Public Act 0124 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1793 Enrolled LRB104 10083 BDA 20155 b

Public Act 104-0124

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Crematory Regulation Act is amended by changing Sections 5 and 40 as follows:

(410 ILCS 18/5)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029)

Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Address of record" means the designated address recorded by the Comptroller in the applicant's or licensee's application file or license file. It is the duty of the applicant or licensee to inform the Comptroller of any change of address within 14 days, and such changes must be made either through the Comptroller's website or by contacting the Comptroller. The address of record shall be the permanent street address of the crematory.

"Alternative container" means a receptacle, other than a casket, in which human remains are transported to the crematory and placed in the cremation chamber for cremation. An alternative container shall be (i) composed of readily combustible or consumable materials suitable for cremation, (ii) able to be closed in order to provide a complete covering for the human remains, (iii) resistant to leakage or spillage, (iv) rigid enough for handling with ease, and (v) able to provide protection for the health, safety, and personal integrity of crematory personnel.

"Authorizing agent" means a person legally entitled to order the cremation and final disposition of specific human remains. "Authorizing agent" includes an institution of medical, mortuary, or other sciences as provided in Section 20 of the Disposition of Remains of the Indigent Act.

"Body parts" means limbs or other portions of the anatomy that are removed from a person or human remains for medical purposes during treatment, surgery, biopsy, autopsy, or medical research; or human bodies or any portion of bodies that have been donated to science for medical research purposes.

"Burial transit permit" means a permit for disposition of a dead human body as required by Illinois law.

"Casket" means a rigid container that is designed for the encasement of human remains, is usually constructed of wood, metal, or like material and ornamented and lined with fabric, and may or may not be combustible.

"Chain of custody record" means a record that establishes the continuous control of the deceased's body, body parts, or human remains.

"Comptroller" means the Comptroller of the State of Illinois.

"Cremated remains" means all human remains recovered after the completion of the cremation, which may possibly include the residue of any foreign matter including casket material, bridgework, or eyeglasses, that was cremated with the human remains.

"Cremation" means the technical process, using heat and flame, or alkaline hydrolysis that reduces human remains to bone fragments. The reduction takes place through heat and evaporation or through hydrolysis. Cremation shall include the processing, and may include the pulverization, of the bone fragments.

"Cremation chamber" means the enclosed space within which the cremation takes place.

"Cremation interment container" means a rigid outer container that, subject to a cemetery's rules and regulations, is composed of concrete, steel, fiberglass, or some similar material in which an urn is placed prior to being interred in the ground, and which is designed to withstand prolonged exposure to the elements and to support the earth above the urn.

"Cremation room" means the room in which the cremation chamber is located.

"Crematory" means the building or portion of a building that houses the cremation room and the holding facility.

"Crematory authority" means the legal entity which is licensed by the Comptroller to operate a crematory and to perform cremations.

"Final disposition" means the burial, cremation, or other disposition of a dead human body or parts of a dead human body.

"Funeral director" means a person known by the title of "funeral director", "funeral director and embalmer", or other similar words or titles, licensed by the State to practice funeral directing or funeral directing and embalming.

"Funeral establishment" means a building or separate portion of a building having a specific street address and location and devoted to activities relating to the shelter, care, custody, and preparation of a deceased human body and may contain facilities for funeral or wake services.

"Holding facility" means an area that (i) is designated for the retention of human remains prior to cremation, (ii) complies with all applicable public health law, (iii) preserves the health and safety of the crematory authority personnel, and (iv) is secure from access by anyone other than authorized persons. A holding facility may be located in a cremation room.

"Human remains" means the body of a deceased person, including any form of body prosthesis that has been permanently attached or implanted in the body.

"Licensee" means an entity licensed under this Act. An entity that holds itself as a licensee or that is accused of unlicensed practice is considered a licensee for purposes of enforcement, investigation, hearings, and the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.

"Niche" means a compartment or cubicle for the memorialization and permanent placement of an urn containing cremated remains.

