# Legalities of a "dog funeral". For humans **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887 "2015-10-27T18:08:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/21 "2015-10-28T16:14:20Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > In some places you can skip burial entirely, and just be left out in the open to decay. For SCIENCE! > > [Body Farms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm) Or even FOR TRADITION! [Sky burial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial) (For a wikipedia page, it’s a bit graphic. You have been warned.) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/22 "2015-10-28T17:03:48Z")
Woodland burials are becoming very popular over here. When my mother died a few years ago she was cremated and her ashes scattered in a place she chose. There are some regulations about scattering ashes I believe, but I never heard of them being enforced. I like this: > [@](#): > > Don’t lay me in some gloomy churchyard shaded by a wall > Where the dust of ancient bones has spread a dryness over all, > Lay me in some leafy loam where, sheltered from the cold > Little seeds investigate and tender leaves unfold. > There kindly and affectionately, plant a native tree > To grow resplendent before God and hold some part of me. > The roots will not disturb me as they wend their peaceful way > To build the fine and bountiful, from closure and decay. > To seek their small requirements so that when their work is done > I’ll be tall and standing strongly in the beauty of the sun. > > [Poems – Pam Ayres Official Website](http://www.pamayres.com/index.php/2011/08/woodland-burial/) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/23 "2015-10-28T17:33:33Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Unfortunately not many green burial places, even here in CA - only a couple in SoCal, one is all the way out in Joshua Tree, one only accepts Jewish people (or people married to Jewish people). > > Bah. I wish they could just take me up into the San Gabriel Mountains and put me under a tree. That would be nice. This is what I would want. My fantasy way of death would be some slow terminal illness, like cancer maybe, that gives me the opportunity to choose a time, place, and manner of death as best I can. (As opposed to anything sudden, gruesome like getting trapped in a flaming car wreck, or months/years of laying semi-conscious in a nursing home. Bleeaaah!) If I could, I would hitch-hike (not drive myself even if I could, which would leave a tell-tale identifiable car nearby) up into the hills (preferably any heavily forested area, and preferably in winter), hike as far back off the beaten path as I could, pop a bottle of some kind of sleeping pills, and lay down in the snow to die. Someplace . . . > [@Kingston Trio](#): > > Where a man can hide and never be found and have no fear of the bayin’ hounds. (Although, to be sure, a swamp isn’t a place I’d choose.) What are the “green burial” options in California (or Oregon or Washington)? What little I’ve read suggests that it can be expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/24 "2015-10-28T18:23:32Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I should also point out where I live in California a dog funeral is also illegal for dogs. Not that I paid any attention to that particular law when my cat passed away recently (really screw those guys, I am burying my cat in his back garden. The man can suck it.). There are a great many places where it isn’t legal to bury pets in your backyard. Unless you live in a rural area, you probably have such a law in your municipality. Of course, these laws are almost universally ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/25 "2015-10-28T21:31:22Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Or even FOR TRADITION! > > [Sky burial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial) > > (For a wikipedia page, it’s a bit graphic. You have been warned.) I thought you had ninja’d me to the [Tower of Silence](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_Silence). I kind of prefer the tranquility of the mountaintop, though. Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/26 "2015-10-28T21:41:50Z")
I’ve worked hard for these proteins … I’d like them to return a bit higher up the food chain … coyotes maybe … ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/27 "2015-10-28T22:49:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I would also be happy with a dog funeral, for me or for my loved one. But public health laws forbid it in most states. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to believe this unless you can dig up a cite. There is mythology and misunderstandings like you would not believe around the subject of death, burial, and related things. A whole bunch of people will insist until they’re blue in the face that X is against the law, when it isn’t. For example–a lot of people are absolutely convinced that embalming is required by law. Not in my jurisdiction, it isn’t. But try convincing people of that. When people say that the law requires or forbids something related to death or handling bodies, in my experience, they’re wrong well over half the time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/28 "2015-10-29T00:19:39Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I’m sorry, but I’m not going to believe this unless you can dig up a cite. > > There is mythology and misunderstandings like you would not believe around the subject of death, burial, and related things. A whole bunch of people will insist until they’re blue in the face that X is against the law, when it isn’t. > > For example–a lot of people are absolutely convinced that embalming is required by law. Not in my jurisdiction, it isn’t. But try convincing people of that. > > When people say that the law requires or forbids something related to death or handling bodies, in my experience, they’re wrong well over half the time. If not embalming is illegal, then Jewish burials are illegal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/29 "2015-10-29T14:16:12Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > I’m sorry, but I’m not going to believe this unless you can dig up a cite. > > There is mythology and misunderstandings like you would not believe around the subject of death, burial, and related things. A whole bunch of people will insist until they’re blue in the face that X is against the law, when it isn’t. > > For example–a lot of people are absolutely convinced that embalming is required by law. Not in my jurisdiction, it isn’t. But try convincing people of that. > > When people say that the law requires or forbids something related to death or handling bodies, in my experience, they’re wrong well over half the time. The problem is, it’s a separate cite for each state, and for many states, a separate cite for each county. MA, VT, and CA require bodies to be buried at established graveyards. NY allows private burials, with appropriate paperwork. TX, FL, and GA are regulated at the county level. Even when private burial is allowed, there’s a lot of paperwork, essentially establishing a family graveyard which remains a designated graveyard perpetuity. That’s a lot more overhead than a dog funeral. I found all these by googling “state law burial xx”, where xx is the two letter postal abbreviation for the state. