How much does cremation cost in Dallas?
A direct cremation in Dallas costs $1,750 with us — transfer, refrigerated care, the cremation container, the crematory fee, the paperwork, a standard urn, and the return of the ashes. Two government fees sit on top and are passed through at cost: certified death certificates at $21 for the first copy and $4 for each additional, and the $30 Dallas County cremation permit.
What the $1,750 covers
One figure, eight things. This is the same list every family gets, and it does not move because of when you called, what the death certificate says, or which part of the metroplex you are in.
- Our basic services fee
- Transfer of your loved one from the place of death, anywhere within 50 miles of Dallas
- Refrigerated care until the cremation
- The cremation container
- The crematory fee
- Filing the death certificate and securing the cremation permit
- One standard urn for the return of ashes
- Return of ashes to your home, or pickup — your choice
We publish the whole list rather than a starting price, because a starting price is not a price. The full itemized list is on the General Price List; the arranging page is Pricing.
What it does not cover
The honest half of any price is the exclusions. Here are ours, in full, with the reason each one sits outside the figure.
| Not included | Why |
|---|---|
| Certified copies of the death certificate | Charged at county cost, no markup |
| Upgraded or keepsake urns | Offered after intake, never required |
| Viewing, visitation, or a memorial service | This is a direct cremation |
| Embalming | Not performed and not required for direct cremation |
| Headstones, markers, or cemetery property | We can refer you; we do not sell them |
| Transfers originating more than 50 miles from Dallas | Quoted by the mile before you commit |
| Medical examiner or coroner release fees | Set by the county, passed through at cost |
The government fees, exactly
Two numbers on your final invoice are not ours at all. They are set by the State of Texas and by Dallas County, and every funeral provider in the county pays the same amount. What differs between providers is whether they add a handling charge on top. We do not.
| Fee | Amount | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Certified death certificate | $21 first copy · $4 each additional | State of Texas fee. Most families need three to six copies. |
| Cremation permit | $30 | Dallas County. Requested by the funeral director; issued in 12 to 48 hours. |
| Medical examiner release | Set by the county | Applies only when the death falls under the medical examiner’s jurisdiction. |
So a Dallas family choosing direct cremation with four certified copies pays $1,750, plus $33 in certificates, plus the $30 permit — about $1,813. There is nothing else to come.
Why cremation quotes in Dallas differ so much
Not because the cremation is different. Because the advertised number covers different things. Two providers can quote figures hundreds of dollars apart and land on the same final invoice — or the reverse. These six questions expose the difference in about ninety seconds on the phone.
| Ask | What it usually reveals |
|---|---|
| Is the transfer included, and to how many miles? | A low headline price often covers a 20-mile radius, then bills per mile beyond it. Ours covers 50 miles from Dallas. |
| Is the cremation container included? | The rigid container the cremation requires is a separate line on many price lists. It is inside our figure. |
| Is an urn included, or is the return in a temporary box? | A standard urn is included with us. Elsewhere the included container is often temporary plastic. |
| Is the return of the ashes included? | Delivery to your home or pickup is inside our price. Some price lists bill delivery separately. |
| Is refrigerated care included, and for how long? | A death certificate can take days to sign. Daily holding charges are a common surprise on the final invoice. |
| What is passed through at cost, and what carries a markup? | Certificates and permits are government fees. Ask whether they are billed at cost or marked up. |
You are entitled to the answers. Under the FTC Funeral Rule a provider must give price information over the telephone on request — you do not have to give your name — and must hand you a printed General Price List at the beginning of any in-person discussion of arrangements. A provider that will not quote until you come in is telling you something useful.
Direct cremation, cremation with a service, and burial
Cremation is now what most American families choose: the National Funeral Directors Association put the projected 2025 cremation rate at 63.4 percent against 31.6 percent for burial, and expects it to reach 82.3 percent by 2045. Cost is one reason among several, and the gap comes from a small number of large line items.
Direct cremation
The cremation itself, with no viewing and no ceremony beforehand. No embalming, no casket, no venue, no cemetery property. It is the whole of what we do, which is why one published figure can cover it.