"Person" means any person, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company, or other entity, and in the case of any such business organization, its officers, partners, members, or shareholders possessing 25% or more of ownership of the entity.

"Processing" means the reduction of identifiable bone fragments after the completion of the cremation process to unidentifiable bone fragments by manual or mechanical means.

"Pulverization" means the reduction of identifiable bone fragments after the completion of the cremation process to granulated particles by manual or mechanical means.

"Scattering area" means an area which may be designated by a cemetery and located on dedicated cemetery property or property used for outdoor recreation or natural resource conservation owned by the Department of Natural Resources and designated as a scattering area, where cremated remains, which have been removed from their container, can be mixed with, or placed on top of, the soil, or ground cover, or, in limited scenarios that comply with the requirements under subsection (b) of Section 40, water.

"Temporary container" means a receptacle for cremated remains, usually composed of cardboard, plastic or similar material, that can be closed in a manner that prevents the leakage or spillage of the cremated remains or the entrance of foreign material, and is a single container of sufficient size to hold the cremated remains until an urn is acquired or the cremated remains are scattered.

"Uniquely identified" means providing the deceased with individualized identification.

"Urn" means a receptacle designed to encase the cremated remains.

(Source: P.A. 103-907, eff. 1-1-25.)

(410 ILCS 18/40)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2029)

Sec. 40. Disposition of cremated remains.

(a) The authorizing agent shall be responsible for the final disposition of the cremated remains.

(b) Cremated remains may be disposed of by placing them in a grave, crypt, or niche, by scattering them in a scattering area as defined in this Act, or in any manner whatever on the private property of a consenting owner. When a deceased individual is a member of a religion where the tenets of their faith require the scattering of that individual's cremated remains in water, the deceased individual's cremated remains may be scattered in an Illinois river without approval through the Department of Natural Resources' permit process as long as the scattering of the cremated remains is: (1) limited to one deceased individual; (2) spread over an area large enough to avoid leaving an identifiable accumulation of remains; (3) out of sight of any public use areas, including, but not limited to, roads, walkways, trails, picnic areas, campgrounds, and parking lots; and (4) conducted in a manner in which no other objects, including, but not limited to, any cremation identification disc, body prosthesis, or artificial organ, other than pulverized cremated remains, are scattered into a river. Nothing in this subsection (b) grants an individual authority to trespass on private property.

(c) Upon the completion of the cremation process, and except as provided for in item (I) of paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 20, if the crematory authority has not been instructed to arrange for the interment, entombment, inurnment, or scattering of the cremated remains, the crematory authority shall deliver the cremated remains to the individual specified on the cremation authorization form, or if no individual is specified then to the authorizing agent. The delivery may be made in person or by registered mail. Upon receipt of the cremated remains, the individual receiving them may transport them in any manner in this State without a permit, and may dispose of them in accordance with this Section. After delivery, the crematory authority shall be discharged from any legal obligation or liability concerning the cremated remains.

(d) If, after a period of 60 days from the date of the cremation, the authorizing agent or the agent's designee has not instructed the crematory authority to arrange for the final disposition of the cremated remains or claimed the cremated remains, the crematory authority may dispose of the cremated remains in any manner permitted by this Section. The crematory authority, however, shall keep a permanent record identifying the site of final disposition. The authorizing agent shall be responsible for reimbursing the crematory authority for all reasonable expenses incurred in disposing of the cremated remains. Upon disposing of the cremated remains, the crematory authority shall be discharged from any legal obligation or liability concerning the cremated remains. Any person who was in possession of cremated remains prior to the effective date of this Act may dispose of them in accordance with this Section.

(e) Except with the express written permission of the authorizing agent, no person shall:

(1) Dispose of cremated remains in a manner or in a location so that the cremated remains are commingled with those of another person. This prohibition shall not apply to the scattering of cremated remains at sea, by air, or in an area located in a dedicated cemetery and used exclusively for those purposes.

(2) Place cremated remains of more than one person in the same temporary container or urn.

(Source: P.A. 96-863, eff. 3-1-12; 97-679, eff. 2-6-12.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2026