A. It is unlawful:

Attorney's Note

Under the Arizona Laws, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class 2 misdemeanorup to 4 monthsup to $750
For details, see § 13-707

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 32-1365

  • Alkaline hydrolysis: means a form of final disposition that includes all of the following:

    (a) Reducing a dead human body to essential elements through a water-based dissolution process using alkaline chemicals, heat, agitation and pressure to accelerate natural decomposition. See Arizona Laws 32-1301

  • Alternative container: means any unfinished wood box or other nonmetal receptacle or enclosure, without ornamentation or a fixed interior lining, that is designed for encasing human remains. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Casket: means a rigid container that is designed to permanently encase human remains and that is usually constructed of wood, metal or synthetic substances and ornamented and lined with fabric. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Crematory: means a building or portion of a building that is licensed pursuant to article 6 of this chapter and that houses a retort in which only human remains are cremated. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Director: means the director of the department. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Embalmer: means a person who is licensed pursuant to this chapter and who is engaged in embalming. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Embalming: means the implementation of reconstructive procedures and the process of disinfecting and preserving a dead human body to retard organic decomposition by treating the body to reduce the presence and growth of organisms. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Funeral director: means a person who is licensed pursuant to this chapter and who is engaged in funeral directing. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Funeral establishment: means a business at a specific location that is licensed pursuant to this chapter and that is devoted to the care, storage or preparation for final disposition or transportation of dead human bodies. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Human remains: means a lifeless human body or parts of a human body that allow a reasonable inference that death occurred. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Licensee: means a person to whom the department has issued a license under this chapter. See Arizona Laws 32-1301
  • Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215

1. For an embalmer or embalmer’s assistant who knows or should know of a fact that is sufficient to raise suspicion of a crime related to the cause of death or a crime against a dead human body to embalm a dead human body without the permission of the county medical examiner or any other proper official in whose jurisdiction the embalming is to be performed.

2. To disinter a dead human body for removal to any location other than the original cemetery of burial except under the direction of a licensed funeral director.

3. To use, for burial purposes, a casket that was previously used as a receptacle for the burial or other disposition of a dead human body.

4. To sell a casket that has been used for rental purposes unless fully disclosed in writing to the purchaser and at least the pillow and the mattress have been replaced.

5. For a funeral director or embalmer, or an agent of a funeral director or embalmer, after a death or while a death is impending, to knowingly pay, offer to pay or cause to be paid, directly or indirectly, a sum of money or any other valuable consideration for securing business relating to the death. This paragraph does not prohibit the payment of commissions to salespersons and funeral directors who are employed by a funeral establishment.

6. To knowingly pay, offer to pay or cause to be paid any commission, bonus, rebate or other consideration to a funeral director or embalmer, or to an agent or employee of a funeral director or embalmer, as an inducement to cause a dead human body to be unlawfully disposed of in a crematory or cemetery or to recommend the unlawful disposition of a dead human body in a crematory or cemetery.

7. For any funeral establishment or funeral director to advertise under any name that tends to mislead the public or that sufficiently resembles the professional or business name of another licensed funeral director or establishment as to cause confusion or misunderstanding.

8. For a funeral director or embalmer or an agent of a funeral director or embalmer responsible for directing the lawful disposition of a dead human body to hold a direct pecuniary or proprietary interest in a procurement organization as defined in section 36-841. This paragraph does not preclude reasonable payments to a funeral establishment or a licensee for preparing, transporting, preserving, storing and delivering a dead human body to a procurement organization as defined in section 36-841.

9. For a funeral establishment owner or operator to influence employees of the funeral establishment to direct human remains to a procurement organization in which the owner or operator of the funeral establishment has a direct pecuniary or proprietary interest.

10. For a procurement organization and a funeral establishment to operate on the same premises.

11. For a person who is licensed or registered pursuant to this chapter to place the human remains of one person, whether inside or outside of a container, including a body bag, casket, alternative container or alkaline hydrolysis vessel, in a location that is on top of the human remains of another person.

B. Unless another penalty is specifically provided, a person who intentionally and knowingly violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor.