P. O. Box 7501
Cotati, CA 94931
707.568.7684
info@funeral.org

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Redwood Funeral Society
To protect and defend individual choice for dignified, ethical, and fairly priced death care, through education, referral, and advocacy.

Serving the California Counties of Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma

Excerpts

From Health And Safety Code Section 7100-7117

7100.1. (a) A decedent, prior to death, may direct, in writing, the disposition of his or her remains and specify funeral goods and services to be provided. Unless there is a statement to the contrary that is signed and dated by the decedent, the directions may not be altered, changed, or otherwise amended in any material way, except as may be required by law, and shall be faithfully carried out upon his or her death, provided both of the following requirements are met: (1) the directions set forth clearly and completely the final wishes of the decedent in sufficient detail so as to preclude any material ambiguity with regard to the instructions; and, (2) arrangements for payment through trusts, insurance, commitments by others, or any other effective and binding means, have been made, so as to preclude the payment of any funds by the survivor or survivors of the deceased that might otherwise retain the right to control the disposition. (b) In the event arrangements for only one of either the cost of interment or the cost of the funeral goods and services are made pursuant to this section, the remaining wishes of the decedent shall be carried out only to the extent that the decedent has sufficient assets to do so, unless the person or persons that otherwise have the right to control the disposition and arrange for funeral goods and services agree to assume the cost. All other provisions of the directions shall be carried out.

From Health And Safety Code Section 7300-7304

7304. No embalmer shall embalm a dead body without obtaining written or oral permission of a person who has the right to control the disposition of the remains pursuant to Section 7100, except that prior authorization is not required if embalming is necessary in order to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or is necessary to avoid irreparable deterioration of the dead body, in which case, a good faith effort shall be made to obtain permission.

Read the complete California Funeral and Cemetery codes

And then read Pay Before and You WILL Pay More