Can you bury a relative at home in your backyard in NC? Here’s what state law says
Can you bury a loved one at your home in North Carolina? A woman on TikTok went viral last week for burying her recently deceased mother in her backyard.
If you want to memorialize a relative on property you own, you’ll have to follow North Carolina laws that regulate where human remains can be buried.
Here’s what to know about the state’s home burial laws.
Can you bury a body at home (or on your own property) in NC?
There are no laws in North Carolina that prevent home burials, but there are a few exceptions.
▪ State law requires all cemeteries to be at least 300 feet from a public water supply.
▪ The top of “burial vaults or other encasements,” must be at least 18 inches below the ground, state law says.
Raleigh-based Renaissance Funeral Home recommends checking with your local zoning office to determine if home burials are allowed, and ensuring the land for the burial is not on a floodplain or subject to any kind of natural disaster.
Do you need a funeral director and casket for a home burial in NC?
In North Carolina, a family can conduct a burial without using a licensed funeral director, and caskets are not required by law.
If you don’t use a funeral director, state law requires you to file a death certificate yourself. Death certificates must be filed with your county’s register of deeds within five days after the death.
Can you scatter ashes at home in NC?
State law allows ashes to be scattered on your own private property.
If you want to scatter ashes on someone else’s property, you must get written permission from the landowner and give it to the crematory.
This story was originally published July 5, 2023 at 12:01 PM with the headline "Can you bury a relative at home in your backyard in NC? Here’s what state law says."
