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Cremation cost in Georgia: prices from 76 funeral homes

Direct cremation in Georgia has a median price of $2,235 across the 74 funeral homes that price it, collected through September 2026. Burial costs are here too.

Direct cremation, median
$2,235

Direct cremation, median

Cremation with a memorial service, median
$3,150

Cremation with a memorial service, median

Funeral with viewing, then cremation, median
$6,590

Funeral with viewing, then cremation, median

What Georgia funeral homes charge

Direct cremation74 funeral homesMedian$2,235Most charge$1,319 to $3,500
Cremation with a memorial service (services, before urn)53 funeral homesMedian$3,150Most charge$2,019 to $4,285
Funeral with viewing, then cremation (services, before urn)27 funeral homesMedian$6,590Most charge$5,200 to $8,475
Immediate burial48 funeral homesMedian$4,740Most charge$3,080 to $6,360
Traditional funeral (services, before casket and cemetery)53 funeral homesMedian$6,095Most charge$4,718 to $8,014

“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.

Georgia has about 422 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 Georgia 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.

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA33 funeral homesMedian$2,175Most charge$1,311 to $3,363
Rest of Georgia41 funeral homesMedian$2,425Most charge$1,375 to $3,690

What to know in Georgia

Cremation rules in Georgia

  • Georgia gives the right to arrange a cremation first to the health care agent named in the person's Georgia advance directive for health care (O.C.G.A. 31-21-7, 31-32-2).
  • For someone who died while serving in the armed forces, the person named on their DD Form 93 comes next.
  • After that, the right passes in this order: a person the deceased named in a notarized affidavit, the surviving spouse, the only child or a majority of the children, the parents, the only sibling or a majority of the siblings, the only grandparent or a majority of the grandparents, a guardian appointed before the death, the personal representative of the estate, and then more distant next of kin.
Read more
  • A person who does not use the right within 2 days of being told of the death, or within 3 days of the death, whichever is earlier, loses it to the next person in line.
  • The right is also lost by anyone charged with murder or voluntary manslaughter in the death, and by a spouse when a divorce petition was pending at the time of death.
  • When people with an equal right cannot agree by majority, the probate court of the county where the person lived can decide, and paying for the funeral does not by itself give anyone a stronger claim.
  • The funeral director, or whoever first takes custody of the body, must get a disposition permit before a cremation, issued in the county where the death happened, and the local registrar there must make permits available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (O.C.G.A. 31-10-20).
  • The permit cannot be issued until the cause of death is certified, the attending physician approves, or, for a death the coroner or medical examiner must look into, that official approves (DPH Rule 511-1-3-.23).
  • Deaths by violence, suicide, apparent drug overdose, or suddenly in apparent good health must be reported to the county coroner or medical examiner, as must the death of anyone a physician had not seen for the illness in the prior 60 days, unless they were in a licensed hospice (O.C.G.A. 45-16-24).
  • If the cause of death cannot be determined within 48 hours, the body cannot be cremated until the attending physician, coroner, or medical examiner authorizes it (O.C.G.A. 31-10-15).
  • The funeral director who first takes custody of the body must file the death certificate within 72 hours (O.C.G.A. 31-10-15).
Sources (7)

Fees you will pay in Georgia

  • A certified copy of a Georgia death certificate costs $25, and each additional copy costs $5 (Georgia Department of Public Health fee schedule, page updated March 11, 2026).
  • The Department of Public Health sets uniform fees for the State Office of Vital Records and the county vital records offices, so the price is the same in every county (O.C.G.A. 31-10-27).
  • Certified copies go to the spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or someone with a tangible interest such as a beneficiary or insurer.
Read more
  • Anyone else can order a plain paper copy of a Georgia death record, with the Social Security number removed.
  • In Fulton County, the Medical Examiner's Office does not issue death certificates; families get them from the funeral home or from Fulton County Vital Records at 141 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta (404-613-1260).
Sources (4)

Help paying for a cremation

  • When the person who died and their family are indigent, the county where the death occurred must pay for a decent cremation, burial, or other final disposition, in an amount the county sets but no more than the actual cost (O.C.G.A. 36-12-5).
  • Fulton County runs its program through DFCS for people who died in Fulton County, paying an amount set by the Board of Commissioners; call the Indigent Burial Coordinator at 404-505-3767.
  • Columbus provides burial or cremation for people with no assets or no apparent family who qualify through DFACS, and keeps the ashes of those cremated permanently in its care.
Read more
  • The Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program pays up to $6,000 for funeral expenses, or $3,000 for crimes before May 6, 2015, within a $25,000 limit per victim.
  • The crime must have been reported within 72 hours, and for crimes since July 1, 2014 a claim is due within 3 years of the crime or the death, unless good cause is shown.
  • Georgia's two state veterans cemeteries, in Milledgeville and Glennville, charge nothing for the plot, vault, niche, marker, or use of the committal chapel.
  • The vaults there are double-depth, for the veteran and a spouse or dependent, and if the veteran's cremated remains are buried there, the spouse or dependent must also choose burial of cremated remains.
  • When a cremation authorization is signed, the funeral director must ask whether the person was a veteran (O.C.G.A. 43-18-9).
Sources (8)

