Alkaline Hydrolysis in New Hampshire: Is Aquamation Legal?

Alkaline hydrolysis — also called aquamation or water cremation — is illegal in New Hampshire. RSA 325-A:30 explicitly prohibits the practice within state borders. If you are researching this option for yourself or a loved one and live in New Hampshire, this is the definitive answer. The rest of this article explains how we got here and what the actual alternatives are.

What Alkaline Hydrolysis Is

Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals (typically potassium hydroxide), heat, and pressure to accelerate natural decomposition. The process takes 6–18 hours and produces bone fragments similar to those from flame cremation, plus a sterile liquid byproduct that is discharged to the municipal sewer system. The carbon footprint is a fraction of flame cremation — no combustion, no particulate emissions. That environmental profile is why it has attracted growing interest across the country.

The New Hampshire Legislative History

New Hampshire briefly legalized alkaline hydrolysis in 2006, making it one of the early states to do so. The legislation encountered significant opposition — largely from wastewater treatment operators and funeral industry groups — and the legislature reversed course entirely. In 2008, the legality was repealed and RSA 325-A:30 now explicitly prohibits the practice. No facility in New Hampshire can legally offer alkaline hydrolysis.

In the years since, there have been no successful legislative efforts to restore it. The 2026 session did see a bill — House Bill 1457-FN, the "Live Free and Die Free Act" — but that legislation targeted natural organic reduction (human composting), not alkaline hydrolysis, and it failed on the Senate floor. Aquamation remains off the table in New Hampshire as of June 2026.

What Neighboring States Allow

If alkaline hydrolysis is important to your family, the practical solution is arranging transport of the body across state lines to a state where it is legal. Maine and Vermont have both legalized the process, and funeral homes in those states can accept out-of-state families. The funeral director in New Hampshire would prepare and transport the remains, or your family can arrange transport directly under the burial-transit permit rules.

The cost of cross-state transport and the alkaline hydrolysis service itself varies, but families choosing this route typically pay $1,500–$3,500 for the process plus transportation fees. Compare that against the New Hampshire average for direct flame cremation, which runs $1,300–$3,150.

When arranging out-of-state alkaline hydrolysis:

• Confirm the receiving funeral home or facility is licensed in their state to perform the process
• Ensure the New Hampshire Burial-Transit Permit is secured before the body leaves the state (issued by the local town or city clerk after the death certificate is filed within the 36-hour window)
• The permit must travel with the body

Natural Organic Reduction: Also Illegal

For families interested in the most environmentally minimal disposition option, it is worth noting that natural organic reduction (human composting or terramation) also failed to pass in New Hampshire's 2026 session. HB 1457-FN cleared the House but died in the Senate. New Hampshire families cannot currently access human composting within state borders.

What Is Available: Green Burial

The environmentally focused option that is fully legal in New Hampshire is traditional green burial — interment in a biodegradable shroud or unvarnished wooden casket without embalming and without a concrete outer burial container. This approach has a smaller environmental footprint than either flame cremation or conventional burial with vault and embalming chemicals.

New Hampshire accommodates green burial through a growing number of options:

• Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium is the only Green Burial Council-certified provider in the state, operating out of Manchester and offering full-service green burial coordination.
• Life Forest in Hillsborough is a conservation burial ground that also accommodates cremated remains.
• Oliverian Everlasting Burial Ground in Benton Flatts operates as a natural burial ground.
• Several municipal cemeteries across the state have designated green burial sections. State law does not require outer burial containers; it is municipal cemetery policy, not statute, that typically mandates vaults — and those policies are changing.

Green burial packages at certified providers typically start around $3,900. The cost depends heavily on the casket or shroud selected and whether the family is arranging transportation independently.

The Bottom Line

If aquamation is your preference, New Hampshire cannot accommodate it, and no legislative change appears imminent. Your realistic options are transporting remains to Maine or Vermont for alkaline hydrolysis, or pursuing green burial within New Hampshire for a comparably low environmental impact. The legal disposition options — flame cremation, conventional burial, and green burial — are well-established and straightforward within the state.

The New Hampshire Funeral Laws & Consumer Rights Guide maps all legal disposition options in the state with the applicable statutory requirements, including cremation waiting periods, burial transit permit requirements, and how to navigate disposition decisions when family members disagree.

See more New Hampshire guides →