§ 34-13-121 — Cremation Procedures; Authorization; Identification of Remains; Records

Alabama § 34-13-121

• Jurisdiction: Alabama
• Title 34: Professions and Businesses
• Ch. 13: Funeral Services
• Art. 3: Licenses, Examinations, and Registration
• Div. 4A: Cremation Services

Text

(a) Human remains shall not be cremated under either of the following circumstances:
(1) Within 24 hours after the time of death, unless death was a result of an infectious, contagious, or communicable disease and unless the disease is verified and the time requirement waived by a medical examiner, county health director, county coroner, or attending physician where the death occurred.
(2) Without a completed cremation authorization form approved by the board and signed by the authorizing agent and a completed state identification form. A copy of the cremation authorization shall be presented with the body to the crematory before any cremation process may be initiated.
(b) All cremations of human remains performed in this state shall be arranged through a funeral establishment licensed by the board pursuant to this chapter.
(c) Whenever a crematory is unable or unauthorized to cremate human remains immediately upon taking custody of the remains, the human remains shall be placed and kept in refrigeration in accordance with this chapter.
(d) A crematory may not accept human remains from another funeral establishment without all of the following:
(1) The remains shall be accompanied by a completed cremation authorization form signed by an authorizing agent.
(2) A state identification form with the signature of the releasing party.
(3) An undetachable ankle bracelet identifying the remains.
(4) The remains shall be delivered or immediately placed in a combustible cremation container marked with identifying information of the human remains contained within. Human remains may not be removed from the cremation container and the cremation container shall be cremated with the human remains, unless the cremation container is metal and the authorizing agent has been informed in writing that the crematory does not cremate metal containers.
(e) A cremation container shall be all of the following:
a. Composed of readily combustible materials suitable for cremation.
b. Able to be closed in order to provide a complete covering for the human remains.
c. Resistant to leakage or spillage.
d. Rigid enough for handling with ease.
e. Able to provide protection for the health, safety, and personal integrity of crematory personnel.
f. Equipped with a covering that clearly identifies the name and date of death of the decedent.
(f) It shall be disclosed to the family member serving as the authorizing agent that he or she, or his or her designee, may witness the transportation of the human remains to be cremated to the crematory. Every funeral establishment performing cremation services that prohibits relatives or the responsible party from viewing the cremation process shall disclose this fact in writing to the person or persons entitled to custody of the remains prior to the signing of any contract.
(g) An authorizing agent has the duty to inform the funeral director of the presence of a pacemaker or other potentially hazardous implant, including any toxic or explosive-type sealed implants in the human remains. The funeral director shall be responsible for ensuring that all necessary steps have been taken to remove the pacemaker before delivering the human remains to the crematory. Should the cremationist discover the presence of a pacemaker or other hazardous implants in the human remains, the cremationist shall arrange for the removal of the pacemaker or other hazardous implant.
(h) The simultaneous cremation of the human remains of more than one person within the same cremation chamber, without the prior written consent of the authorizing agent, is prohibited. Any funeral establishment performing cremations in accordance with this chapter may cremate only dead human remains.
(i) Upon the completion of each cremation, and insofar as is practicable, all of the recoverable residue of the cremation process shall be removed from the cremation chamber and placed in a separate container and may not be commingled with cremated remains of another person nor shall cremated remains of a dead human be divided or separated without the prior written consent of the authorizing agent.
(j) Each funeral establishment and crematory which offers or performs cremations shall complete a state identification form. The form shall accompany the human remains in all phases of transportation, cremation, and return of cremated remains. All human remains to be cremated shall have the state identification form and a undetachable ankle bracelet identifying the remains.
(k) Upon completion of the cremation process, the cremationist shall attest to the identity of the cremated remains and the date, time, and place the cremation process occurred on a form prescribed by the board.
(l) Each crematory shall maintain the internal identification system prescribed by the board to ensure the ability to identify the human remains in the possession of the crematory throughout all phases of the cremation process. Upon completion of the cremation process, a copy of the state identification form shall be issued to the family certifying the identity of the cremated remains being issued to the family or funeral establishment.

Legislative History

(Act 2002-239, p. 498, §3; Act 2017-433, §1.)