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Cremation cost in California: prices from 368 funeral homes

Direct cremation in California has a median price of $1,895 across the 344 funeral homes that price it, collected through September 2026. Burial costs are here too.

Direct cremation, median
$1,895

Direct cremation, median

Cremation with a memorial service, median
$2,713

Cremation with a memorial service, median

Funeral with viewing, then cremation, median
$6,285

Funeral with viewing, then cremation, median

What California funeral homes charge

Direct cremation344 funeral homesMedian$1,895Most charge$1,095 to $3,144
Cremation with a memorial service (services, before urn)232 funeral homesMedian$2,713Most charge$1,757 to $4,479
Funeral with viewing, then cremation (services, before urn)105 funeral homesMedian$6,285Most charge$5,105 to $8,442
Immediate burial266 funeral homesMedian$3,315Most charge$2,095 to $4,975
Traditional funeral (services, before casket and cemetery)196 funeral homesMedian$5,843Most charge$4,470 to $7,665

“Most charge” is the middle 80% of prices: one home in ten charges less, one in ten charges more.

Each price is the funeral home’s own charge, and cremation prices include the crematory fee. Government fees, such as the permit and certified copies of the death certificate, are usually added on top.

The traditional funeral figure counts the funeral home’s services only: the casket, vault and cemetery come on top, so a burial usually costs well above it. A funeral with viewing before cremation includes a rental casket and the crematory fee, which is why it can show the higher figure.

California has about 715 funeral home establishments (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Prices differ widely between them, so call two or three before choosing: every funeral home must give you its prices over the phone.

Direct cremation by area

Only California funeral homes are counted, even where a metro area crosses a state line. An area needs prices from at least 8 funeral homes to be shown.

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA97 funeral homesMedian$1,990Most charge$995 to $3,355
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA45 funeral homesMedian$1,510Most charge$1,035 to $2,676
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA40 funeral homesMedian$2,123Most charge$1,271 to $4,140
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA38 funeral homesMedian$1,351Most charge$1,095 to $2,483
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA26 funeral homesMedian$1,420Most charge$1,022 to $2,385
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA13 funeral homesMedian$2,895Most charge$1,806 to $4,355
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA9 funeral homesMedian$1,895Most charge$1,726 to $2,296
Fresno, CA8 funeral homesMedian$1,895Most charge$1,586 to $2,727
Rest of California68 funeral homesMedian$2,133Most charge$1,234 to $3,400

What to know in California

Cremation rules in California

  • Under Health and Safety Code 103050, no one may cremate or otherwise dispose of a body until a death certificate is filed and a permit for disposition is issued by the local registrar.
  • A death must be registered with the local registrar within eight calendar days after death and before any disposition, under Health and Safety Code 102775.
  • A body may not be held more than eight calendar days after death unless a permit for disposition has been issued, under Health and Safety Code 103070.
Read more
  • The right to decide on cremation belongs first to an agent named in a power of attorney for health care, then the surviving spouse, then adult children by majority, then parents, then adult siblings by majority, then the next closest relatives, under Health and Safety Code 7100.
  • Starting January 1, 2027, AB 2542, known as Marissa's Law (Statutes of 2026, Chapter 951, signed September 30, 2026), amends Health and Safety Code 7100 so the right to decide passes to the next person in line when the funeral director or cemetery knows the person holding it was subject, at the time of death, to a restraining order for domestic violence against the person who died, or that a court order, will, or other legal document shows giving them control would have been contrary to the best interests of the person who died.
  • If your loved one left written instructions for their remains and arranged payment for them, those instructions must be carried out, under Health and Safety Code 7100.1.
  • The county coroner or medical examiner must look into violent, sudden, or unusual deaths and deaths where no physician attended in the 20 days before death, under Government Code 27491.
  • A crematory cannot require a casket for cremation, though it may require some kind of container, under Health and Safety Code 8342.
  • A crematory must refrigerate a body that is not embalmed within two hours of taking custody unless cremation will begin within 24 hours, under Health and Safety Code 8346.
Sources (9)

