FAQS

Texas law mandates a minimum 48-hour waiting period from the time of death before cremation may proceed, unless a Justice of the Peace or county medical examiner waives the requirement.

No, embalming is not legally required, unless the body is not refrigerated and remains out of refrigeration or unembalmed for more than 24 hours after death. In that case, either refrigeration between 34–40 °F or embalming is required.

Authorization must come from the next of kin in priority order: the person named in a prepaid plan, surviving spouse, adult child, parent, or adult sibling. A signed cremation permit and death certificate (cause of death) are also required.

Typically the process takes 5–7 business days (excluding weekends and holidays), though it can vary depending on paperwork, physician response time, and crematory scheduling.

After cremation, bone fragments are processed into ashes (“cremains”). Any non-organic materials (e.g. medical implants, jewelry) are removed and handled per crematory protocol. Families can choose an urn or receive a temporary container if none is purchased.

Cremated remains may be kept at home, buried in-ground, placed in a columbarium niche, or scattered on private property (with permission) or public land (subject to local park or federal regulations). Water scatterings require compliance with federal rules (e.g. at least 3 nautical miles offshore).

Funeral and cremation providers in Texas follow strict identification protocols, including numbered stainless-steel tags or discs that remain with the body through the process, fingerprint records, and secure chain-of-custody tracking to ensure the ashes are correctly returned to the family.