Price lists and your rights

  • The State Board of Funeral Service can discipline a funeral director whose charges do not match the funeral home's general price list, casket price list, outer burial container list, or funeral service contract price list (O.C.G.A. 43-18-46).
  • Board rules require the funeral director in charge to give every customer a written, signed contract and to keep it at the funeral home for 3 years (Rule 250-6-.09).
  • When insurance benefits assigned to a funeral home are more than the bill, the extra must be turned over to the deceased's assignee within 10 working days, and an insurer's overpayment must be refunded (O.C.G.A. 43-18-46).
Read more
  • Georgia funeral homes may not take part in burial societies, burial associations, burial certificate plans, or burial membership plans.
  • When you prepay for funeral services or cash advance items, 100% of the price must go into a trust or escrow account no later than 30 days after the end of the month it was paid (O.C.G.A. 10-14-7).
  • For prepaid merchandise other than a casket, such as an urn or an outer burial container, the seller must deposit at least 35% of the sales price, and for a casket at least 100%.
  • When prepaid funeral service money is held in an individual trust account under O.C.G.A. 10-14-7.1 and the funeral home does not provide the services, the trust money is returned to your designee or estate, less taxes and a 3% administrative charge.
  • A preneed or cemetery contract must show on its signature page the purchase price, the amount placed in trust, whether more costs will come at the time of need, and the Secretary of State's phone number for questions and complaints (O.C.G.A. 10-14-18).
  • The seller must also give you its cancellation and refund policy and a good faith estimate of all fees you will owe to use what you bought.
  • The State Board of Funeral Service must investigate a complaint within 30 days, and must notify the Attorney General and the county sheriff within 7 days if it finds a possible felony or a possible violation of the state rules on selling funeral and cemetery goods and contracts (O.C.G.A. 43-18-10, 10-14-17, 10-14-18).
  • Complaints about unfair or deceptive practices by a funeral provider can also go to the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at consumer.ga.gov or 404-651-8600.
  • The Consumer Protection Division notes that embalming is not legally required in Georgia, and that burial vaults and grave liners are not required by state law.
Sources (8)

What Georgia cemeteries charge for ashes

  • City of Savannah cemeteries charge $750 to inter ashes at the standard rate, $625 at the prime rate, and $950 on a Sunday or holiday (2026 fee schedule).
  • Placing ashes in a Savannah columbarium costs $750 standard, $525 prime, or $950 on a Sunday or holiday.
  • Savannah's prime rate applies when fees are paid, orders signed, and the service arranged at least 24 business hours ahead, for a Tuesday to Friday service between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Read more
  • A cremation space in a Savannah city cemetery costs $680, and a Columbarium 104 space costs $1,250 standard or $1,450 prime, including perpetual care and a $20 recording fee.
  • Savannah offers temporary urn storage for a $1,500 refundable deposit plus $1 a day, $25 a month, or $250 a year.
  • In Columbus city cemeteries, burying ashes in a family's own lot costs $300 on weekdays and $500 on weekends, and there is a $25 application and recording fee, according to the city's cemetery page.
  • Placing ashes in the Columbus Veteran's Columbarium costs $100 on weekdays and $200 on weekends, and long term storage in a marked drawer there costs $25.
Sources (3)

Scattering ashes in Georgia

  • Georgia law says scattering cremated remains is not the crime of abandoning a dead body (O.C.G.A. 31-21-44.2).
  • In Georgia state parks and historic sites, scattering ashes is prohibited except under conditions the site manager sets, so ask the park office first (DNR Rule 391-5-1-.04).
  • Georgia allows ashes to be buried at sea at least 3 miles from shore, out of their container, within 50 days of the cremation, and the person must file a verified statement with the local registrar in the county nearest the spot (O.C.G.A. 31-21-4).
Read more
  • The person who authorizes a cremation must give the crematory a signed statement of what will happen to the ashes, if known (O.C.G.A. 43-18-80).
  • Ashes may be shipped only by a method with internal tracking and a receipt signed by the person who accepts them.
  • The ashes come back with a sworn affidavit from the crematory's funeral director stating that the container holds substantially the remains of the person named on its label (O.C.G.A. 43-18-8).
  • If ashes go unclaimed for 60 days after the cremation, the funeral home or crematory must send notice, and 30 days later it may inter, scatter, or store them; any cost to inter or scatter them falls on the person who authorized the cremation but may not exceed $100 (O.C.G.A. 43-18-80).
  • If the person was a veteran, unclaimed ashes are held at least 60 days, then after a written notice and 30 more days the funeral director contacts a veterans' organization to arrange burial in a state or national veterans' cemetery (O.C.G.A. 43-18-9).
Sources (6)

