Oregon Funeral Costs: What to Expect and What the Law Says

No Oregon agency publishes an average funeral price, so the best benchmark is national. The National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 survey found a median of $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial and $6,280 for one with viewing and cremation. Your actual bill depends on the funeral home, the type of service and any cemetery charges, which is why comparing written price lists matters more than any average.

How much does a funeral cost in Oregon?

Here are the most reliable figures available. They are national, because no state body or industry group appears to publish verified Oregon-wide prices.

The NFDA medians cover the funeral home's services, a casket or ceremony, and related items. They do not include the cemetery plot, the opening and closing fee or a marker. Direct cremation, which has no viewing or service, costs much less than either figure, but Oregon funeral homes set their own prices.

The price you will actually pay is on the funeral home's General Price List. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you prices over the phone without asking for your name or address, and give you a written list to keep. Call at least three, including ones outside your town. Our guide to the General Price List explains each line, and funeral home fees covers the basic services fee, which you cannot decline.

What does the funeral home not charge for?

Some costs are paid to other people, often through the funeral home as "cash advance" items. Ask for them to be listed separately.

• the cemetery plot, the opening and closing fee and a headstone or marker (see cemetery plot costs and opening and closing fees)
• a grave liner or vault, which most cemeteries require under their own rules (see grave liners vs vaults)
• certified death certificates
• an obituary, flowers, and payments to clergy or musicians

You do not have to buy a casket from the funeral home. The FTC says a provider cannot refuse a casket or urn you bought elsewhere, or charge a fee to handle it. See buying a casket online.

Is embalming required in Oregon?

No. The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board's rules say embalming is not required, and an embalmer must have permission from the person in charge before embalming. The FTC makes the same point nationally: no state requires routine embalming for every death.

There is a time limit, though. If remains are held longer than 24 hours, they must be embalmed or refrigerated at 36 degrees F or lower. The same rule says final disposition must happen within ten days after a licensed funeral establishment takes possession, unless the Board is told about an extension. Many funeral homes require embalming for an open-casket viewing as their own policy, so ask about a private viewing with refrigeration instead. See embalming and the law.

Cremation and green options in Oregon

For cremation, a funeral home that offers cremation must make an alternative container available under the FTC Funeral Rule. The crematory also needs written permission from the person with the right to control disposition. Start with direct cremation and compare it with burial in cremation vs burial cost.

Oregon law also defines two newer methods as forms of final disposition:

• Alkaline hydrolysis, often called water cremation or aquamation, which uses heat, pressure, water and a base chemical to reduce remains. See aquamation vs cremation.
• Natural organic reduction, often called human composting, which converts remains to soil. See human composting in Oregon.

Legal does not mean available on every block. Ask each funeral home which methods it offers itself and which it arranges through a partner, and get the price in writing. For green burial in a natural setting, the Green Burial Council certifies cemeteries, funeral homes and products, and its directory lets you look for certified ones. Our green burial guide covers what to expect.

Who decides about the funeral?

Oregon law gives an adult the right to direct their own disposition in writing. If there is no direction, ORS 97.130 sets an order: spouse, adult child, parent, adult sibling, guardian at the time of death, next closest relative, the estate's personal representative, the person named in a will, and finally a public health officer. A DD Form 93 supersedes any other written instrument, whatever its date.

You can also delegate the decision to another adult in a signed written instrument, or on a DD Form 93, the military's emergency data record. A person arrested or charged with criminal homicide in the death cannot direct the remains. If relatives disagree, a written direction from the person who died gives the funeral home clear instructions, which is one reason to put wishes on paper ahead of time. Our guide to helping parents pre-plan shows how to start the conversation.

Death certificates in Oregon

The Oregon Health Authority charges $25 for each certified copy, and $25 for every additional copy. Online and phone orders go through VitalChek and add vendor and expedite fees, while mail and drop-box orders are $25 per copy. The funeral home usually files the death report, and you then order certified copies for banks, insurers and the VA. How many you need depends on how many accounts and policies there are, which how many death certificates you need explains.

Ways to pay and get help

• Life insurance and the estate. See who pays for a funeral and when the estate pays.
• Social Security. A one-time $255 death payment is available to certain survivors; see the Social Security death benefit.
• Veterans. The VA provides a gravesite, opening and closing, a headstone or marker and a burial flag at no cost in a national cemetery for eligible veterans. The family still pays for the funeral. See veterans burial benefits and the VA burial allowance.
• Indigent disposition. Under ORS 97.170, when a person has no death benefits and no relative able or willing to arrange disposition within ten days of notice, the Mortuary and Cemetery Board reimburses the funeral establishment for a reasonable, low-cost disposition. It is not a grant to families, and the body may be cremated or donated.
• Other options. Our guides to government funeral help and what to do if you cannot afford a funeral cover county help, crowdfunding and payment plans.

Scattering ashes in Oregon waters

For the ocean, EPA rules require cremated remains to be scattered at least three nautical miles from land, and you must report to the EPA within 30 days. Only decomposable flowers and wreaths can be placed in the water. The EPA says states may regulate inland waters such as lakes and rivers, so check with the managing agency before scattering in one. See scattering ashes for more.

What to do next

1. Ask three funeral homes for their General Price Lists and compare the same service line by line.
2. Find out who has the right to decide under ORS 97.130, and get any written instructions.
3. Order the number of certified death certificates you need at $25 each.
4. If something goes wrong with a licensed funeral establishment, you can contact the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, which licenses them.