Undertaken With Love

Photo of Maine state capitol by J. Stephen Conn

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

In the State of Maine the "authorized person" responsible for disposition of the body is defined in Title 22, Subtitle 2, Part 6, Chapter 707, §2846, and is interpreted by the Department of Health and Human Services as "a person other than a funeral director who demonstrates authorization for final disposition of a dead body," such as the next of kin.

The document "TRANSPORTATION, STORAGE AND FINAL DISPOSITION OF DEAD BODIES" outlines the permits required and where to get them. People can also be buried on their own property in Maine under certain circumstances. Your local government can help you identify the necessary permits. 

Searchable Online General Statutes

Maine Revised Statutes (external link)

Resources Specific to Funeral Law

State Board of Funeral Service (external link)

Department of Health (external link)

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

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

Last Things is a website concerning family rights and options at the end of life including home funerals.

Organizations and Individuals

Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maine (external link). Because FCA chapters are composed of volunteers, their expertise and experience related to home funeral laws vary considerably from one to the next. All of them, however, welcome home funeral practitioners and advocates and are eager to learn from them. If you find that you are accumulating knowledge that is lacking in your closest chapter, why don't you volunteer to be its resource for funeral consumers on home funeral laws in your state?

The Last Things website lists three individuals knowledgeable about home funerals in Maine: Klara Tammany of Auburn at (207) 786-7468, Eva Thompson of Yarmouth at (207) 846-4482, and Chuck Lakin of Waterville at (207) 873-7854.

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