Fees you will pay in California

  • California Department of Public Health Vital Records charges $26 per certified copy of a death record, effective January 1, 2026.
  • A permit for disposition, the burial permit needed before a cremation, costs $12 per permit from the vital records offices of Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties and $13 from Riverside County.
  • The permit fee is built on a $2 base fee in Health and Safety Code 103675, which may be adjusted every year under Health and Safety Code 100430, plus an additional $3 under Health and Safety Code 103680 that is not adjusted.
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  • Part of that additional $3 permit fee goes into the county treasury to pay for indigent burial, under Health and Safety Code 103680.
  • Each keepsake urn taken home by a relative needs its own permit for disposition and permit fee, under Health and Safety Code 7054.6.
  • In Orange County, the Sheriff-Coroner charges $318 to transport a decedent from the place of death to the Coroner Facility, and the mortuary usually pays it and adds it to the funeral bill.
  • In Sacramento County, the Coroner charges $400 for body transport within the county, and release during regular business hours is free.
  • In San Diego County, the Medical Examiner charges no fee for transporting or examining a body when it has taken jurisdiction.
  • In Los Angeles County, the Department of Medical Examiner bills transportation and handling fees, but not for veterans, children 14 or younger, or homicide victims, and families on a fixed income can ask for a waiver.
Sources (13)

Help paying for a cremation

  • In Los Angeles County, when the family cannot pay, the County can cremate the body, with proof of indigence required, and the family has up to two years from the cremation date to claim the ashes.
  • Sacramento County offers cremation for people with little or no income or resources, if both the person who died and the person responsible for the arrangements are indigent.
  • In Orange County, General Relief funds from the Social Services Agency may be used for the burial or cremation of indigent decedents, and the next of kin must start the application.
Read more
  • The California Victim Compensation Board may pay up to $12,818 for the funeral, burial, or memorial service of a crime victim, after other sources of payment are used.
  • CalVet runs state veterans cemeteries, including the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo and the California Central Coast Veterans Cemetery in Seaside.
  • An eligible veteran, their spouse, and eligible dependents may be buried in a California state veterans cemetery, and there is no cost to apply for eligibility.
Sources (7)

Price lists and your rights

  • A California funeral director must hand you a written price list as soon as you start discussing prices or services, under Business and Professions Code 7685.
  • Casket prices and details must be given over the telephone if you ask, under Business and Professions Code 7685.
  • A funeral home with a website must post its general price list items online, or link to its price list from the homepage, under Business and Professions Code 7685.
Read more
  • Before you sign a contract, the funeral director must give you a written memorandum itemizing services, merchandise, and cash advances such as crematory charges, with the total, under Business and Professions Code 7685.2.
  • The funeral home must have the person with the right to control disposition sign a declaration saying exactly what will be done with the cremated remains, under Business and Professions Code 7685.2.
  • The first page of every contract must show the name, address, and phone number of the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, under Business and Professions Code 7685.3.
  • You must receive a copy of the Bureau's consumer guide to funeral and cemetery purchases before a contract is drafted, under Business and Professions Code 7685.5.
  • You can file a complaint with the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau online, by emailing or mailing its complaint form, or by calling 1-800-952-5210, and the Bureau asks you to allow up to 14 days for a response.
Sources (4)

Scattering ashes in California

  • You may scatter ashes on land where no local rule forbids it, as long as they are out of the container, not noticeable to the public, and you have written permission from the property owner or governing agency, under Health and Safety Code 7116.
  • State and local agencies can adopt their own rules allowing or banning scattering on land they manage, under Health and Safety Code 7116.
  • To take ashes from the crematory for scattering or keeping, the person with the right to control disposition gets a permit for disposition that describes the final location, under Health and Safety Code 103060.
Read more
  • Ashes may be scattered at sea from a boat or by air, at least 500 yards from shore, but not from a bridge or pier, and the container must be removed first, under Health and Safety Code 7117.
  • After a sea scattering, the person who scattered must file a verified statement with the local registrar in the county nearest the spot, and the endorsed permit is due within 10 days, under Health and Safety Code 7117.
  • You may keep ashes at home in a durable container, or at a church or religious shrine with its written permission, under Health and Safety Code 7054.6.
Sources (4)

