Your Rights When Choosing a Funeral Home: The FTC Funeral Rule Explained | Spann Funeral Home
Your Rights When Choosing a Funeral Home: What the FTC Funeral Rule Means for You
When a loved one dies, most families are not thinking about consumer rights. They are thinking about the person they lost.
This is exactly why the Federal Trade Commission established the Funeral Rule — because the decision to choose a funeral home is one of the most significant consumer decisions many families will ever make, and it is made under conditions of maximum vulnerability and minimum research time. The Funeral Rule exists to protect you.
At Spann Funeral Home, we believe strongly in this protection — because transparency is good for families, and good for the funeral profession. This article explains what the law requires, what it means for you as a consumer, and what to do if you believe a funeral home is not complying
The right to know what something costs before you agree to buy it is not a luxury. In funeral service, it is the law
What the FTC Funeral Rule Is
The Funeral Rule, formally known as the Funeral Industry Practices Rule, is a federal regulation enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that governs the practices of funeral providers in the United States. It was first established in 1984 and applies to any person, partnership, or corporation that sells both funeral goods and funeral services to the public.
Its foundational principle is simple: consumers have the right to select and pay for only the funeral goods and services they actually want, and they have the right to know the price of each item before committing to any purchase.
Your Key Rights Under the Funeral Rule
The Right to an Itemized General Price List
Every funeral home is required to provide you with a General Price List (GPL) a printed, itemized list of all the goods and services they offer, with the price of each. The GPL must be provided to you at the beginning of any in-person discussion about funeral goods, services, or prices. It is yours to keep. You are not required to ask for it the funeral home must give it to you.
The GPL must include itemized prices for at least 16 categories of goods and services, including basic services of the funeral director and staff, transferring remains, embalming, use of facilities for viewing or ceremony, direct cremation, and alternative containers. The FTC has been actively discussing requiring online price disclosure as part of a modernization of the Funeral Rule a change that is still under consideration as of 2026.
The Right to Purchase Only What You Want
The Funeral Rule prohibits funeral homes from requiring you to purchase a package of goods and services as a condition of obtaining any particular item. You have the right to buy à la carte to choose only the specific services and merchandise you want and to pay only for those items.
The one exception is the Basic Services Fee: a non-declinable fee covering the funeral director's core professional services and overhead. This is the only fee a funeral home can require you to pay regardless of what other services you select.
The Right to Use Your Own Casket or Urn
If you purchase a casket or urn from another source a third-party retailer, an online vendor, or a family member the funeral home is required by law to accept it. They cannot charge you a 'handling fee' for using an outside casket, nor can they refuse to use it. Major retailers including Costco, Amazon, and others now sell caskets and urns. Your funeral home must accept them.
The Right to Price Information by Phone
The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to provide price information by telephone to anyone who asks without requiring you to come in person first. If a funeral home refuses to give you pricing information over the phone, they are in violation of the law.
The Right to Know What Is and Is Not Required by Law
Embalming is not required by Tennessee law for any funeral. The Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to disclose this fact in writing on the GPL and in the arrangement conference. A funeral home may require embalming as a condition of a particular service such as a public viewing but they must tell you this in writing, and they cannot embalm without prior authorization.
Similarly, outer burial containers (vaults or grave liners) are not required by Tennessee state law, though individual cemeteries may require them. The Funeral Rule requires this disclosure.
A Written Statement Before You Pay
At the conclusion of any arrangement conference, before you pay anything, the funeral home is required to provide you with an itemized written statement sometimes called a Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected listing every item you have chosen and its price. Review this document carefully before signing.
How Spann Funeral Home Approaches Transparency
We post our General Price List publicly on our website at spannfuneralhome.com. We provide a complete GPL at every arrangement conference. We answer pricing questions by phone without requiring an in-person visit. And we will never pressure you toward services or merchandise you do not want or need.
Transparency is not a marketing strategy for us it is how we believe this profession should operate. Families facing loss deserve honesty above all else.
How to File a Complaint
If you believe a funeral home has violated the FTC Funeral Rule, you may file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov or by calling 1-877-382-4357. You may also file a complaint with the Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers through the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance.
