Is It Legal To Bury A Loved One In Your Yard in Iowa?

While no one chooses to be faced with the death of a friend or family member, the sad reality is, it's part of life. Unless there is some magic pill created by science in the future, it's something everyone will have to go through. Back in April of this year, we were wondering if it was legal to bury a pet in your yard in Iowa. I'm now wondering, could you do this with a friend or family member?

While this may be a bit of a morbid question, it's still one I'd like to discover the answer to. This might not be something you would ever consider doing but if you had a family member who wanted to be buried by the old oak tree or next to the creak in the backyard, are you allowed to do this in Iowa?

In almost every state, if you want to have a home burial, it's perfectly legal, with the exception of Washington, California, and Indiana. According to NOLO, there are no state laws in Iowa prohibiting a home burial. Local Governments may have rules governing private burials. Before doing this, check with the county/town clerk.

There are some states where it is legal but you are only allowed to do this if you have a Funeral Director Involved. Iowa is one of the states where a funeral director is needed.

As you can see, a vast majority of states allow you to bury a friend or loved one on your property if they and you choose to.

While this may seem a bit strange to some people, I actually don't think this would be that weird, especially if you live out in the country or have a lot of land that's been in your family for a long time.

I'm guessing back in the day, this happened all the time. Families in rural areas wanting to keep everyone close by their homes and creating their own burial sites was pretty common. It happens all the time in old western movies and tv shows. Now, if you live in the middle of a city and have a relatively small backyard, your neighbors might think it's pretty creepy, so it might not be the best idea.

According to Rome Monuments, "a home burial can be a wonderful way to have an intimate ceremony around the creation of the grave and to remain close to the deceased for as long as you own the property."  

The article does mention that the only restrictions to having a home burial would be found in local zoning laws. Those will tell you how and where you can bury the body. These zoning laws will inform you how far from your neighbor's property you need to be, how deep the grave must be, and how close to a water source you can bury the body, plus other various restrictions.

While this may not be something everyone would be very inclined to do, it's pretty interesting to know that if you did want to do this, you can in the state of Iowa.