Water cremation and composting

  • Alkaline hydrolysis, also called water cremation, is legal in California, and the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau has licensed hydrolysis facilities since July 1, 2020, under AB 967 (Statutes of 2017, Chapter 846).
  • Hydrolyzed remains can be kept at home, scattered, or placed at sea under the same rules as cremated remains, under Health and Safety Code 7054.6, 7116, and 7117.
  • According to the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, every hydrolysis facility allows the next of kin and family to view the process.
Read more
  • Natural organic reduction, sometimes called human composting, was authorized by AB 351 (Statutes of 2022, Chapter 399), and licensing of reduction facilities begins January 1, 2027.
  • Starting January 1, 2027, reduced remains may be worked into the soil where no local rule forbids it, with written permission of the property owner or governing agency, under Health and Safety Code 7116.
  • From January 1, 2027, a family arranging reduction must be told the estimated volume of soil and may choose to receive none, part, or all of it, under Business and Professions Code 7685.2.
Sources (5)

Checked against these sources in September 2026.

California cremation questions

How long after death can you be cremated in California?

Cremation can take place once the death certificate is filed and the local registrar issues a permit for disposition, under Health and Safety Code 103050. The death must be registered within eight calendar days, and a body cannot be held longer than eight days without that permit.

Who has the right to authorize a cremation in California?

Health and Safety Code 7100 gives the right first to a health care agent named in a power of attorney, then the surviving spouse, then a majority of adult children, then the parents, then a majority of adult siblings. Written instructions left and paid for by the person who died must be followed.

How much is a death certificate in California?

The California Department of Public Health charges $26 per certified copy of a death record, effective January 1, 2026. Most families order copies through their funeral home or the county vital records office.

Does the coroner charge a fee in California?

It depends on the county. Orange County charges $318 and Sacramento County charges $400 to transport a body, while San Diego County charges nothing for transport or examination when its Medical Examiner takes the case.

Does California pay for cremation if you can't afford it?

California counties run their own programs. Los Angeles County and Sacramento County both offer cremation for indigent families, and Orange County's General Relief program can help pay for a cremation.

How much does California pay for a crime victim's funeral?

The California Victim Compensation Board may pay up to $12,818 for the funeral, burial, or memorial service of a crime victim, after other payment sources are applied.

Do California funeral homes have to post prices online?

Yes. Under Business and Professions Code 7685, a funeral home with a website must post the goods and services on its general price list, or link to the price list from its homepage.

How do I file a complaint against a funeral home in California?

Contact the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau, which licenses funeral homes and crematories. You can use its online complaint form, email or mail a printed form, or call 1-800-952-5210.

Can you scatter ashes in California?

Yes. Under Health and Safety Code 7116, you can scatter ashes where no local rule forbids it, with written permission from the landowner or managing agency, as long as they are out of the container and not noticeable to the public.

Can you keep ashes at home in California?

Yes. Health and Safety Code 7054.6 lets you keep ashes in a durable container at a home, with a permit for disposition from the local registrar.

Is water cremation legal in California?

Yes. California has licensed alkaline hydrolysis facilities since July 1, 2020, under AB 967, and the remains are handled under the same rules as cremated remains.

Is human composting legal in California?

Natural organic reduction was authorized by AB 351 in 2022, and California begins licensing reduction facilities on January 1, 2027. From that date, the resulting soil can be used on land with the owner's written permission.

Where these prices come from

Every funeral home must give an itemized General Price List to anyone who asks. Some post it on their website. We have the price lists of 368 California funeral homes, where a business with several locations often uses one list for all of them, and computed each service’s price from its line items, the same way for every home.

Homes that post prices online may charge less than homes that do not, so treat these figures as a guide and ask for the price list of any home you are considering.

Run a funeral home here and something has changed? Email support@lovekept.co and we will update or remove your listing. Download these figures (CSV), free to reuse with credit to Lovekept.

By the Lovekept editorial team. Prices last updated September 2026.

See all 368 funeral homes

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