California Burial Permit – Disposition of Human Remains

In California, before you can move forward with any final arrangements for someone who has died, you need to obtain a Disposition Permit, also referred to as a Burial Permit. This document is mandatory regardless of whether you plan to bury, cremate, scatter at sea, or transport the remains to another location. The permit keeps an official record of the time, place, and method of disposition for the person’s remains.

⚠️ Reminder: A valid Disposition Permit must be secured before we can proceed or leave the facility.

When you will need a Disposition Permit:

    • You need a Disposition Permit before you can:
    • Ship remains to another U.S. state or to another country
    • Pour ashes onto land or into the ocean
    • Transfer a whole body to a medical school or another institution for teaching purposes
    • Bring a body back into California from another state or from overseas
    • Dig up a body to move it to a different burial or scattering location
    • Keep remains in a location inside California for a short period before burial or scattering
    • Split cremated remains, if each segment is going to a different location— each must be covered by its own permit
How to Get Disposition Permit:

You can obtain your permit in one of three ways. Most families choose to let our office handle the paperwork for them, which tends to be the fastest and easiest route. If you prefer to obtain the permit yourself, you can fill out the application and obtain it on your own; in that case, please send us a copy of the approved form at least a few days before the scattering or burial so that we can have it on file.

Let Us Get the Burial Permit (Reccommended)

For the simplest experience, let us take care of the Disposition Permit on your behalf. We’ll manage the paperwork, verifying that the permit is accurate and ready for your scheduled service, so you can focus on your family.

All we require is the original death certificate (we can’t use photocopies). Please send it to:

Funerals Your Way – Attn: Scattering
7932 Convoy Ct.
San Diego, CA 92111

Families often recommend mailing the certificate with tracking so it isn’t lost. We’ll secure the permit and return the original death certificate along with the Disposition Permit, usually within just a few business days.

đź’° Fee: $69

Getting the Permit Yourself – By Mail or In Person

For those who want to get the permit themselves, the Disposition Permit is available at your local County Vital Records Office. Keep in mind that a single in-person visit may not be enough, you’ll need to first drop off the paperwork and then probably return to pick up the permit.

📝 Items You’ll Need

    • Original Death Certificate—only the official certificate is acceptable; photocopies are not valid.
    • Current Government-Issued Photo ID—feel free to bring any of the following: driver’s license, passport, or state ID. You must prove that you are the legal next of kin, or the person to whom the duty of disposition has been assigned (executor, under a power of attorney, or similar).
    • Completed Disposition Permit Application—fill this form out in full and check for accuracy.

Fee Payment—confirm the exact amount in advance. Counties typically charge between $12 and $15, depending on the county. Payment methods may vary, so it’s wise to prepare ahead.

How to Complete the form:

This is a copy of the disposition form completed for a scatter at sea off the coast of San Diego. Some things to note on this form and the changes you may need for your particular case are listed below;

    • The deceased person vital stats need to be enter on the top of the form. These need to match the death certificate information. (boxes 1a, 1b, 1c, 2, 3, 4, 6a and 6b)
    • The address of the person completing this form (boxes 7a, 7b, 7c, 8)
    • Signiture of person completing this form and date (boxes: 9a, 9b)
    • Amount of the fee and date permit issued (boxes: 10a, 10b)
    • The address of the paticular vital statistics office that will be issuing form (box: 10d)
    • Check boxes on the tranaction takeing place. I this ase the cremain sare being moved from their existing location (home probably) and will be scattered at sea. If you are bringing the cremains in from out of state than the “ship in to California” box is also checked.
    • Where the scattering will take place. In this case “off the coast of San Diego County” replace San Diego which the specific county  where you scattering will take place (box: 16a)

You may obtain the appropriate at any Vital Statistics office in the state.

đź“Ś Note: Incomplete applications will result in delays.Â