Undertaken With Love

Photo of Iowa state capitol by TRiver

This state's status: Iowa does not restrict the right of families to care for their own dead.

Searchable Online General Statutes

Iowa Law (external link)

Resources Specific to Funeral Law

Bureau of Professional Licensure (external link)

Department of Public Health (external link)

Please help us develop this section by emailing us with books or online sources specifically related to funeral law in Iowa.

In general, regulations promulgated by departments of health, such as required procedures in filing death certificates, must be followed by families caring for their own dead, while regulations promulgated by funeral service regulatory boards are binding only on funeral providers (but may affect home funerals indirectly to the extent that a family chooses to engage the limited services of licensed providers or in a few states is required to do so).

Resources Specific to Home Funeral Laws

Please help us develop this section by emailing us with books or online sources specifically related to home funerals in Iowa. Or if there is none, write a summary document regarding your findings to share here! (See North Carolina and South Carolina for examples.)

Organizations and Individuals

Please help us develop this section by emailing us with the names of organizations and individuals that serve as noncommercial resources to families serving as their own funeral directors in Iowa. Please include contact information (phone, website, email).