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/30 "2015-10-29T14:19:55Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > If not embalming is illegal, then Jewish burials are illegal. Oh, I didn’t mean to imply you need to embalm the body. I’ve been to Jewish funerals in many states and assume none of them embalmed. Also, I don’t believe any state regulates the disposal of cremated ashes. You can do most anything you want with those, although you should have permission of the property owner if you want to scatter them on the ground. (Or do it in a way that no one will notice. There are no health concerns with “cremains”.) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/31 "2015-10-29T14:28:08Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The problem is, it’s a separate cite for each state, and for many states, a separate cite for each county. > > MA, VT, and CA require bodies to be buried at established graveyards. > > NY allows private burials, with appropriate paperwork. > > TX, FL, and GA are regulated at the county level. > > Even when private burial is allowed, there’s a lot of paperwork, essentially establishing a family graveyard which remains a designated graveyard perpetuity. That’s a lot more overhead than a dog funeral. > > I found all these by googling “state law burial xx”, where xx is the two letter postal abbreviation for the state. The idea that a human burial needs some degree of legal sanction is actually important, for long-term property reasons. If I bury Andy the kitty in the back yard, 40 years later when the new owners dig a garden patch and find a kitty skeleton it isn’t such a big deal. If I bury my dad in the back yard, when the next owners dig him up there’s going to be a shitstorm of legal investigation, simply because (A) a non-recorded human burial is inherently suspicious, and (B) human remains are treated differently in the law than non-human remains, so “properly” re-interring the uncovered body is not optional. Human burials have to have some degree of legal sanction because you’re not supposed to disturb the grave ever again, and certainly not by accident. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/32 "2015-10-29T14:30:42Z")
You seem like a decent enough person. I hope it goes better for you than it did for Melquiades Estrada. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/33 "2015-10-29T16:05:44Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > The idea that a human burial needs some degree of legal sanction is actually important, for long-term property reasons. > … > Human burials have to have some degree of legal sanction because you’re not supposed to disturb the grave ever again, and certainly not by accident. Right. And that’s why you can’t have a “dog funeral” for a person in any state. I’d be okay if dead people (or at least, me and my kin) just became tree fertilizer, and when the tree went away, that’s the end of it. It seems odd and inefficient to tie up space for perpetuity. FWIW, in many parts of Europe, graves are re-used when the kin stops paying “rent”. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/34 "2015-10-29T16:11:47Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > You seem like a decent enough person. I hope it goes better for you than it did for Melquiades Estrada. Maybe the OP can try for four… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/35 "2015-10-29T16:16:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Also, I don’t believe any state regulates the disposal of cremated ashes. You can do most anything you want with those, although you should have permission of the property owner if you want to scatter them on the ground. (Or do it in a way that no one will notice. There are no health concerns with “cremains”.) I’ve heard that it’s illegal to scatter ashes at the famous “Hollywood” sign. I don’t know if that’s true, however. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/36 "2015-10-29T16:46:05Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > I’ve heard that it’s illegal to scatter ashes at the famous “Hollywood” sign. I don’t know if that’s true, however. It’s illegal to do without permission and permission is never granted. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/37 "2015-10-29T17:06:12Z")
It’s illegal to dump anything on private property without permission. That includes human ashes. And there are a few places that so many people would like their ashes scattered that it can’t (collectively) be done in a way that no one would notice. Places like that often have explicit rules against it. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/38 "2015-10-29T17:49:15Z")
True fact from a friend of mine who works at Disneyland: It is so common for people to scatter ashes in the Haunted Mansion that they have a special code for it when they see it on their monitors. When it’s detected, they have to shut the ride down and the ashes in question get vacuumed up and disposed of in the trash. So, don’t plan on having Uncle George join the 999 Happy Haunts for any length of time! ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/39 "2015-10-29T18:44:11Z")
Anyone else read the topic in a Hudsucker Proxy kind of way? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887/40 "2015-10-29T22:49:33Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I found all these by googling “state law burial xx”, where xx is the two letter postal abbreviation for the state. Oh, wow. Unless I’m completely misinterpreting it, in NH it is legal to bury a body on private property…as long as you comply with zoning laws. > [@](#): > > II. Burials on private property, not in an established burial ground, shall comply with local zoning regulations. In the absence of such regulations, such burial sites shall comply with the requirements in paragraph I. The location of the burial site shall be recorded in the deed to the property upon transfer of the property to another person. Paragraph I lays out how far it needs to be from a house, school, store, state highway (50ft) and body of water. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legalities-of-a-dog-funeral-for-humans/735887.md?page=3)