NBE Funeral Service Director

Answer: A - In most cases, embalming prior to public display is not required by state law.

No state has a requirement in place that requires a deceased body to be embalmed prior to burial. Some states may require that a body be either embalmed or refrigerated in cases where burial is not scheduled to take place immediately but such a standard is dictated on a state-by-state basis. All crematoriums operating in the country must meet the licensing standards for the state's in which they operate.