Glossary
What is funeral director?
A funeral director is a licensed professional who arranges and oversees funeral, burial, and cremation services. They handle the body, coordinate paperwork such as permits and death certificates, and guide families through the choices involved.
Also called a mortician or undertaker, a funeral director coordinates transport of the body, preparation, the service, and final disposition, while helping the family with documents and logistics.
Licensing requirements vary by state and typically include education and supervised training. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, the director must provide itemized prices and honor your right to decline goods or services you do not want.
Related terms
Mortuary
A mortuary is a facility where bodies are received, prepared, and held before burial or cremation. The term is often used interchangeably with funeral home, though a mortuary can also mean a building focused on preparation and storage of the body.
Crematory
A crematory is a facility that performs cremations, housing the specialized furnace used to reduce a body to bone fragments. Some funeral homes operate their own crematory on site, while others send bodies to a separate licensed facility.
FTC Funeral Rule
The FTC Funeral Rule is a US Federal Trade Commission regulation that gives consumers rights when buying funeral goods and services. It requires itemized pricing, lets you buy only what you want, and bars certain misrepresentations by funeral homes.
General Price List
A General Price List, or GPL, is the itemized list of prices a funeral home must provide under the FTC Funeral Rule. It lets you see the cost of each good and service separately so you can compare providers and choose only what you want.
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Common questions about Funeral director
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This definition is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. See our editorial standards.