Guide

Who operates the crematory

In most states a funeral home can own the crematory in the building. A handful of states split the funeral home from the crematory, or reserve the crematory for a funeral home. That changes who you are paying.

An empty sunlit chapel with a single wooden bench

A funeral home cannot own the crematory

The cremation is arranged through a separate crematory. Ask which facility will do it, and whether that fee is already inside the price you were quoted.

Maine
Funeral homes in Maine cannot own a crematory.
Massachusetts
Funeral homes in Massachusetts cannot own a crematory. Crematories are not licensed in the state, so NFDA’s count is an estimate.
Michigan
Funeral homes in Michigan cannot own a crematory.
New Jersey
Funeral homes in New Jersey cannot own a crematory.
New York
Funeral homes in New York cannot own a crematory.

Only a funeral home can operate one

A standalone crematory is not the local model. The funeral home and the crematory are the same business.

Alabama
In Alabama, only a funeral home can operate a crematory.
Utah
In Utah, only a funeral home can operate a crematory.

A licensed director has to be in charge

The crematory can exist, and a licensed person has to supervise it.

Florida
In Florida, a crematory must be supervised by a licensed funeral director or a licensed direct disposer.
Georgia
In Georgia, a licensed funeral director must be in charge of a crematory.
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, a licensed funeral director must be in charge of a crematory.

NFDA counted 0 crematories in the District of Columbia in 2023. Cremation in the District of Columbia.

National price medians are from the NFDA 2023 General Price List Study, published in the 2024 NFDA Cremation & Burial Report. State cremation rates are that report’s 2025 projections, not a funeral home’s current price. A home is added to this directory only after its own General Price List is on file.