State Rules – Massachusetts
Two helpful publications written by Lisa Carlson, Funeral Ethics Organization, summarize rights and options in Massachusetts:
- Your Funeral Consumer Rights in Massachusetts (updated 2019)
- Chart summarizing options for paying in advance
In spring 2022, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing approved a revised “Consumer Fact Sheet for Funeral Planning” which you can view or download from Mass.gov:
[Volunteers from our board, from the FCA of Eastern MA, and from the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association helped with this revision.]You do have the right to care for your own dead without hiring a funeral director. Consult these resources for what to do in Massachusetts from the time a death occurs through the final disposition of a body or ashes:
- Issues to consider in preparing for disposition of decedents (Commonweath of Massachusetts)
- Caring for your own dead: Guidelines for Burial or Cremation Without a Funeral Director (compiled by the FCA of Eastern Massachusetts)
- Introduction to the Law and Procedures for Families (Peaceful Passages at Home)
TO READ THE SPECIFIC LAWS THAT APPLY IN MASSACHUSETTS:
Cemeteries And Burials. Cemetery And Crematory Corporations (General Laws Of Massachusetts, Chapter 114) The primary source for looking up the actual wording of the laws about cemeteries, crematories, and burials.
Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (General Laws Of Massachusetts, Chapter 113A) Laws related to whole body and tissue donation.
Veterans’ Benefits (General Laws Of Massachusetts. Chapter 115) Includes some provisions related to final arrangements specific to veterans.
Registration of Embalmers, Funeral Directors… (General Laws Of Massachusetts, Chapter 112, section 83)
To find the rules and regulations governing embalmers and funeral directors:
Policies, Regulations and Statutes (Embalmers and Funeral Directors)
Additional Massachusetts-specific resources:
BOOKS:
Choosing Your Path: How Massachusetts Residents can Take Control of their Medical Care, Estate Plans and Funeral Arrangements. by Mark J. Bernardin and Peter E. Bernardin (2005). Mark spoke at our 2005 Annual meeting.