CHAPTER 3.5. Requirements for Burials [8113. - 8113.7.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 3.5.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113. Section 8113.

(a) This chapter shall apply to all cemeteries, including, but not limited to, public cemeteries, private cemeteries, and cemeteries operated by religious organizations, or fraternal or beneficial associations or societies. (b) This chapter shall supersede any conflicting rules or regulations established by any entity that manages or operates a cemetery in this state, including, but not limited to, a city, a county, a city and county, a public cemetery district, a cemetery authority, a private corporation, or any organization, association, or society managing or operating a cemetery.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.1. Section 8113.1.

(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), there shall be no less than 18 inches of dirt or turf on top of all vaults or caskets as measured at the time of burial. (b) Cremated remains placed in an urn or urn vault and covered with at least three-quarters of an inch of concrete, brass, granite, marble, or metal plate, affixed to the urn or urn vault shall be exempt from the requirement of subdivision (a). (c) In the case of consensual double burials, the casket or vault that is on top shall be covered with at least 12 inches of dirt or turf as measured at the time of burial. (d) In a case of extreme hardship, upon request of the next of kin or other person responsible for making the burial arrangements for the deceased, a burial of less than 18, but not less than 12 inches may be provided.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.3. Section 8113.3.

(a) This chapter shall not apply to mausoleums, crypts, vaults, or other burial structures designed and constructed to be installed without an earthen cover. (b) Preexisting and presold vaults and lawn crypts that were in place on January 1, 1993, or for which sales agreements have been executed prior to that date, shall not be subject to this chapter.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.4. Section 8113.4.

Cemeteries shall be liable for the costs of reburial of any remains improperly interred in already occupied graves or interred with less than the amount of turf, dirt, or other covering, as required by this chapter, for burials occurring after January 1, 1993.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.5. Section 8113.5.

(a) Except with the express written permission of the person entitled to control the disposition of the remains, or in the case of a double burial consented to by both parties, no person shall knowingly or willfully inter the remains of more than one body in a single plot, or place a casket or other human remains in an already occupied grave. (b) Violation of subdivision (a) is a crime punishable as follows: (1) A first offense, or a second offense not committed within a year of the first, is punishable as a misdemeanor by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year. (2) A second offense committed within a year of the first offense is punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code. (3) A third or subsequent offense shall be punishable as a felony by imprisonment pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 1170 of the Penal Code.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.6. Section 8113.6.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any cemetery that violates any of the requirements of this chapter shall be subject to disciplinary action by the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 8113.7. Section 8113.7.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the statute of limitations for any individual’s criminal violation of Section 8113.5 shall begin to run at the time the violation is discovered.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026