Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes > Chapter 90 > Article 13F - Cremations

• Authorizing agent: means a person legally entitled to authorize the cremation of human remains in accordance with N. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Board: means the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Body parts: means limbs or other portions of the anatomy that are removed from a person or human remains for medical purposes during treatment, surgery, biopsy, autopsy, or medical research; or human bodies or any portion thereof that have been donated to science for medical purposes. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Casket: means a rigid container that is designed for the encasement of human remains and that is usually constructed of wood, metal, or other material and ornamented and lined with fabric, and which may or may not be combustible. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Certificate of cremation: means a certificate provided by the crematory manager who performed the cremation containing, at a minimum, the following information:

  a. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121

• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Cremated remains: means all human remains recovered after the completion of the cremation process, including pulverization which leaves only bone fragments reduced to unidentifiable dimensions. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Cremation: means the technical process, using intense heat and flame, that reduces human remains to bone fragments. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Cremation chamber: means the enclosed space within which the cremation process takes place. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Cremation container: means the container in which the human remains are transported to the crematory or placed therein upon arrival for storage and placement in a cremation chamber for cremation. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Cremation society: means any person, firm, corporation, or organization that is affiliated with a crematory licensed under this Article and provides cremation information to consumers. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Crematory licensee: means the individual or legal entity that is licensed by the Board to operate a crematory and perform cremations. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Crematory manager: means the person who is responsible for the management and operation of the crematory. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Crematory technician: means any employee of a crematory licensee who has a certificate confirming that the crematory technician has attended a training course approved by the Board. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Final disposition: means the cremation and the ultimate interment, entombment, inurnment, or scattering of the cremated remains or the return of the cremated remains by the crematory licensee to the authorizing agent or such agent's designee as provided in this Article. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Holding and processing facility: means an area or areas that are designated for the retention of human remains prior to, and the retention and processing of cremated remains after, cremation; that comply with all applicable public health and environmental laws; preserve the health and safety of the crematory technician and other personnel of the crematory; and that are secure from access by anyone other than authorized persons. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Human remains: means the body of a deceased person, including a separate human fetus, regardless of the length of gestation, or body parts. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• in writing: may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters: Provided, that in all cases where a written signature is required by law, the same shall be in a proper handwriting, or in a proper mark. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Initial container: means a receptacle for cremated remains, for which the intended use and design is to hold cremated remains, usually composed of cardboard, plastic, or similar material that can be closed in a manner so as to prevent the leakage or spillage of the cremated remains or the entrance of foreign material and is a single container of sufficient size to hold the cremated remains. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• 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.
• Niche: means a compartment or cubicle for the memorialization or final disposition of an urn or container containing cremated remains. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Processing: means the removal of bone fragments from the cremation chamber for the reduction in size, labeling and packaging, and placing in an urn or initial container. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Pulverization: means the reduction of identifiable or unidentifiable bone fragments after the completion of the cremation to granulated particles by mechanical means. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Scattering area: means an area permitted by North Carolina law including, but not limited to, an area designated by a cemetery and located on dedicated cemetery property where cremated remains that have been removed from their container can be mixed with or placed on top of the soil or ground cover. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• United States: shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
• Urn: means a receptacle designed to permanently encase the cremated remains. See North Carolina General Statutes 90-210.121