Maryland Funeral Consumer Rights: The FTC Funeral Rule, General Price Lists, and How to Protect Yourself

Buying funeral services is unlike almost any other consumer transaction. It happens during acute grief, under time pressure, with no prior experience and little ability to comparison-shop in the moment. The funeral industry recognized these dynamics decades ago — which is why both federal and state laws specifically regulate how funeral homes must deal with consumers.

Maryland families have more protection than many people realize. The question is knowing those protections exist so you can actually use them.

The FTC Funeral Rule: A Federal Consumer Protection

The Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule has applied to funeral homes across the United States since 1984. It is a federal regulation, not a state law — which means it applies uniformly to every licensed funeral home in Maryland, regardless of what the state law says on a given topic.

The Funeral Rule gives consumers four core rights:

1. The Right to a General Price List

Every funeral home must give you a written General Price List (GPL) if you visit in person to discuss funeral arrangements. The GPL must be provided at the beginning of your discussion — before you select any services. You do not have to ask for it; they must offer it.

You can also request the GPL over the phone. While the funeral home does not have to mail or email it, they must read prices to you verbally for any items you ask about. Some funeral homes will email the GPL as a courtesy — ask.

The GPL must itemize at minimum 16 categories of goods and services. Maryland's state consumer protection requirements reinforce this by making it a deceptive trade practice to misrepresent prices or fail to disclose them.

2. The Right to an Itemized Statement

When you have selected services, the funeral home must give you an itemized statement showing the cost of every item. You cannot be handed a single total — you are entitled to see each line. This lets you remove items you do not want and identify charges that seem inconsistent with what was quoted.

3. The Right to Decline Unwanted Services

You may decline any service on the GPL except the basic services fee (the funeral home's non-declinable overhead charge). You may decline:

• Embalming — see our post on whether embalming is required in Maryland for the detailed rules
• Viewing and visitation
• Specific hearses or vehicles
• Any merchandise item

The funeral home cannot condition other services on your purchasing items you don't want. If you want a direct cremation, they cannot require you to also purchase a viewing package.

4. The Right to Bring Your Own Casket

Under the Funeral Rule, funeral homes must accept caskets purchased from outside sources and cannot charge a "handling fee" for using them. The GPL must explicitly state this. Casket prices from retailers like Costco, online casket stores, and casket warehouses can be thousands of dollars less than what funeral homes charge for equivalent items. The savings are real and legal.

What Must Be on the General Price List

The 16 required categories on the GPL are:

1. Forwarding remains to another funeral home
2. Receiving remains from another funeral home
3. Direct cremation (with price range if the funeral home offers multiple container options)
4. Immediate burial
5. Basic services of funeral director and staff (the non-declinable fee)
6. Embalming
7. Other preparation of the body
8. Use of facilities or staff for viewing
9. Use of facilities or staff for funeral ceremony
10. Use of facilities or staff for memorial service
11. Use of equipment or staff for graveside service
12. Transfer of remains to funeral home
13. Hearse
14. Service car or van
15. Acknowledgment cards (an optional item; must be listed if offered)
16. A casket price list, or a statement of the price range

The GPL must also disclose that:

• Embalming is not legally required
• Refrigeration is available as an alternative
• Third-party caskets must be accepted without a handling fee

Price Survey Data for Maryland

The Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maryland and Economics (FCAME) conducts periodic price surveys of Maryland funeral homes. Their data shows:

• Direct cremation: ranges from approximately $925–$1,000 at lower-cost providers, higher at full-service funeral homes that bundle fees
• Full-service funeral with burial: typically $7,000–$8,000 before cemetery costs, consistent with national averages
• Prices vary significantly between providers, which underscores the value of comparing GPLs

See our detailed post on average funeral costs in Maryland for a breakdown of what each component typically costs.

When the Funeral Rule Is Violated

If a funeral home violates the FTC Funeral Rule — by refusing to provide the GPL, misrepresenting prices, charging for unauthorized services, or adding a casket handling fee — you have two avenues:

File a complaint with the FTC: You can file at ftc.gov/complaint. The FTC investigates systemic violations and can take enforcement action. Individual complaints contribute to the agency's broader enforcement picture even if your individual case doesn't result in a direct remedy.

File a complaint with the Maryland Office of Consumer Protection: Through the Attorney General's office (oag.state.md.us), the Office of Consumer Protection handles deceptive trade practices including funeral home pricing misrepresentation. This is often a faster route to individual remediation.

For complaints about the professional conduct of the funeral director or the clinical handling of remains, the Maryland Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors is the appropriate agency.

Maryland's State-Level Consumer Protections

Maryland's consumer protection law reinforces the FTC Funeral Rule. The Maryland Consumer Protection Act prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices, and funeral home misrepresentations — including false claims about legal requirements — can constitute a violation.

Maryland also has specific rules about prepaid funeral contracts: 100% of professional service fees and 80% of merchandise fees must go into escrow within 10 days of receipt, and the interest on those funds belongs to the purchaser. For how prepaid contracts work in detail, see our post on Maryland prepaid funeral contracts.

Practical Steps for Protecting Yourself

Before a death occurs (pre-planning):

• Request GPLs from two or three funeral homes near you and compare them
• Document your funeral preferences in writing — a witnessed written directive that specifies the funeral home and services you want has legal priority under Maryland law over family members who might make different choices

At the time of arrangement:

• Request the GPL immediately — do not let the conversation proceed without it
• Request every price in writing before agreeing to anything
• Ask specifically about each line item: "Is this legally required, or is this your recommendation?"
• Decline embalming if you do not need or want it — it is never legally required in Maryland

After receiving the itemized statement:

• Compare it to what was verbally agreed upon
• Question any line item you did not explicitly authorize
• Know that you can contact the Office of Consumer Protection if charges appear that were not authorized

The Maryland Funeral Laws & Consumer Rights Guide provides a complete reference for your rights at every stage of the funeral arrangement process, including a question checklist to use during the arrangement conference.

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