OAR 830-040-0000: General Principles

(1) Every licensee is responsible for complying with the provisions of ORS Chapter 692 and rules adopted thereunder, and any other law pertaining to the duties and responsibilities of the funeral service practitioner or the operation or licensing of funeral establishments, immediate disposition companies, cemeteries, crematoriums and alternative disposition facilities. (2) Alternative Disposition Facility Authorities must comply with the requirements in this division (Division 40) applicable to Crematory Authorities and cremated remains, as if alternative disposition remains are cremated remains, as if the Alternative Disposition Facility is a Crematory Authority, and as if dissolution and natural organic reduction are cremation. (3) The Board may refuse to allow use of any facility name that is misleading as to the nature of the facility’s purpose. (4) When a person, firm, partnership or corporation applies to the Board for a facility license, the name on the application must identify the primary activity of the facility. This name must be the registered name with the Board and must also be used as the advertised name of the facility. (5) Each licensed facility must provide the Board with its true corporate, firm or individual name. Applications for all licensed facilities must be made on the most current application and specify the names of all principals. If the principal is a corporation, the application must include the names of all principals of that corporation. (6) When there is a change in any principal of the licensed facility, the licensee must provide the Board with the name of the new principal(s) on the most current form provided by the Board within 30 days of the change. If the new principal is a corporation, the licensee must provide the names of the principals of that corporation to the Board on the most current form provided by the Board. (7) All licensees and licensed facilities must keep a detailed, accurate, and permanent record of all transactions that are performed for the care, preparation and final disposition of human remains. The record must set forth as a minimum: (a) Name of decedent and, when applicable, the identifying metal disc number provided by the State Registrar’s Office; (b) Date of death; (c) Name of person arranging for delivery of goods and services and the person authorizing the final disposition; (d) Name of place of final disposition. In cemetery records, the “name of place” means the exact location of the interment of human remains such as grave, crypt, niche, etc.; (e) The name of the funeral service practitioner, cemetery, crematory or alternative disposition facility personnel responsible for making and executing the arrangements pertaining to the delivery of goods and fulfillment of services; (f) The name of the embalmer and funeral establishment responsible for embalming (applies only to funeral establishment records); and (g) Written permission for embalming, final disposition and scattering services from the person who has the right to control disposition of the human remains pursuant to ORS 97.130(1) and (2). The record of such authorization must include at a minimum: printed name, signature and phone number of the authorizing agent and relationship to the deceased, date and time permission was obtained, and printed name, signature and phone number of the authorizing agent and relationship to the deceased, date and time permission was obtained, and printed name and signature of the licensee or facility representative who acquired the authorization. (8) In the case of cremation, the licensee responsible for making the cremation arrangements must require the authorizing agent making the cremation arrangements to provide the licensee with a signed statement specifying the action to be taken regarding delivery of the cremated remains. A copy of this statement must be retained in the permanent records of the responsible licensee. (9) If cremated remains are not retained by the licensee accepting initial responsibility for the remains, the licensee must, upon delivery of such cremated remains to another individual, obtain a signed receipt from that individual. The receipt must include as a minimum: printed name of the individual receiving the cremated remains, the name of the deceased, and the date of delivery of the cremated remains, the receiving individual’s signature and the printed name and signature of the licensee or the licensee’s representative releasing the cremated remains. (10) No licensee or operator of a licensed facility or a licensee’s agent may: (a) Fail to preserve required records for inspection by the Board; or (b) Alter, cancel or obliterate entries in records required by law to be made, maintained or preserved. (11) After human remains are released to the Cemetery Authority, they must be placed in their designated grave, crypt or vault within 24 hours after taking possession unless exigent circumstances exist. After human remains are released to the Crematory Authority, those remains must be cremated and processed within 48 hours unless exigent circumstances exist. In such exigent circumstances, the facility must notify both the funeral service practitioner responsible for the arrangements and the office of the Board. The licensed facility, funeral service practitioner, or person acting as the funeral service practitioner under ORS Chapter 432, responsible for the arrangements for that deceased, must notify the family of such exigent circumstances and, at the request of the cemetery or crematory, pick up and arrange for proper storage of the remains within 24 hours of notification. (12) No licensee or employee or agent of a licensed facility, may pay, cause to be paid or offer to pay, and no person, firm or corporation may receive, directly or indirectly, any commission, bonus, rebate or other thing of value in consideration for recommending or causing human remains to be taken to any specific funeral establishment. (13) Facilities must post their facility license and certificates of apprenticeship in a conspicuous location for public viewing. Other individual licenses will be available for inspection upon request. (14) Every Cemetery Authority, Crematory Authority and Alternative Disposition Facility Authority must keep the Board’s office informed of the location of their permanent records. These records must be made available for random inspections by the Board at any reasonable time.