There is no new substantive 2026 FTC Funeral Rule amendment changing funeral rights. The Rule remains in force as issued in 1984 and amended in 1994, while the May 2026 Federal Register action only extended the approved price-disclosure paperwork collection. The Funeral Rule is the federal rule on funeral price disclosure and unfair practices. For green burial, meaning burial without toxic embalming, vaults, and non-biodegradable materials, and for newer options like natural organic reduction and alkaline hydrolysis, state law decides availability.
Official resources:
- Read the official guidance from FTC — Use this primary source to verify the official guidance.
- Read the official guidance from FTC — Use this primary source to verify the official guidance.
Table of Contents
- What did the FTC do in 2026?
- What must a funeral home give you?
- What counts as certified green burial?
- Where are composting and alkaline hydrolysis allowed?
What did the FTC do in 2026?
The May 2026 action was a paperwork extension, not a new price or online-posting mandate, according to the Federal Register in the May 2026 public inspection document. Families still use the same core federal disclosure rights created in 1984 and amended in 1994.
Current federal law does not require funeral homes to post prices online or send them by email or text. The Federal Trade Commission sought comment in October 2022 on modernizing the Rule to require online prices, described in the FTC October 2022 online-price proposal, but that proposal had not become a final rule.
What must a funeral home give you?
An in-person shopper must receive a retainable General Price List with itemized prices, according to the Federal Trade Commission in its Complying with the Funeral Rule guide. The home must also show casket and outer-container price lists before showing those goods, and must give accurate prices by phone when asked. A provider may not embalm for a fee without permission.
It also may not claim embalming or a casket is legally required when it is not. The same federal protections cover casket shopping and direct cremation. A funeral home may not require a casket for direct cremation, and it may not charge a handling fee for a casket bought elsewhere.
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What counts as certified green burial?
Certified green burial avoids formaldehyde-based or toxic embalming, concrete vaults or liners, and non-biodegradable containers. Bodies are buried in biodegradable caskets, shrouds, or similar materials. The Green Burial Council certifies hybrid, natural, and conservation burial grounds, plus funeral homes and products.
That distinction matters because a cemetery may call itself green while still requiring a vault. Cemetery vault rules are largely outside the federal Rule. The Rule generally covers businesses selling both funeral goods and services, so standalone cemeteries and crematories without funeral services fall outside it and leave cemetery fees and vault terms to state law.
Where are composting and alkaline hydrolysis allowed?
Natural organic reduction, the licensed process that converts remains to soil, and alkaline hydrolysis, a water-based disposition method, are state-licensed and uneven. Washington first legalized both through SB 5001 effective May 1, 2020, and Maryland legalized both effective Oct. 1, 2024.
Alkaline hydrolysis is reported available in about 20 states but explicitly illegal in New Hampshire. A family should not assume an online ad means local availability. Use this sequence before signing:.
- Start with the General Price List and compare phone quotes
- Buy a casket elsewhere without penalty if the price is better
- Get embalming authorization in writing
- Check the state funeral board and the cemetery vault policy before assuming green burial is available
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