Mortuary and Cemetery Board

The State Mortuary and Cemetery Board was created June 6, 1921. The board’s programs affect those who have suffered a loss, those who make final arrangements and those who provide death care goods and services. In order to protect the public, it is the board’s responsibility to ensure that all of Oregon’s death care facilities are properly licensed and to regulate the practice of individuals and facilities engaged in the care, preparation, processing, transportation and final disposition of human remains. Engaging in certain death care activities without a license is the only crime within the board’s jurisdiction. Approximately 63,000 deaths will occur in Oregon during the 2015–2017 biennium. Death care services are provided by approximately 2,400 practitioners and facilities throughout the state. The board is self-supporting and derives its financing from licensing, examination and a portion of the death certificate filing fee (not the fees derived from the purchase of a certified copy of a death certificate). The board currently has six employees and one office located in Portland.