Everything specific to Louisiana in one place: what a death certificate costs and how to get one, who has the legal right to arrange the funeral, and where to find official help. Each section links to a full guide with its sources.
Louisiana at a glance
| Certified death certificate (state fee) | $7 |
|---|---|
| Decides the funeral if nobody was named in advance | Surviving spouse (unless a divorce petition was pending) |
| Can you name someone in advance? | Yes |
| The law | La. Rev. Stat. § 8:655 |
Funeral cost calculator for Louisiana
Pick the kind of arrangement and what it includes, and the estimate updates line by line, using Louisiana funeral homes’ own prices where we have them. Every line shows its source.
Funeral costs in Louisiana
These are medians from 11 Louisiana funeral homes’ own published General Price Lists (11 cities, dated 2024-01 to 2026-08), collected in September 2026. Each figure counts only the price lists that show that item. Direct cremation and immediate burial are the lowest option each home lists; some include a basic container or the crematory fee and some do not. Your funeral home’s own price list is the only figure that counts for your bill.
| Item | Median | Price lists |
|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation (lowest listed option) | $2,460 | 11 |
| Immediate burial (lowest listed option) | $3,200 | 11 |
| Basic services fee | $2,495 | 11 |
| Embalming | $900 | 11 |
| Transfer of remains to the funeral home | $535 | 11 |
| Viewing (facilities and staff) | $450 | 11 |
| Funeral ceremony (facilities and staff) | $495 | 11 |
| Hearse | $395 | 11 |
The 11 price lists behind these figures
- Resting Place Funeral Home, Baton Rouge, 2024-12-01
- Owens Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, Ruston, 2024-10-01
- E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, Inc., Covington, 2025-10-20
- Audubon Funeral Home, Slidell, 2024-01-01
- S.L. Booker Family Funeral Services, Hammond, 2024-10-01
- LN Hughes Funeral Service, Ponchatoula, 2025-05-12
- Colligan Crematory & Funeral Services, Broussard, 2024-01-01
- Magnolia Funeral Home & Crematory, Alexandria, 2026-08-01
- Pellerin Funeral Homes, Breaux Bridge, 2026-02-02
- Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, Metairie, 2026-08-18
- St Bernard Memorial Funeral Home, Chalmette, 2026-08-25
Under the FTC Funeral Rule every funeral home must give you its prices over the phone, so calling two or three is the fastest way to a real number. How much a funeral costs, line by line.
Death certificates in Louisiana
Certified copies come from Center for Vital Records and Statistics (Vital Records Registry), Louisiana Department of Health. LDH: for mail requests, "allow approximately 8-10 weeks for delivery.". Full guide: getting a death certificate in Louisiana.
Who decides the funeral in Louisiana
Louisiana law sets the order. The first people in line are: Person designated in a notarial testament or notarized declaration; Surviving spouse (unless a divorce petition was pending); Adult children (majority); Adult grandchildren (majority). The full order, ties, deadlines and disputes.
Help paying for a funeral in Louisiana
Federal help is the same in every state: Social Security’s one-time $255 payment to an eligible spouse or child, VA burial benefits for eligible veterans, and FEMA help only after a declared disaster. What each pays and how to apply.
Some Louisiana counties and cities also help low-income families with burial or cremation costs. Ask the social services office in the county where the person died.
More official links for every state: funeral resources · all states.