Funeral Laws and Regulations

As a consumer, what do I need to know about funeral laws?

The funeral home industry is regulated on a state-by-state basis. Rules can vary widely by state and are subject to frequent changes making state regulations one of the greatest complexities of the funeral business. The vast majority of the jurisdictions require individuals to be licensed to provide funeral related services.

At the Federal level, funeral operations are also subject to substantial regulations by the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC"). The FTC’s Funeral Rule was designed to protect consumers by requiring that they receive adequate information concerning the goods and services they may purchase from a funeral provider. Specifically, the rule requires extensive price and other affirmative disclosures to the customer at the time of sale and imposes mandatory itemization requirements for the sale of funeral products and services. These requirements are reflected in the funeral provider’s price lists and sales contracts.