After a loss

Is embalming required?

What it is, when it's usually not needed, and what the alternatives are.

Current as of October 2026. Laws and figures can change — see full disclaimer.

Embalming is a treatment that slows the natural changes to a body after death. A funeral home replaces the blood with chemical fluids, usually so the person looks more natural at an open-casket viewing. It doesn't preserve a body permanently.

Many people assume embalming is required by law. In most cases it isn't.

What the law usually says

Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, a federal rule that protects people buying funeral services, a funeral home can't say embalming is legally required when it isn't, and it needs permission before embalming and charging for it. No state requires embalming for every death.

Some states do require embalming or refrigeration if a burial is delayed past a certain time, or for some types of transport, such as shipping a body by airline. The rules vary by state.

When funeral homes often ask for it

• A public viewing with an open casket. Many funeral homes require embalming for this as their own policy.
• A long gap before the funeral

When it usually isn't needed

• Direct cremation
• Immediate burial
• A short private family viewing, which some funeral homes allow without embalming
• Green burial, where embalming is usually not allowed

Refrigeration, keeping the body cool until the service, is the common alternative. The National Funeral Directors Association put the median cost of embalming at $845 in 2023.