Burial At Sea in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska
Federal Regulations for Burying Human Remains at Sea
As you make your preparations to bury a loved one at sea, you need to understand the Federal laws that regulate this activity. EPA granted a general permit to allow for burials at sea. The permit is published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40, Chapter 1, Section 229.1 (PDF) (1pp, 149KB). The information below will guide you in how to conduct a legal burial at sea.
Basic regulations: there are different rules for remains that are cremated and remains that are not cremated.
Cremated remains can be buried in water of any depth as long as you are at least three nautical miles from land. If the urn or container holding the cremated remains will not readily decompose in the ocean, you may not dispose of it in the ocean; it must be properly disposed of on land
Remains that are not cremated should be placed in a casket that is designed to sink to the ocean floor quickly and remain permanently at the bottom of the ocean. You must choose a burial site that is at least three nautical miles from land and is at least six hundred feet (one hundred fathoms) deep.
Other regulations may apply. The general permit is the only permit you need from the Federal government to conduct a burial at sea, but the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and some civil authorities have accepted practices and requirements for burials at sea that may be deemed appropriate and desirable and that must be followed. You should check with them before conducting a burial.
Notify the EPA within 30 days. After a burial at sea, you have 30 days to report the burial to EPA Region 10. The report can be mailed or faxed to: Burney Hill, hill.burney@epa.gov, 206-553-1761, fax 206-553-1775.
Your report should include:
- Name of deceased
- Date of burial/scatter
- Name of person performing burial/scatter
- Type of remains (cremated/non-cremated)
- Date of cremation (if applicable)
- Location of burial/scatter:
- Latitude/Longitude
- Distance from shore
- Depth of water
- Vessel name
- Vessel point of contact (name and phone number)
- Port of departure
- For non-cremated remains: did the remains appear to rapidly sink to the ocean floor (yes/no)
- Name/phone number of director/person(s) responsible for burial arrangements
- Photocopies of burial, cremation or other permits, if any, required by appropriate civil authorities.
Flowers and Wreaths made of materials that will break down in the ocean can be placed in the water at the burial site without a permit.
For more information, contact: Burney Hill, hill.burney@epa.gov, 206-553-1761.