Arranging a Funeral or Cremation in Brooklyn
Death is still a little-discussed subject in our culture today. Yet it is a fact of life and something many people suddenly find themselves facing without ever having openly considered the death-care process. Funeral providers in Brooklyn offer both immediate need and pre-planning funeral services. If you have been recently bereaved and are faced with arranging a funeral or cremation, then US Funerals Online can help you locate the services you require.
Direct cremation $595 Call (718) 395-3211
If you are planning ahead for a cremation or burial, this guide should assist you with deciding how to select a Brooklyn funeral services provider, how much to expect to pay for a funeral, and help you understand what your legal rights are as a funeral consumer.
What to do when a death occurs in Brooklyn
Knowing what to do first when a death occurs can be daunting. In Brooklyn, the attending physician or the coroner must make the death determination. Suppose the deceased had a prepaid funeral plan or had expressed wishes. In that case, these can be implemented immediately, and you will need to locate the paperwork and contact the appropriate funeral home or cremation provider.
If the death is sudden and/or the deceased had no funeral plan or life insurance, you may need to make some rather quick decisions about how to proceed.
How much does a funeral cost in Brooklyn?
Funeral homes are required to provide current retail price information by telephone. According to the law, any consumer entering a funeral home and making inquiries must be presented with a general price list (GPL). This must itemize the costs of funeral services and the merchandise for sale from a funeral director.
We often get asked, ‘What is the cost of a funeral in Brooklyn?’ and this is unfortunately not a straightforward question to answer. Unlike many other trades and professions, average service charges can vary significantly. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a funeral with burial is $7,848 (2023), but this does not consider any cemetery fees.
This can significantly increase the cost of a funeral, as cemetery plot prices in Brooklyn can be quite expensive. For example, a single burial plot in Green-Wood Cemetery costs between $12,000 and $14,000.
Cremation services in Brooklyn
Cremation services are becoming popular in Brooklyn. A dignified cremation funeral can be arranged for around $2,500 to $4,000. As there is no need for a burial plot, a grave liner, or a casket, this significantly decreases the overall funeral costs. A cremation funeral can proceed very much the same as a traditional burial. Only the deceased is transported to the crematory following a service. If you so choose, it is even possible to conduct a service at the crematory.
In recent years, there has been a greater demand for alternative and, indeed, more affordable funerals. The average cost for a funeral with cremation is $7,848. (NFDA 2023).
A simple cremation (with no ceremony) can cost under $1,000, so a meaningful and affordable funeral can be achieved for a fraction of the cost of an elaborate traditional funeral service.
Indeed, a simple cremation can be conducted for just $595 with DFS Memorials. For immediate assistance, call (718) 395-3211.
In order for a cremation to be performed, the legal next of kin must sign a cremation authorization form, and a cremation permit must be issued. A cremation cannot proceed until these documents have been duly completed, signed, and notarized.
Brooklyn Cremation Services with a Memorial
A cremation memorial service generally involves the deceased being cremated first, and then a service is held. This can be with or without the cremated remains present or can take the form of an ash scattering ceremony.
Today, we are embracing more novel and alternative memorialization ceremonies. Life celebrations can even be held in locations other than places of worship. Celebrants are leading and officiating at memorial services, as well as traditional clergy and ministers.
Check out our Ultimate Guide to Cremation to learn more about cremation options, regulations, and costs.
Brooklyn direct cremation service providers – cremation costs & packages
A direct cremation simply means that an immediate cremation is conducted with no service, minimal services, and intervention by a funeral home. The deceased is generally collected from the place of death and transferred to the funeral home or crematory. After all the required paperwork and preparation are done, the deceased is cremated (most often in a simple cardboard container), and the cremated remains are then returned to the family.
Direct cremation in Brooklyn costs $595. Contact your nearest DFS Memorials provider to arrange a low-cost cremation.
Pre-Planning a Funeral in Brooklyn
Planning ahead can save your surviving family a lot of stress and the emotional and financial burdens of handling the funeral process and costs. All monies that you put into a funeral plan in NY must go into a trust fund.
Monies paid to a funeral firm for a pre-need contract must be deposited into a suitable trust within ten days of being received. Various options for making payments when preplanning a funeral exist, from single-pay plans to automatic monthly bank withdrawals.
