Tracker: Where Is Aquamation Legal In The US?

Note: This page is updated to retain accuracy as a guide to where aquamation is legal in the US. Legislative changes are monitored and updates are reflected in the table below.

As people have become more concerned about the impact of their lives on the planet, attention has turned to environmental impacts at the end of life. As a result, green funeral options are available to more US citizens than ever before.

One of these options is aquamation, an eco-friendly funeral option that was first legalized in a US state at the beginning of the century. While processes like human composting have proved more popular and appealing, aquamation has been legalized in quite a number of states, details of which can be found below.

What is aquamation?

Aquamation is an alternative to burial and cremation which is friendlier to the planet. The process breaks down a body using pressure, heat, water and lye. At the end of the process there is a benign liquid called hydrolysate as well as bone remains.

The process is sometimes known as ‘water cremation’ due to the large volumes of water used, or ‘alkaline hydrolysis’ because of the lye (an alkaline solution). Aquamation is sometimes also referred to as ‘resomation’, ‘flameless cremation’ or ‘biocremation’.

You can read about the process in greater depth in our aquamation overview.

Where is aquamation legal?

Aquamation is legal in about 20 US states, having been first legalized in Minnesota in 2003.

While the process is legal in plenty of states, it is still difficult for most US citizens to choose aquamation as there are so few facilities. Many of the states that have legalized alkaline hydrolysis are yet to see providers who offer the process.

About Earth

At Earth, we provide soil transformation services. Like aquamation, this is an environmentally-friendly alternative to cremation and traditional burial.

Sometimes known as human composting or natural organic reduction, soil transformation gently transforms a body into nutrient-rich soil. Families choose how much soil they’d like returned - to scatter or plant - with the remainder sent to local conservation sites for land restoration purposes.

Our process is appealing to nature lovers and those concerned about the future of the planet. If you’re interested in exploring sustainable funeral options, you can read more about our services and get an instant online quote.

We have plenty of green funeral resources on our website, including another legislation table showing the legal status of soil transformation and the progress of relevant bills across the US.