Green burial is a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact: the body is not embalmed with toxic chemicals, it is buried in a biodegradable shroud or casket, and the grave has no concrete vault, so the body can return to the soil naturally. It is legal throughout the US, and it is offered both by dedicated natural burial grounds and by conventional cemeteries that have set aside a green section.
What makes a burial "green"
There is no single legal definition, but most people and most certifying organizations agree on a few core practices:
- No embalming, or only with non-toxic, formaldehyde-free methods. Refrigeration or dry ice is used instead to care for the body before burial.
- A biodegradable container, such as a cloth shroud or a casket made of untreated wood, wicker, willow, bamboo, seagrass or cardboard.
- No burial vault or grave liner. The body is placed directly in the earth.
- Simple or natural grave markers, often a flat fieldstone, a native plant or a small engraved marker, depending on the cemetery.
- Care for the land itself, from avoiding pesticides to planting native species.
Many families are drawn to green burial for environmental reasons. Others choose it because it feels simpler, closer to older traditions or more personal, since families are often invited to take part in lowering the body and filling the grave.
Hybrid, natural and conservation burial grounds
The Green Burial Council, a nonprofit that sets standards for green burial in North America, certifies cemeteries at three levels. The same terms are widely used even by cemeteries that aren't certified.
| Type | What it means | Typical setting |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid burial ground | A conventional cemetery that allows burial without a vault, embalming or a non-biodegradable casket, often in a designated section | Existing municipal, church or private cemeteries |
| Natural burial ground | A cemetery dedicated to green burial, with no vaults, no embalming, biodegradable containers and a landscape managed with native plants | Meadows, woodlands, prairie |
| Conservation burial ground | A natural burial ground that also protects the land permanently, typically through a conservation easement held by a land trust or similar organization | Larger protected natural areas |
The Green Burial Council also certifies funeral homes and burial products, which can help families find providers who understand these practices.
In the directory, you can browse green cemeteries, which includes hybrid sections, and dedicated natural burial grounds. You can also narrow by state, for example green cemeteries in California.
What is and isn't allowed
Rules differ from one cemetery to the next, but these are the most common:
Usually allowed
- Shrouds, plain wooden caskets and other biodegradable containers
- Family participation in the burial, such as lowering the body or helping fill the grave
- Flat, natural or engraved fieldstone markers, where the cemetery permits them
- Religious and secular ceremonies of any kind
- Burial of cremated remains in many green cemeteries, sometimes in a separate area
Usually not allowed
- Conventional embalming with formaldehyde-based fluids
- Metal or exotic hardwood caskets with finishes, metal hardware or non-biodegradable linings
- Concrete vaults and grave liners
- Upright polished granite headstones (in most natural and conservation grounds)
- Non-native plants, artificial flowers or decorations left on the grave
Hybrid cemeteries are often more flexible about markers, since they sit inside a traditional cemetery.
Is green burial legal?
Yes. Green burial is legal in every state. A few points often cause confusion:
- Embalming is generally not required by law. Most states allow alternatives such as refrigeration, and the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule prohibits funeral homes from telling families that embalming is required by law when it isn't. Some states do have specific rules, for example when a body is held for a certain length of time or transported, so ask your funeral home or check your state's rules.
- Vaults are a cemetery rule, not a state law. Conventional cemeteries require vaults or liners to keep the ground level and make maintenance easier. Green cemeteries simply don't require them.
- Burial depth is set by state law or cemetery policy, and green cemeteries follow the same minimum rules for soil cover as any other cemetery. Our guide to how deep a grave is explains more.
- Home funerals, where family members care for the body themselves, are legal in most states, though rules on who can file paperwork vary.
What does green burial cost?
Costs vary widely by region and type of cemetery. Green burial often costs less than a conventional burial because there is no embalming, no vault and usually a simpler container. On the other hand, the plot itself can be priced similarly to a conventional plot, and some conservation burial grounds charge more because part of the fee supports protecting the land.
Typical line items include:
- The plot or right of interment
- Opening and closing the grave (sometimes hand-dug)
- A shroud or biodegradable casket
- Refrigeration or other body care
- A marker or engraving, if used
- Funeral home services, if you use one
For a full comparison, see our guides on how much a burial costs and burial vs cremation.
How to find a green cemetery
- Search the directory. Browse green cemeteries and natural burial grounds, or use the near me page.
- Ask local cemeteries whether they have a hybrid or green section. Many conventional and church cemeteries have added one without advertising it widely.
- Check with a funeral home that has experience with green burial.
- Visit before deciding. Walk the grounds and ask how graves are marked and located, how the land will be cared for, and whether the land is permanently protected.
Questions to ask a green cemetery:
- Is it certified, and at what level?
- What containers and markers are allowed?
- Can family members help dig or fill the grave?
- How are grave locations recorded (maps, GPS)?
- Can cremated remains be buried there?
- What happens to the land in the long term?