Funerals in California: what your family is entitled to

You can ask for prices by phone

If you ask for prices by phone, the funeral home must tell you. It cannot require you to come in, and it cannot ask for your name or contact information first. Call two or three to compare.

What to say“Could you tell me your prices over the phone?”

You get a price list to take with you

When you visit in person, you must be given a General Price List (GPL) you can keep. Before showing caskets, they must show you the casket price list, and the same for outer burial containers.

What to say“May I have a copy of your General Price List?”

You can choose only what you want

You do not have to buy a package. You can buy only the items you need.

What to say“We would like to choose individual items, not a package.”

You may use a casket or urn bought elsewhere

The funeral home cannot refuse a casket or urn you bought elsewhere, and cannot charge a fee for using it.

What to say“We will provide a casket we bought elsewhere.”

Embalming is not required by law

The price list must say "Embalming is not required by law." It may be needed for some choices, such as a viewing, so ask why it is needed for what you chose.

What to say“Is embalming required for the arrangements we chose? Why?”

Direct cremation does not need a casket

For a direct cremation you may use a simple alternative container instead of a casket, and the funeral home must make one available.

What to say“For direct cremation, we would like an alternative container.”

You get an itemized statement before you pay

Once you decide, you receive a Statement of Goods and Services Selected before you pay. Check it against the price list.

What to say“Before we pay, could we have the itemized statement?”

The order of the right to decide

(1) The agent named in a Power of Attorney for Health Care, (2) the surviving spouse, (3) adult children, (4) parents, (5) adult siblings, (6) the next nearest relatives, (7)–(8) a court-appointed conservator. The Cemetery and Funeral Bureau includes a registered domestic partner with the spouse.

Several children decide by majority

If there are several adult children, the majority decides. A smaller group may decide if it made reasonable efforts to notify all the others and knows of no opposition from the majority. The same applies to siblings and other relatives.

If no one acts within 7 days

If the person with the right does not act or delegate within 7 days (10 days for a spouse), or cannot be found, the right passes to the next in line. If family members with equal rights cannot agree within 7 days, the funeral home, cemetery, or any of them may petition the county superior court.

Deciding ahead makes it easier on the family

While healthy, name an agent in an Advance Health Care Directive, write down your funeral wishes, and share them with the family. This matters even more when children live in different places, here and in Korea. If the family disagrees, talk with an attorney.

Where to get them

Within one year of death, from the county Department of Public Health or the funeral home; after that, from the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. The funeral home usually orders them for you.

Certified copies and informational copies are different

Certified copies, which banks and insurers require, can be ordered only by people the law names, including a spouse or registered domestic partner, children, parents, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren. Anyone can order an informational copy, but it is stamped "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY."

What to say“We need certified copies of the death certificate. How many should we order?”

Fees and timing

At the LA County Registrar-Recorder, a certified copy costs $26 each and is non-refundable. Requests are processed within 20 business days of receipt.

Registered within 8 days, before burial or cremation

A death must be registered with the local registrar within eight calendar days and before burial or cremation. Remains cannot be buried or cremated until the death certificate is filed and a permit for disposition is issued. The funeral home normally handles this.

If the medical examiner is involved, you can still plan the funeral

Even when the LA County Medical Examiner handles a sudden death, you do not need to delay planning. An interim death certificate lets you proceed, and release to the funeral home usually takes two to three days.

You may keep ashes at home or in a church

Ashes may be kept in a durable container at a home owned or occupied by a family member with the right to decide, or by someone else with that person's permission. A church or religious shrine needs its written permission.

Scattering on land

It must be an area with no local prohibition, the ashes must be out of the container and not distinguishable to the public, and you need written permission from the property owner or governing agency. Public agencies may allow or prohibit scattering on their land.

Scattering at sea (California law)

Ashes are taken out by boat or by air and removed from the container before scattering; not from a bridge or pier. The person who scatters files a verified statement with the local registrar in the county nearest the spot, and the permit copy within 10 days. Inland navigable waters count, but not lakes or streams, and not within 500 yards of the shoreline.

Scattering at sea (federal rules)

Under federal rules, scattering in the ocean must be at least three nautical miles from land, and you report it to the EPA online within 30 days, free of charge. Follow both the California and federal rules; if unsure, ask the funeral home or a scattering service.

Families scattering ashes themselves do not register

A family scattering ashes on its own does not register with the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. Only those who scatter more than ten sets of remains a year must register.

Social Security lump-sum death payment: $255

It is paid once. It goes first to a spouse who lived in the same household, then to a spouse eligible for benefits on the record, then to a child eligible for benefits on the record in the month of death. If an application is needed, file within two years of the death.

Veterans' burial allowance

Per the VA, for deaths on or after October 1, 2026, the allowance is up to $1,032 for burial and funeral costs and up to $1,032 for a plot or interment ($1,002 each for deaths from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026). The person who paid and was not reimbursed applies with VA Form 21P-530EZ. A spouse listed on the veteran's VA profile may be paid automatically. For service-connected deaths and other cases, check with the VA.

License lookup

At the state license search (search.dca.ca.gov), choose Funeral Establishment, Funeral Director, Crematory, Cemetery and so on, and search by name to see whether the license is current and any disciplinary history.

Where to complain

The online form of the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau is fastest. You can also call 1-800-952-5210 (they will mail a form), email emailCFB@dca.ca.gov, or write to 1625 N Market Blvd, S208, Sacramento, CA 95834. Replies take up to 14 days, and documents are not returned, so send copies.

Cemeteries the bureau does not oversee

Cemeteries run by religious organizations, cities, counties, cemetery districts, the military or tribes are outside the bureau. Contact the operator directly.

All the money is held in trust

Money prepaid to a funeral home must be held in trust until the funeral is provided, and placed with a trustee within 30 days of receipt. The principal cannot be used for commissions.

You can cancel any time before the funeral

Before the services are provided, you can demand in writing the return of the principal and earnings. The cancellation fee cannot exceed a reserve of 10 percent of the principal, built from trust earnings.

What to say“If we cancel, how much would we get back, and what is the cancellation fee?”

It can be made irrevocable for Medi-Cal

If you receive or are applying for public assistance such as Medi-Cal, you may choose to make the trust irrevocable. Then the money cannot be returned later, so decide carefully.

Survivors are entitled to a copy of the contract

If the deceased had a prepaid contract, the funeral home must give a copy to the survivor making the arrangements. A funeral home that knowingly fails to do so faces a civil fine.

What to say“Did my parent have a pre-need agreement with you? May we have a copy?”

Ask three questions before you sign

The bureau advises asking: (1) Is the price guaranteed? (2) What happens if you cancel, and is there a penalty? (3) What happens if the funeral home closes or is sold?

What to say“Is this price guaranteed? What happens if we cancel, or if you close?”

Cancel within 5 days with no penalty

You may cancel a contract for a plot or cemetery services or merchandise within five calendar days after signing, without penalty, by written notice to the address in the contract. A mailed notice takes effect when mailed. The cemetery must return the money within five business days. This does not apply once an interment or substantial services or merchandise have been provided. The notice must appear in bold next to the signature line.

Endowment care fund

An endowment care cemetery must deposit part of each sale into its care fund: for a grave or crypt, 10 percent of the net price or $250, whichever is greater; for a niche, 10 percent or $150 (capped at $10,000 per space). Look for this amount in your contract.

Consumer Guide to Funeral and Cemetery Purchases

Funeral homes and cemeteries must display this guide and give you a copy to keep before a contract is drafted. Parents who prefer Korean can go through it with their children or with Maria in a consultation.