Washington · funeral and cremation law
Funeral and cremation law in Washington
Who decides, what has to wait, and what a funeral home must tell you. Every fact links to its statute. Not legal advice.
- Naming a disposition agent
Washington gives a person the right to control the disposition of their own remains and recognizes a properly signed written document as legal authorization for the disposition instructions it contains. If there is no effective prearrangement or direction, Washington then provides a statutory priority order for who controls disposition.
- Human composting (natural organic reduction)
Washington's disposition statutes expressly reference interment, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and natural organic reduction. That matters because newer forms of disposition are not simply treated as an informal alternative to cremation; they are regulated methods of final disposition.
- Alkaline hydrolysis (aquamation)
Washington's disposition statutes expressly reference interment, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and natural organic reduction. That matters because newer forms of disposition are not simply treated as an informal alternative to cremation; they are regulated methods of final disposition.
The estate letter · Washington
After the funeral: settling the estate, one month at a time
Twelve months of steps with Washington's own numbers and deadlines. Read the checklist now, or sign up there for one email a month.
Get the estate letter- Month 1The first things to gather
- Month 2Work out what the estate is
- Month 3Get the authority to act
- 9 more months
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Estate checklist for Washington
After the funeral: what the executor does, month by month, with Washington's numbers and deadlines.