Yes, you can bury someone in a natural burial shroud without a casket. No federal law requires a casket for burial. A shroud is a cloth wrapping that holds the body for direct earth burial.
Your main limits are cemetery rules and funeral home paperwork, not federal law. The Federal Trade Commission says funeral homes cannot force you to buy a casket to get other services, in its 2012 funeral-home enforcement announcement. Many cemeteries still set their own container rules.
Table of Contents
- What funeral homes must allow
- What makes a shroud acceptable
- Why the cemetery decides
- How to arrange a shroud burial
What funeral homes must allow
Funeral homes must let you buy only what you want. The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule protects your right to buy only the goods you choose. You pay for those items plus only legally required items and a basic services fee, as explained in the Funeral Rule text.
In practice, that means a funeral home cannot refuse service because you decline a casket. Ask for an itemized price list and decline the casket in writing. If staff insist on a casket package, repeat your choice and seek another provider.
What makes a shroud acceptable
Green-burial standards accept a shroud made only of natural, biodegradable materials. Colorado Burial Preserve, a Green Burial Council-certified ground, bars toxic embalming chemicals and any vault or outer container, in its natural burial standards.
River View Cemetery in Portland defines natural burial as direct earth burial without a vault and without toxic embalming. It allows a biodegradable casket or a shroud lowered on a biodegradable board. Farrington Mortuary notes California requires no embalming, casket, or vault for disposition.
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Why the cemetery decides
State permission does not guarantee grave-by-grave permission. The Natural Funeral explains many conventional cemeteries require a concrete vault or liner to stop ground settling, in its cemetery guide.
Shroud-only burial is generally possible only where the cemetery permits it. Always get the container rule in writing before you pay a deposit. Ask if the section is designated for natural burial and whether a liner exemption exists.
How to arrange a shroud burial
Plan for a rigid carrier under the shroud. The Natural Funeral notes most natural-burial grounds require an untreated softwood board, wicker tray, or biodegradable lowering board for safe carrying and lowering.
The board does not replace the shroud; it supports it. Bring the cemetery's written requirements to the funeral home meeting. Match the shroud, board, and handling plan to that list before signing.
- Confirm the cemetery accepts shroud-only burial without a vault.
- Choose untreated, biodegradable shroud fabric and ties.
- Arrange the required board or tray and transport.
- Confirm who lowers the body and what staff will handle.
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