Federal law gives you specific rights when you buy funeral goods and services. The FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) applies to funeral homes nationwide, including in Orlando. Knowing these rights helps you compare prices and avoid paying for things you do not want.
1. You can get prices by phone
Funeral homes must give you accurate price information over the phone if you ask. You do not have to give your name or address.
2. You get a General Price List (GPL)
When you meet in person to discuss arrangements, the funeral home must give you a written, itemized General Price List that you may keep. It lists the price of each good and service the funeral home offers.
- Before showing you caskets, it must show you a Casket Price List.
- Before showing outer burial containers (vaults), it must show an Outer Burial Container Price List.
3. You can choose only what you want
You may select individual goods and services instead of a package. The one exception is the basic services fee for the funeral director and staff, which the funeral home may charge to everyone. If a law or a cemetery requires you to buy a particular item, the funeral home must tell you in writing which law or requirement applies.
4. Embalming is not required in most cases
- Except in special cases, embalming is not required by law. The General Price List must say so.
- A funeral home may not charge for embalming unless you approved it (or it was required by law).
- A funeral home may require embalming for certain services, such as a public viewing, and must tell you that you can choose arrangements that do not require it, such as direct cremation or immediate burial.
Read more: do I have to embalm my loved one?
5. Alternative containers for cremation
A casket is not required for direct cremation. Funeral homes that offer direct cremation must tell you that an alternative container (such as unfinished wood, pressed wood, fiberboard or cardboard) can be used and must make one available.
6. You can use a casket or urn bought elsewhere
The funeral home may not refuse, or charge a fee to handle, a casket or urn you bought somewhere else, and may not require you to be present when it is delivered.
7. No false claims
A funeral home may not claim that embalming or a particular casket or vault will preserve the body indefinitely, or that any law requires you to buy something that it does not.
8. Cash advance items
Items the funeral home buys for you from others (such as death certificates, obituary notices, flowers or clergy honoraria) are “cash advance items.” If the funeral home adds a charge or receives a discount or rebate on them, it must tell you.
9. A written, itemized statement
At the end of the arrangement discussion, the funeral home must give you a written statement listing each good and service you selected, the price of each, and the total.
Compare price lists side by side
Enter prices from each General Price List to compare totals. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Florida consumer protection
Funeral homes, cemeteries and pre-need sales in Florida are regulated by the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services, under Chapter 497, Florida Statutes. The division accepts consumer complaints and can confirm whether a funeral establishment or funeral director is licensed.
Official sources
- FTC: Shopping for Funeral Services
- The Funeral Rule, 16 CFR Part 453
- Florida Division of Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services
This article is general information about Florida funeral practices, not legal advice. Florida law regulates the handling, transportation, cremation and disposition of human remains, and requirements can depend on the circumstances. For advice about a specific situation, speak with a licensed Florida funeral director or an attorney. Editorial policy.