AZ Funeral Juris cheat sheet

Licensing authority: the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) issues funeral establishment, funeral director, embalmer, and crematory licenses and registrations under A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 12.

Funeral establishments must hold a current ADHS license before advertising or conducting funerals; a separate crematory license or endorsement is required to operate a retort on the premises.

Funeral director and embalmer credentials are obtained by application, education, and examination; both credentials require continuing education for renewal.

Continuing education for renewal is measured in clock hours per renewal cycle, with defined subject areas; documentation must be retained and produced on audit.

A licensed establishment must designate a licensed funeral director in charge, who is responsible for day-to-day compliance with statutes and rules.

Change-of-ownership, change of location, or change of the director in charge must be reported to ADHS within the timeframe set by rule; unlicensed operation is a violation.

ADHS inspects funeral establishments and crematories; deficiencies found on inspection must be corrected within the period stated in the inspection report.

Disciplinary actions available to ADHS include denial, suspension, revocation, probation, civil penalties, and consent agreements; grounds are enumerated in statute.

Records of funerals, embalming, and dispositions must be maintained for the retention period set by statute and made available to ADHS on request.

A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 12 governs funeral services, including licensing, practice standards, prearranged funeral agreements, and disposition of human remains.

A prearranged funeral agreement must be in writing, disclose the goods and services and their prices, and state how funds are held; funds are held in trust until the goods or services are provided.

A purchaser may cancel a prearranged funeral agreement within the statutory cancellation period and receive a refund as prescribed; the agreement must disclose this right.

If a provider cannot or will not furnish the contracted goods or services, funds must be applied to the cost of equivalent goods or services or refunded to the beneficiary.

A written statement of funeral goods and services selected, with itemized prices and the total, must be given to the person arranging the funeral before services are provided.

A general price list must be available for inspection and a copy given to anyone who asks in person about arrangements or prices.

Embalming is not required by Arizona law in every case; if embalming is not required, the consumer must be told that it is not required and why it may be offered.

Disposition of human remains requires authority from the legally authorized person; the statute sets an order of priority among surviving relatives and other authorized persons.

Cremation requires written authorization from the legally authorized person, and the crematory must obtain identification and confirm the identity before cremation.