News & updates: Funerals and cemeteries

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Funeral and cemetery permit, license, and endorsement expiration dates

September 1, 2023

What’s happening?

We're adjusting funeral and cemetery authority permits, licenses, and endorsement expiration dates. This change begins October 31, 2023. Professions and businesses affected are:

Professions

  • Alkaline Hydrolysis Operator
  • Crematory Operator
  • Funeral Director
  • Embalmer
  • Natural Organic Operator

Businesses

  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery Prearrangement Sales License
  • Cemetery Limited Prearrangement Sales License
  • Final Disposition Permit 

What does this mean for you?

If you are in one of the listed groups, your license expiration date will change after October 31, 2023.

License/permit expiration dates

License type Application type Current expiration Future expiration
Professional license Embalmer Date of birth January 31 of each year
Professional license Funeral Director Date of birth January 31 of each year
Professional license Crematory Operator Date of birth January 31 of each year
Professional license Alkaline Hydrolysis Operator Date of birth January 31 of each year
Professional license Natural Organic Reduction Operator Date of birth January 31 of each year
Business permit Cemetery January 31 of each year March 31 of each year
Business permit Final Disposition January 31 of each year March 31 of each year

We'll provide example scenarios in future communications.

Combined licenses

You'll no longer be eligible for a combined license if you have:

  • Both a Funeral Director and an Embalmer Intern license, or
  • Both an Embalmer license and a Funeral Director Intern license.

This is because intern license expiration date rules are not changing. Here is a breakdown:

Renewing licenses expiring on or between August 1 - October 31, 2023

If you renew before October 31, 2023:

  • Follow current rules and get a combined license.

If you renew after the implementation date:

  • A data fix will update your licenses as follows:
    • Your Funeral Director or Embalmer license will expire January 31, 2025.
    • Your Intern license expiration date won't change. It will still expire on your birthday. We'll email you a notice with new separate licenses.

Renewing a license expiring November 1, 2023, or later

  • The Funeral Director or Embalmer license will show the new expiration date according to the new rules.
  • The Funeral Director Intern or Embalmer Intern license will show the new expiration date according to the old rules. It will still expire on your birthday.
  • These will be separate licenses.

Why is this change happening?

Because you asked! You, our customers, requested this change. It aligns business requirements that are due to state and federal agencies each year. Changing the expiration date allows you to simplify your annual renewal deadline.

The new law also brings consistency across several licenses when submitting renewal paperwork. We supported this submission as it helps reduce this repeated process.

What are we doing?

We're working on the system changes needed to put in place the expiration date change by October 31, 2023.

We've posted an alert across the effected licensee/permit webpages under Professional Licenses. We're drafting changes to these pages to reflect the new expiration dates. We expect this to be complete before implementation.

Questions?

Please contact us at funerals@dol.wa.gov or 360-664-1555.


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