Water cremation and composting

  • Georgia defines cremation to include chemical processes, and HB 124 (2021) defined a cremation device as a retort, vat, or container that uses traditional flame, alkaline hydrolysis, or another method the State Board of Funeral Service approves (O.C.G.A. 43-18-1).
  • That definition took effect May 4, 2021, so water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) is treated in Georgia as a form of cremation.
  • Human composting became legal in Georgia on July 1, 2025, under Senate Bill 241, which calls it organic human reduction: the contained, accelerated conversion of dead human bodies to soil.
Read more
  • An organic human reduction facility needs its own license from the State Board of Funeral Service, and a new stand-alone facility may not be within 1,000 feet of a recorded residential subdivision (O.C.G.A. 43-18-72.1).
  • Board Rule 250-6-.10, effective June 10, 2026, requires yearly inspections of human composting facilities and lab testing of the soil before it is released.
  • Organic human reduction needs the same disposition permit as a cremation, and the soil may be scattered or buried at sea under the same Georgia rules as ashes (O.C.G.A. 31-10-20, 31-21-4, 31-21-44.2).
Sources (5)

Checked against these sources in October 2026.

Georgia cremation questions

Who has the legal right to decide on cremation in Georgia?

The health care agent named in a Georgia advance directive comes first. After that come the DD Form 93 designee for a service member, a person named in a notarized affidavit, the spouse, the only child or a majority of the children, the parents, and other relatives in the order set by O.C.G.A. 31-21-7.

How long does a family have to make cremation arrangements in Georgia?

A person with the right to decide who does not act within 2 days of being told of the death, or within 3 days of the death, whichever is earlier, loses that right to the next person in line.

How much is a death certificate in Georgia?

The first certified copy costs $25 and each additional copy costs $5. The state sets the same fees for the state office and every county vital records office.

Who can get a certified death certificate in Georgia?

The spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or someone with a tangible interest such as a beneficiary. Anyone else can get a plain paper copy with the Social Security number removed.

Will a Georgia county help pay for a cremation?

Yes, when the person and family are indigent. Georgia law requires the county where the death occurred to pay for a decent cremation or burial, in an amount the county sets; in Fulton County, apply through the DFCS Indigent Burial Coordinator at 404-505-3767.

Does Georgia victims compensation cover funeral costs?

Yes. The Crime Victims Compensation Program pays up to $6,000 toward funeral expenses for crimes on or after May 6, 2015, within an overall limit of $25,000 per victim.

What happens to money paid for a prepaid funeral in Georgia?

The full price of prepaid funeral services must go into a trust or escrow account within 30 days after the end of the month it was paid. If the money is in an individual funeral trust account and the funeral home does not provide the services, it goes back to your designee or estate, less taxes and a 3% administrative charge.

Where do I report a Georgia funeral home?

The State Board of Funeral Service must investigate a complaint within 30 days. For unfair or deceptive practices you can also contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at consumer.ga.gov or 404-651-8600.

How much does it cost to bury ashes in a Savannah cemetery?

Under the 2026 schedule, City of Savannah cemeteries charge $750 to inter ashes at the standard rate, $625 at the prime rate, and $950 on Sundays and holidays. A cremation space costs $680.

What does Columbus, Georgia charge to inter ashes?

Burying ashes in a lot you own costs $300 on weekdays and $500 on weekends, plus a $25 application and recording fee. The Veteran's Columbarium charges $100 on weekdays and $200 on weekends.

Can you scatter ashes in a Georgia state park?

Only with permission. Georgia DNR rules prohibit scattering ashes in state parks and historic sites except under conditions set by the site manager.

What happens to unclaimed ashes in Georgia?

After 60 days the funeral home or crematory must send a notice. If no one responds within 30 days, it may inter, scatter, or store the ashes, and any cost to inter or scatter them charged to the person who authorized the cremation is capped at $100.

Is human composting legal in Georgia?

Yes. Senate Bill 241 made organic human reduction legal on July 1, 2025, and the State Board of Funeral Service adopted inspection and soil testing rules effective June 10, 2026.

Can you do water cremation in Georgia?

Yes. Since May 4, 2021, Georgia law has counted a vat or container that uses alkaline hydrolysis as a cremation device.

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 76 Georgia 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 76 funeral homes

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