How Long Should an Obituary Be? Length, Format and Layout

There is no required length for an obituary. In a newspaper, the price per line or inch is what sets the limit, and an online obituary can be as long as you like. Most follow the same order: the announcement, a short life story, the family, and the service details.

How long should an obituary be?

Legacy.com says length depends on where you publish. Print editions need brevity because of limited space, and online versions have no upper limit.

As a rough guide to planning, not a rule:

A death notice is a brief factual announcement. An obituary is a tribute that tells the person's story. Our guide on obituary vs death notice compares them.

How does length affect the price?

Many newspapers charge by the line or inch, not by the word, so a longer obituary and a longer list of survivors both cost more. Legacy.com's 2025 pricing examples show how fast it adds up:

Photos cost extra. Prices change, so ask the paper for a written quote based on your final text. Our guide to obituary cost covers prices and ways to pay less.

What is the standard format for an obituary?

Legacy.com's writing guides follow the same basic order. You can change it to suit the person.

1. The announcement. Full name (add a nickname or maiden name if people knew them by it), age, hometown, date and place of death.
2. The life story. Birth, parents, school, work, military service, faith, hobbies and community. Choose one or two real details that show what the person was like.
3. The family. Surviving relatives first, usually a spouse or partner, children, grandchildren and siblings. Then those who died before them.
4. The service details. Date, time and full address of the funeral or memorial, and whether it is open to everyone or private.
5. Donations or a closing line. If you want donations instead of flowers, give the charity's exact name.

A death notice is the first and fourth parts, plus a line or two of context. If you want a fill-in-the-blanks version, see our obituary template download.

What should you leave out?

Legacy.com advises against complete home addresses, full birthdates, and email addresses or phone numbers for family members. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says scammers read obituaries and call relatives posing as debt collectors.

Common limits families set:

• Give the age or birth year, not the full birth date.
• Name the city or town, not the street.
• Skip the mother's maiden name, which is a common security question answer.
• Avoid listing young grandchildren with their ages and towns.
• If the service is public, ask a friend to stay at the home while everyone is at it.

When should you publish an obituary?

As early as you can once the service details are set, so people have time to travel. Newspapers work to daily cutoffs, so check each paper's deadline before you plan. As one example, the New York Times placement guide on Legacy.com lists a text deadline of 4:30 p.m. the day before for Tuesday to Saturday editions, with photos due by noon.

A simple order of work:

1. Gather the facts: spellings of names, dates, places and service details.
2. Write the draft and have two people check it.
3. Ask the funeral home what it posts and submits.
4. Call each paper for a quote and deadline, then publish.
5. After the service, update the online version with any thank-you note or a link to photos.

How do you decide between print and online?

Print reaches the local community, but it is short-lived and often priced by the line. An online obituary has no length limit and can hold photos, and it can be updated later. Many families do both: a short print notice that points to a longer online tribute. Our online obituary platforms guide compares the main sites.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Writing a resume. Jobs and dates matter less than what the person was like. Add one detail only a close friend would know.
• Forgetting someone. Check the family list with more than one relative. Stepchildren, long-term partners and in-laws are easy to miss.
• Relying on clichés. "Loved the outdoors" says less than "walked the same trail every Sunday for forty years."
• Skipping the proofread. Names, dates and times are the most common errors, and corrections in print can cost money.
• Missing the deadline. If you miss a cutoff, the notice may run after the service.

What to do next

1. Pick a format: a short print notice, a full online obituary, or both.
2. Write the draft in the order above.
3. Check it with at least one other family member.
4. Get quotes and deadlines, then publish. For a full walkthrough, see how to write an obituary.

If you also plan to speak at the service, the Eulogy & Obituary Writing Kit has memory prompts and editable templates for both.