depends (check local zoning)	18in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, entombment, cremation, and alkaline hydrolysis
Indiana	Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit	24in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial in the earth in an established cemetery, entombment in a mausoleum, placement in a garden crypt, placement in a columbarium, and cremation (with cremated remains deposited in a mausoleum, garden crypt, columbarium, or in/on the earth).
Iowa	Depends (check local zoning)	3ft. from surface	—	—	Required	Burial, interment, cremation, removal from the state, or other disposition
Kansas	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required only for out-of-state transport	Cremation, burial, entombment, donation to science, and removal from the state
Kentucky	Depends (check local zoning)	36in. from top of casket	—	—	Not required	Burial, interment, cremation, removal from the Commonwealth, or other authorized disposition
Louisiana	Must be in established cemetery; may apply for special family plot permit	24in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Interment, burial, cremation, or anatomical donation
Maine	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, entombment, cremation, natural organic reduction, burial at sea, donation to medical science, and removal from the state
Maryland	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial in a family plot or other area allowed by local ordinance, cremation, interment in a cemetery, use of a reduction facility, donation to medical science, or removal to another state for final disposition.
Massachusetts	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, entombment in a mausoleum, vault, or tomb, cremation.
Michigan	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, interment, or other legal disposition
Minnesota	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Entombment, burial in a cemetery, alkaline hydrolysis, cremation, or, effective July 1, 2025, natural organic reduction of a dead human body.
Mississippi	Depends (check local zoning)	24in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	500ft. from medical buildings	Required only for out-of-state transport	Burial, entombment, cremation, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Missouri	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, entombment, cremation, delivery to an educational or medical institution for donation, delivery to the state anatomical board or removal from the state
Montana	Depends (check local zoning)	18in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Not required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Nebraska	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required only for out-of-state transport	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Nevada	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, entombment, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, donation to medical science, or removal from the state.
New Hampshire	Depends (check local zoning)	—	50ft. from known water source	100ft. from buildings 50ft. from highways	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
New Jersey	Depends (check local zoning)	4ft. adult from top to surface 3.5ft. child from top to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
New Mexico	Depends (check local zoning)	6ft. minimum bottom depth	50ft. from known water source	5ft. from property line	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Burial, cremation, entombment, burial at sea, delivery to a medical school, or removal from the state.
New York	Check zoning Funeral director must be hired to supervise interment	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, natural organic reduction, donation to science, and removal from the state.
North Carolina	Depends (check local zoning)	18in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, burial at sea, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
North Dakota	Depends (check local zoning)	3.5ft. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Ohio	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Interment, cremation, removal from the state, donation, or other authorized disposition of a dead body or a fetal death.
Oklahoma	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, burial at sea, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, donation to medical science, and removal from the state
Oregon	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, donation to medical science, and removal from the state
Pennsylvania	Depends (check local zoning)	24in. from the hip bone or casket/vault to surface	Cannot have water on property that drains into municipal water source	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Rhode Island	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
South Carolina	Depends (check local zoning)	Nature preserve cemeteries are exempt from burial depth requirements	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
South Dakota	Depends (check local zoning)	—	150ft. from known water source	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Tennessee	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Texas	Depends (check local zoning)	24in. from top of body or casket/vault to surface	—	—	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Utah	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, burial at sea, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Vermont	Depends (check local zoning)	3.5ft. adult and infant min. bottom depth	200ft. from drilled well; other municipal water and flood plain restriction	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, natural organic reduction, donation to medical science, and removal to another state.
Virginia	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Required only for out‑of‑state transport	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Washington	Must be an established cemetery	—	—	—	Required	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction, donation to science, and removal from the state.
West Virginia	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, cremation, entombment, alkaline hydrolysis, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.
Wisconsin	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, cremation, entombment, donation to scientific research, and removal from the state
Wyoming	Depends (check local zoning)	—	—	—	Not required	Burial, cremation, entombment, burial at sea, donation to medical science, and removal from the state.

Quick answers

Where does this burial laws by state data come from?: Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Legal Burial Requirements by State - New Hampshire Funeral Resources; Burial and Cremation Laws - NOLO; Laws By State Guide - National Home Funeral Alliance.