Understanding what happens next can bring peace of mind during a difficult time. Here is a clear overview of each step in the cremation process.
Physician certification, Medical Examiner approval, and State permit processing are all required by law before cremation can take place. These legal and administrative steps — handled by physicians and government agencies — account for most of the overall timeline. We work as efficiently as possible to move through each step on your family's behalf.
Step 1
Our staff arranges the transfer of your loved one into our care from a residence, hospice, hospital, nursing facility, or Medical Examiner's Office.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a weekStep 2
The responsible party completes the arrangements and required authorizations online. This includes selecting a package, providing death certificate information, and e-signing the cremation authorizations.
Typically within 24 – 48 hoursStep 3
We prepare the death certificate and submit it to the attending physician or Justice of the Peace for certification. This is a required legal step before any further action can be taken.
Up to 10 business days by lawStep 4
Once the death certificate is certified by the physician, we obtain the required authorization from the Medical Examiner's Office. This is a mandatory review step required by the State of Texas before a cremation permit can be issued.
Step 5
The State of Texas issues the official permit required to proceed with cremation. Cremation cannot legally be performed without this permit in place.
Most families complete all three arrangement steps in under 15 minutes. Our team is available to guide you through the process at any point.
Step 6
Once all documentation and permits are complete, the cremation is scheduled and performed at a licensed crematory in full accordance with Texas state regulations. All cremations are conducted privately with the utmost care and dignity.
Step 7
Following cremation, certified death certificates are ordered from the State of Texas. These are required for a variety of legal and financial matters including estate settlement, life insurance claims, and Social Security notification.
Typically 3 – 6 weeks after cremationStep 8
The cremated remains are returned to our office and carefully placed into the selected urn or temporary container. If you have chosen to split ashes for keepsakes or selected a specialty urn, this is handled at this stage.
Step 9 — Final Step
We contact you once everything is complete and coordinate the return of your loved one's remains and documents. We work directly with your family to arrange pickup or shipment — whichever is most convenient for you. Shipping is available throughout the continental United States.
We'll contact you to coordinate