Ask for prices and keep the paperwork.
- By phone: funeral providers must answer price questions. You do not have to give your name or contact information first.
- In person: you must receive a General Price List to keep when discussion of funeral arrangements, goods, services, or prices begins.
- After selecting arrangements: receive a written statement of selected goods and services, individual prices, and the total before payment.
You can ask for an emailed price list, but the federal Funeral Rule does not itself require providers to email it or publish it online.
Source: FTC: Funeral Rule pricing and disclosure requirements ↗
Ask what is required—and why.
You can select individual goods and services, with applicable required charges explained. A provider cannot require a casket for direct cremation and must make an alternative container available. It cannot add a handling fee for a casket or urn purchased elsewhere.
Embalming is not automatically required for every death. Ask whether a recommendation is a legal requirement, a condition of the chosen service, or an optional choice, and request the written explanation.
Check the provider and raise concerns.
Use the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau’s consumer resources to reach license verification and the state consumer guide. Check the exact establishment or professional you are considering.
Keep the contract, price lists, receipts, and a dated description of any concern. The Bureau’s complaint page explains the businesses it regulates and how to file. Some cemeteries fall outside its licensing authority; ask who regulates the specific cemetery.
Source: California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau: complaints and jurisdiction ↗