SB 241: Funeral Directors; organic human reduction as a means of disposing of deceased human bodies; provide

Georgia law currently allows disposal of a dead body through burial, cremation, or donation to science, but has no category for organic human reduction, a process that converts a body into soil over a period of weeks. SB 241 adds this method throughout Georgia's funeral, health, and local government codes. It defines organic human reduction and requires the State Board of Funeral Service to license separate 'organic human reduction facilities,' which must meet space, equipment, and location standards similar to funeral homes and crematories. The bill extends existing identification, recordkeeping, and disposition-permit rules that apply to cremated remains so they also cover organically reduced remains, including affidavits verifying whose remains are in a container, rules for shipping and burial at sea, and procedures for unclaimed remains. It also updates definitions in Georgia's vital records and criminal codes so that organic human reduction is treated the same as cremation for purposes like death certificates and the crime of abandoning a dead body. The changes take effect July 1, 2025.

• Creates a new legal method of disposing of human remains in Georgia called organic human reduction, defined as the contained, accelerated conversion of a dead body into soil.
• Requires a separate state license for organic human reduction facilities, including minimum space, equipment (like an organic human reduction container and a hearse), and a 1,000-foot buffer from residential subdivisions for new stand-alone facilities.
• Extends existing identification tagging, affidavit, and recordkeeping rules that currently apply to cremated remains so they also apply to organically reduced remains.
• Requires a disposition permit for organic human reduction of a dead body or fetus, matching the permit already required for cremation.
• Allows organically reduced remains to be buried at sea and sets a process for notifying families and handling unclaimed remains, capping related fees at $100.
• Updates Georgia's abandonment-of-a-dead-body and abuse-of-a-dead-body laws so that scattering or otherwise disposing of organically reduced remains through lawful methods is not a crime.

Funeral directors, embalmers, and funeral establishments; new operators seeking to run organic human reduction facilities; families arranging final disposition of a loved one; the State Board of Funeral Service, which will license and inspect these facilities; county governments handling indigent burials; and veterans' organizations involved in unclaimed remains.

Georgians would gain a new legal option for what happens to a body after death, alongside burial and cremation. Families choosing this method would get the same identification, permit, and unclaimed-remains protections already used for cremated remains, while new facilities would face state licensing and location requirements before they can operate.

• Section 1-1 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-18-1 to define 'organic human reduction,' 'organic human reduction container,' 'organic human reduction facility,' and 'organically reduced remains,' and clarifies these are distinct from cremation.
• Section 1-3 extends the identification tag and affidavit requirements for cremated remains (O.C.G.A. § 43-18-8) to organically reduced remains, including labeling vessels and verifying identity before release.
• Section 1-9 adds new O.C.G.A. § 43-18-72.1, requiring organic human reduction facilities to be separately licensed, hold minimum equipment such as a hearse and processing station, and sit at least 1,000 feet from platted residential subdivisions (for new stand-alone facilities after July 1, 2025).
• Section 1-9 also requires organically reduced remains to be pulverized until no skeletal fragment is recognizable before being given to families or otherwise disposed of.
• Section 1-11 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-18-80 so unclaimed organically reduced remains follow the same 60-day and 30-day notice process as unclaimed cremated remains, capping disposal costs charged to the authorizing agent at $100.
• Section 2-3 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-10-20 to require a disposition permit for organic human reduction of a body or fetus, matching current cremation permit rules.
• Section 2-5 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-21-4 to allow burial at sea of organically reduced remains under the same rules that apply to cremated remains.
• Section 2-7 amends O.C.G.A. § 31-21-44.2 so that lawfully scattering or disposing of organically reduced remains is not the crime of abandonment of a dead body.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-09Act 82
3. 2025-05-09Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-31House Passed/Adopted (House)
6. 2025-03-31House Third Readers (House)
7. 2025-03-20House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
8. 2025-03-10House Second Readers (House)

• Rick Williams (R, SD-25)Primary sponsor
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-24)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-2)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-33)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 4, 2025

   52 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #150

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 31, 2025

   157 yea, 4 nay (3 not voting, 16 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #372

• funeral services
• human composting
• organic human reduction
• death certificates and vital records
• funeral industry licensing