What Are the Burial and Cremation Laws in Alabama?

Alabama has a 24-hour minimum waiting period before cremation. A medical examiner or coroner must authorize the cremation before it proceeds. Authorizing agent per § 34-13-11 must sign a cremation authorization form approved by the Board of Funeral Service, plus a state identification form. All cremations must be arranged through a licensed funeral establishment (§ 34-13-121(b)).

No. Natural organic reduction (human composting) is not currently authorized in Alabama.

Yes. Alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) is legal in Alabama.

Alabama sets a statutory order for who controls the disposition of remains (Ala. Code § 34-13-11): Person designated on DD Form 93 if decedent died on active military duty (Pub. L. No. 109-163 § 564) (§ 34-13-11(a)(1)), then Person designated by decedent in a notarized affidavit (§ 34-13-11(a)(2)), then Surviving spouse (§ 34-13-11(a)(3)), and so on. You can also name your own agent to control your remains in a signed, written document before death. You can record those wishes alongside the rest of your estate plan when you create a revocable living trust.

No. Alabama does not require embalming by law. Embalming is not required by state law for in-state disposition. Required only when transporting remains across state lines (§ 22-19-2). No public viewing of un-embalmed bodies is permitted 24 hours after death. Disposition must occur within 48 hours unless the body is embalmed or refrigerated (§ 34-13-117).

Alabama does not require a licensed funeral director for disposition that is not "for hire or for profit." Under § 34-13-111(b), only funeral, memorial, or committal services conducted for hire or for profit must be under the direct supervision of a licensed funeral director; uncompensated family-directed disposition is not barred. The vital-records steps are open to a non-licensee: § 22-9A-14(b) requires "the funeral director or person acting as the funeral director who first assumes custody" to file the death certificate, and § 22-9A-16(a) assigns the same person the duty to obtain authorization for final disposition (the completed medical certification constitutes that authorization; cremation or sea burial requires additional coroner/medical-examiner sign-off). A family member may therefore act as the "person acting as the funeral director," obtain the disposition authorization, and arrange burial without retaining a licensed funeral director, provided no compensation is involved. A burial/removal permit from the local registrar is still required (§ 22-19-3), and cremation must be arranged through a licensed funeral establishment (§ 34-13-121(b)). Verified 2026-07-13.

Alabama provides a publicly funded option when a family cannot pay for disposition: County indigent burial obligation under Ala. Code § 38-8-2, administered by the county commission of the county where death occurs (e.g., Mobile County Commission Administration). Eligible veterans may also be interred at no cost through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Under Ala. Code § 38-8-2, when a person dies with no estate and leaves no relatives in the county with the ability or estate adequate to defray necessary burial expenses, those necessary burial expenses are a charge upon the county where death occurs, and the county commission pays upon presentation of the account. Programs are administered county by county; eligibility commonly turns on the decedent having died in the county, no real property or burial assets (insurance, prepaid plan, plot), and income within federal poverty guidelines, with the county frequently providing cremation rather than traditional burial. Veterans may be interred at the VA national cemeteries serving Alabama — Alabama National Cemetery (Montevallo) and Fort Mitchell National Cemetery — or at the state-operated Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery at Spanish Fort. Per the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs cemetery brochure, eligibility for the state cemetery follows National Cemetery Administration regulations: an eligible veteran must have "an Other than Dishonorable discharge" and "a sufficient number of years of service for the time period served and legible discharge documentation." Pre-registration establishes eligibility in advance at no cost. VA burial allowances may also apply. Verified 2026-07-13.