The General Price List
The FTC Funeral Rule gives you a right to itemized prices before you buy.
When you talk to a funeral home, ask for the General Price List (GPL). If you visit in person, they must give you a written list you can keep. It itemizes goods and services so you can compare and decline what you do not want.
The dollar ranges on this site are typical local estimates for education. They are not a quote from a specific firm and not a contract. A range for your ZIP is a starting point. The GPL from the licensed firm you choose is the list that matters.
Rights under the Funeral Rule
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the rule. It applies to funeral homes, not to every third-party casket seller, and not to a cemetery that has no funeral home on site. You have the right to:
- Buy only the arrangements you want — you do not have to take a full package.
- Get price information by phone if you ask. You do not have to give your name first.
- Receive a written GPL when you visit, and a written itemized statement after you decide and before you pay.
- See a casket price list before you look at caskets, and an outer-container list if they sell vaults.
- Use an alternative container for cremation instead of a casket. No state requires a casket for cremation.
- Bring a casket or urn you bought elsewhere. They cannot refuse it or charge a fee to accept it.
- Make arrangements without embalming in most situations. Direct cremation does not require preservation.
Read the FTC’s own explainer: consumer.ftc.gov — The FTC Funeral Rule.
How to ask
You can say: “Please email or hand me your General Price List, including direct cremation and funeral with cremation.” Write down the date and the name of the person you spoke with. If prices are only read over the phone, ask them to repeat the direct-cremation package and what it excludes.
In California, you can also confirm that a funeral establishment or crematory is licensed through the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.
Cremation by ZIP is not a funeral home, crematory, or cemetery. We do not cremate, bury, or arrange services. Phone numbers, hours, and prices appear only when we have them from the provider or a published source. A missing price is not a quote of $0.