---
title: HB 1392. Funeral establishments; maintain at least eight caskets at each of its locations; revise requirement
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1392
cite_as: HB 1392, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1392
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1392.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1392/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73430
date: 2026-02-24
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1391.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1393.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 199
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1392.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1392
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-19
last_action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
sponsors:
- Mary Ann Santos
- Floyd Griffin
- Patty Stinson
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1392/2025
upstream_id: 2120615
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- funeral homes
- funeral establishment regulations
- casket requirements
- professional licensing
---
# HB 1392. Funeral establishments; maintain at least eight caskets at each of its locations; revise requirement
## Text
The House Committee on Regulated Industries offers the following substitute to HB 1392:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 43-18-70 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
requirement to only practice at licensed funeral establishment, organic human reduction
facility, or crematory and requirements of funeral establishments, so as to revise the
requirement that a funeral establishment maintain at least eight caskets at each of its
locations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 43-18-70 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to requirement
to only practice at licensed funeral establishment, organic human reduction facility, or
crematory and requirements of funeral establishments, is amended to read as follows:
"43-18-70.
(a) No embalmer or funeral director shall engage in the practice of embalming or funeral
directing at a funeral establishment, organic human reduction facility, or crematory which
is not licensed by the board.
(b) A funeral establishment must shall be at a specified street address or location and must
have the following minimum facilities and equipment:
(1) A room with adequate seating for a minimum of 30 people in which funeral services
may be conducted;
(2) A preparation room equipped with a nonporous, sanitary floor flooring and walls, and
necessary drainage and ventilation and containing necessary instruments and supplies for
the preparation and embalming of dead human bodies;
(3) A display room containing actual caskets or models, mock-ups, or sections of caskets
or similar items if all such caskets are available and in stock for purchase at the
establishment or can be delivered within 24 hours. Each funeral establishment shall
maintain on the premises at each of its locations an adequate stock of funeral caskets
which shall not be less than eight one and which shall meet such other criteria as
necessary to protect the public;
(4) At least one operable motor hearse which is either owned or leased by the
establishment and which has a current Georgia registration; and
(5) At least one church truck.
(c) The board may adopt and enforce such rules as may be reasonable and proper to define
such necessary drainage, ventilation, and nonporous, sanitary flooring and walls and
necessary and suitable instruments, supplies, and merchandise in a funeral establishment.
(d) If a funeral director resides in a funeral establishment to be accessible to the
community for purposes of satisfying the requirements of funeral director in full and
continuous charge, the living quarters in the funeral establishment shall include, at a
minimum, furnished sleeping quarters, cooking, refrigerating, and bathing facilities."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
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.
### Plain-language summary
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 it 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.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-19)
- Last action: House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (2026-02-24)
- Sponsors: Mary Ann Santos, Floyd Griffin, Patty Stinson
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73430
> The history, votes, and amendments (199 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1392.md?full=1