Aquamation in Texas: not legal yet — here is where it stands
Alkaline hydrolysis — aquamation, or water cremation — is not yet legal for human remains in Texas. State law defines cremation in terms of flame, the Texas Funeral Service Commission treats aquamation as unauthorized, and a provider offering it in Texas today would face enforcement. A bill to legalize it has been filed; it has not passed.
What aquamation is
Alkaline hydrolysis places the body in a pressurized vessel with heated water and alkali, dissolving soft tissue over several hours — an accelerated version of natural decomposition. What remains is bone mineral, which is dried and reduced to a fine powder and returned to the family. Families receive remains much like cremated ashes: typically lighter in color, slightly greater in volume, and handled exactly the same way afterward — kept, buried, or scattered.
The appeal is environmental: no combustion, lower energy use, and no direct emissions. It is a legitimate technology with decades of use in medical institutions, and it is lawful for human disposition in roughly half the states.
Why it is not available in Texas
Texas funeral law authorizes burial and cremation, and its definition of cremation is written around heat and flame. Because alkaline hydrolysis is neither, the Texas Funeral Service Commission’s position is that no current license covers it — a Texas establishment offering aquamation would be operating outside the law, and the Commission has said it would treat that as an enforcement matter.
The Legislature has looked at the question more than once, and the most recent attempt is now finished. SB 1327 died in committee. Filed on 14 February 2025 and captioned “Relating to the cremation of human remains by alkaline hydrolysis,” its last recorded action was 28 February 2025, referred to Senate Business & Commerce. It never received a committee hearing, and it died there when the 89th Legislature adjourned. The earlier SB 105, in the 88th session, ended the same way.
What that means in practice, and it is worth being exact about: Texas holds a regular legislative session only in odd-numbered years, so the next opportunity for a bill of this kind is the 90th Legislature, convening January 2027. Even if one passes then, a gap follows while the Commission writes rules and licenses the first facilities. Anyone telling a Texas family that aquamation is about to become available here is guessing.
We keep this page current. If you are reading this after a legalization bill has passed and the page has not caught up, call us and we will tell you honestly where things stand.
What Texas families do today
- Flame cremation. The lawful, affordable route in Texas. Our direct cremation is $1,750, published and the same for every family, and the ashes return to you ready to keep, bury, or scatter under Texas law.
- Aquamation out of state. A family set on aquamation can use a provider in a state where it is lawful. This adds transport arrangements, time, and cost; we will tell you plainly what is involved if you ask, even though it is not a service we sell.
- Burial without embalming. Texas law does not require embalming; simpler and greener burial arrangements exist through full-service funeral homes.
Questions about aquamation in Texas
Is aquamation legal in Texas in 2026?
No. Texas statute defines cremation in terms of heat and flame, and the Texas Funeral Service Commission treats alkaline hydrolysis as not authorized under current law. Legislation has been filed to change this, but until a bill passes and rules are adopted, no Texas funeral establishment may lawfully offer it.
What is aquamation, exactly?
Alkaline hydrolysis, marketed as aquamation or water cremation, dissolves the body in a heated solution of water and alkali, accelerating natural decomposition. What remains is soft bone mineral, dried and reduced to a powder returned to the family, much like cremated ashes but typically lighter in color and slightly greater in quantity.
Where is aquamation legal?
Roughly half the states permit alkaline hydrolysis for human remains, a list that has grown steadily since Minnesota adopted it in 2003. Texas is not among them, and the most recent bill to change that, SB 1327, died in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee without a hearing when the 89th Legislature adjourned. The next regular session convenes in January 2027. Families set on aquamation work with providers in states where it is lawful, which adds transport arrangements and cost.
Will Cremations of Dallas offer aquamation if Texas legalizes it?
We watch the legislation closely and will publish an honest update on this page the day the law changes. As of this review, SB 1327 has died in committee and the next regular session convenes in January 2027. Any decision to offer it would come after the Texas Funeral Service Commission issues its rules, with published pricing, the same way we publish our cremation price today.
What do Texas families choose instead?
Flame cremation remains the lawful, affordable option in Texas. Our direct cremation is a flat published price with no facility fees hidden behind it, and the ashes come back to your family the same way aquamation remains would, ready to keep, bury, or scatter.
Ready when you are.
Call and a person picks up. No menu, no hold queue, no callback form. If you would rather start in writing, the online form takes about four minutes.