Cremation with a service
Adds a gathering: a venue, staff to run it, usually a viewing, and often embalming to make the viewing possible. Each is a real cost, which is why full-service cremation figures land several thousand dollars above a direct cremation. If a gathering is what your family wants, hold it whenever and wherever you like — a direct cremation does not close that door, it only separates the two events.
Burial
Carries the costs cremation removes entirely: a casket, a plot, an outer burial container, the opening and closing of the grave, and a marker. The cemetery half of that bill is frequently larger than the funeral home’s half.
Does the price change by city?
No. The $1,750 is the same in Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Irving, Richardson, Arlington and Fort Worth — anywhere within 50 miles of Dallas. Distance changes the drive time, not the invoice. The service-area page lists every city and county we cover.
What cremation costs elsewhere in Texas
The rules are statewide, so most of what drives the number is the same in Houston, Austin or El Paso as it is here. Three things are fixed by the state rather than by any provider, and they belong in every Texas quote you compare:
- The 48-hour wait. Texas requires that a body not be cremated until 48 hours after death, absent a special authorisation (Tex. Health & Safety Code § 716.054). It applies in every county, and it is not a reason for a provider to charge holding fees — ours does not.
- Care within 24 hours. A body must be embalmed or refrigerated within 24 hours of death (22 Tex. Admin. Code § 203.45). Refrigeration satisfies it, which is why embalming is never required for a direct cremation anywhere in Texas.
- The certified death certificate. $21 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy is a state fee, identical in all 254 counties.
What genuinely varies by metro is the county cremation permit — a local fee, $30 in Dallas County — and the provider’s own price, which is set by the market rather than by law. That second one varies enormously, which is exactly why the Funeral Rule gives you the right to a written price list from any provider in the country and to prices over the telephone without giving your name.
We serve within 50 miles of Dallas, so if you are arranging in another Texas metro the useful thing we can give you is the method rather than a referral: how to compare direct cremation quotes works in any city, and the seven line items it lists are the ones that decide the total wherever you are.
Questions families ask about cost
How much does cremation cost in Dallas?
Direct cremation with us is $1,750, all-inclusive, published on our price list and honored for every family. Certified death certificates ($21 first copy, $4 each additional) and the $30 Dallas County cremation permit are government fees on top, passed through at cost.
What is the difference between direct cremation and a cremation with a service?
Direct cremation is the cremation itself with no viewing or ceremony — the transfer, refrigerated care, the paperwork, the cremation, and the return of the ashes. A cremation with a service adds a viewing, a venue, staff for the gathering, and often embalming, which is why full-service figures run several thousand dollars higher.
Why do cremation prices in Dallas vary so much?
Because the advertised number covers different things. Transfer mileage, the cremation container, refrigerated care, the urn, and the return of the ashes are inside some prices and billed separately in others. Ask each provider for its General Price List and compare the same six line items.
Does a funeral home have to tell me its prices over the phone?
Yes. The FTC Funeral Rule (16 C.F.R. Part 453) requires a provider to give price information over the telephone on request, and to hand you a printed General Price List at the beginning of any in-person discussion of arrangements. You do not have to give your name to get prices.
Is cremation less expensive than burial?
Almost always, because cremation removes the casket, the plot, the outer burial container, the opening and closing of the grave, and the marker. Those cemetery costs are usually the largest part of a burial, and none of them apply to a direct cremation.
Do I pay more if the death happened outside Dallas County?
Not within 50 miles of Dallas — that radius is inside the $1,750. Beyond it we quote the mileage in writing before you commit, and the permit fee follows the county where the death occurred rather than ours.
How many certified death certificates should I order?
Most families use three to six. Each bank, insurer, pension, and title transfer tends to want its own certified copy. At $21 for the first and $4 for each additional, ordering a few extra at the outset costs far less than reordering later.
Next
If you want the process rather than the price, read what actually happens during a cremation, or how our five steps run. If a death has already occurred, the fastest thing you can do is call — a person answers, at any hour.
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.