Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1392: Funeral establishments; maintain at least eight caskets at each of its locations; revise requirement
Last action February 24, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would lower the minimum number of caskets a funeral establishment must keep in stock at each location from eight to one, while making a few other wording changes to state funeral rules.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 43-18-70) requires every licensed funeral establishment to keep a display room stocked with at least eight actual caskets, models, or sections available for purchase or delivery within 24 hours. This bill would cut that minimum to just one casket per location, as long as the establishment still meets other criteria set to protect the public. The bill also makes small technical edits: it changes wording so a funeral establishment 'shall' rather than 'must' be at a specified address, refers to preparation room 'flooring' instead of 'floor,' and adds 'nonporous' to the list of qualities the state licensing board can define for sanitary flooring and walls. These changes would take effect once the bill becomes law and repeal any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Lowers the required minimum number of caskets a funeral establishment must keep in stock at each location from eight to one.
- Keeps the requirement that any caskets displayed as models or sections be available for purchase or deliverable within 24 hours.
- Adjusts minor wording in the law, changing 'must' to 'shall' regarding a funeral establishment's street address requirement.
- Changes 'floor' to 'flooring' and adds 'nonporous' as a described quality the licensing board can define for preparation room surfaces.
- Leaves unchanged the other facility requirements, including seating for 30 people, a hearse, and a church truck.
Who it affects
Funeral establishments and their owners across Georgia, who must maintain casket inventory to meet licensing rules, and the state funeral licensing board, which enforces these facility requirements and can define related standards.
Why it matters
Funeral homes would need to keep far fewer caskets physically in stock, potentially lowering their inventory costs, as long as other caskets remain available for quick delivery. This could affect how quickly customers see options in person versus through catalogs or delivery arrangements.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-18-70(b)(3) to reduce the minimum required casket stock at each funeral establishment location from eight to one.
- Section 1 also changes 'must' to 'shall' in subsection (b) regarding the requirement for a specified street address.
- Section 1 changes 'a...floor' to 'flooring' in the preparation room requirement of subsection (b)(2).
- Section 1 adds 'nonporous' to the sanitary flooring and walls criteria the board may define under subsection (c).
- Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the changes.
Discussed in meetings (3)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Regulated Industries Committee, February 23, 2026
From 0:18:46 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1392 would reduce the number of full-sized caskets funeral establishments must maintain from eight to four. The sponsor said families increasingly select from catalogs or digital displays, and the change would free space at smaller establishments without reducing choice or price transparency. A witness for W.D. Lemon and Sons Funeral Home supported giving funeral directors more flexibility, saying some families do not want to enter a selection room. A legislator who is also a funeral director supported four caskets so families would still have examples to view. One committee member questioned any minimum, and another proposed reducing the requirement to one. A member opposing that amendment said establishments should have enough caskets on hand for several deaths in a community. The amendment passed 5 to 4, and the committee then approved the amended bill by voice vote. Brief comments afterward questioned the number, but no further vote or change was recorded.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Mary Ann Santos (D, HD-117)
- Floyd Griffin (D, HD-149)
- Patty Marie Stinson (D, HD-150)
Topics
- funeral homes
- funeral establishment regulations
- casket requirements
- professional licensing