More About Cremations in California.

Yesterday, I posted about a family arguing over cremation or burial of their father's remains.

Did you know that the state of California has a Cemetery and Funeral Bureau? Their website is very informative about all aspects of funeral, burial and cremation.

Cremations in California must be authorized by a loved one with authority to do so. But did you know that you can pre-authorize your own cremation? To do so,  you will need to complete a Declaration for Disposition of Cremated Remains form.

Anyhow, I found this interesting... in California, you may choose any of the following methods of disposition of cremated remains:

• Placement in a columbarium or mausoleum
• Burial in a plot in a cemetery
• Retention at a residence
• Storage in a house of worship or religious shrine
• Scattering in areas of the state where no local prohibition exists and with written permission of the property owner or governing agency
• Scattering in a cemetery scattering garden; or
• Scattering at sea, at least 500 yards from shore (this also includes inland navigable waters, except for lakes and streams)

Further, cremated remains may not be transported without a permit from the county health department and they may not be disposed of in refuse.

Information excerpted from the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau website under Cremation.