Cost and paperwork
What the price covers, what passes through, and which forms hold everything up.
Cremation questions, answered with the law
Twenty questions Texas families actually ask, answered in plain language. Every legal claim on these pages names the statute or federal rule it comes from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Four things families ask about
The process
The real sequence, the legal waiting period, and what happens in between.
After the cremation
Scattering, flying, shipping and dividing — what is allowed and by whom.
Planning ahead
Who decides, how to say so in writing, and what pre-payment really secures.
How these pages are sourced
Every legal or procedural statement here traces to a named primary source, listed at the foot of the page it appears on — a section of the Texas Health and Safety Code, the FTC Funeral Rule, a carrier publication, or a federal agency page. Where a figure changes from year to year, such as a VA allowance or a county fee, these pages say so and send you to the body that sets it rather than printing a number that quietly goes out of date.
Nothing on these pages is legal advice. Where a decision turns on your particular circumstances, a Texas attorney is the right person to ask.
Quick answers
How long does a cremation take in Texas?
Texas forbids cremation earlier than 48 hours after death unless a medical examiner or justice of the peace waives the wait. Once the authorization is signed and the county permit issues, the cremation itself takes a few hours, and most families receive the ashes within one to two weeks of the first call.
Who has the legal right to authorize a cremation in Texas?
Texas Health and Safety Code § 711.002 sets the order: a person named in a written instrument signed by the decedent, then the surviving spouse, then adult children, then parents, then adult siblings. A written appointment displaces the whole family order, which is why it is the single most useful document to have.
Can you keep cremated remains at home in Texas?
Yes. The statute governs where remains may be disposed of — a cemetery, uninhabited public land or water, or private property with consent — but it does not require disposition. Keeping remains at home needs no permit, and families do it indefinitely.
Can you post cremated remains?
Only through the United States Postal Service, by Priority Mail Express, with Label 139 on the outer packaging. The major private carriers do not accept cremated remains at all, which is the detail that catches most families out.
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.