Most funeral service providers will tailor a plan designed to meet your budget constraints.
Brooklyn Funeral laws governing home death care, embalming & casket sales
New York is one of only 10 states that require that families employ the services of a licensed funeral professional to conduct death care services. Therefore, you are required to use the services of a funeral director even if you plan to conduct a home funeral.
Embalming is using chemicals, internally and externally, to disinfect and temporarily preserve the body. Although no NY law requires embalming, most carriers will require a body to be embalmed prior to shipping.
The laws of the destination country or state will apply. Because of the rapid deterioration of a body after death, NY law requires that bodies held for over 24 hours or in transit must be embalmed, refrigerated, or encased in a leak and odor-proof container.
Caskets are not required by law in Brooklyn. However, cemetery or mausoleum restrictions may be regarding caskets and outer burial containers or vaults. The law does not require a casket for cremation, but the crematory usually requires some type of container, such as a cardboard box or canvas pouch.
How do you Arrange Funeral Shipping From Brooklyn?
If you have a loved one or relative who passed in Brooklyn and you are considering transporting their remains elsewhere to a final resting place, you will need the assistance of a funeral home that is versant in mortuary shipping.
Our funeral shipping agent in Brooklyn can help you and advise you about the process and potential costs of transporting a body. The professional service fee for domestic transfer within the United States is generally around $1,995, and International Repatriation Services cost $6,900. The airfare is an additional charge to this. So, returning a deceased person to another state or country can be quite expensive.
As direct cremation is very affordable in Brooklyn, you may wish to consider the option of cremating in NYC and transporting the cremated remains. This is likely to cost less than $1,000.
Visit our Funeral Shipping Section for more detailed information.
If you travel regularly, you may wish to consider purchasing a Travel Protection Plan. This affordable plan covers all your funeral and/or repatriation expenses should you die while away from your residence in Brooklyn. Click on the link below to enroll today.
Donating your body to science in Brooklyn – or ‘no cost’ cremation
You may choose to make an anatomical donation to a medical or research institution in Brooklyn. Most major medical colleges do accept body donations. You will also find that companies in the U.S. manage whole-body donation programs and offer ‘no cost’ cremations.
Filing for the death certificate in Brooklyn
The funeral director generally files for the death certificate on your behalf. It has to be filed within 72 hours after the death has occurred. The funeral director will need you to fill in a form with personal questions about the deceased in order for him to file for the death certificate. Certain statistical data is required to complete the form effectively. Death certificates cost $15.00 per copy in Brooklyn, although veterans receive three free copies.
What to do if the deceased is at the Medical Examiners
Although most deaths occur at a hospital or nursing institution, if the death was at a residential address or as the result of an accident, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will take care of the deceased. You may be asked to visit the OCME’s Family Service Center to identify the deceased. The Brooklyn OCME Family Service Center is located at Kings County Hospital Center Campus, 599 Winthrop Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203.
You will need to employ the services of a funeral director to arrange the collection of your loved one from the ME’s office. The funeral director will obtain the death certificates and required cremation or burial permits.
Brooklyn funeral home reviews and or complaints
Our online review-based consumer culture has reached the funeral business, and now you can review and compare funeral homes in Brooklyn online. Directory sites often include local business reviews, which can help you learn about a funeral or cremation provider. As with reviewing any service or product, some common sense and integrity must be employed.
If you have a complaint against a funeral director or a funeral establishment, you should attempt to resolve it directly with the funeral home concerned. If you do not reach a satisfactory resolution, you can contact the NY Bureau of Funeral Directing. A formal complaint against a funeral establishment must be put in writing to them and include copies of all documentation from the funeral home.
New York State Department of Health
Bureau of Funeral Directing
875 Central Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
I hope this guide to arranging funeral or cremation services in the borough of Brooklyn has answered some of your initial questions. Please use our Funeral Resources library to access further articles to assist you with arranging a funeral.
For further information, visit our Guide to Funeral or Cremation Planning in New York or our Complete Guide to Cremation Costs in New York.
Cemeteries in Brooklyn
Beth Olom Cemetery, 2 Cypress Hills Street, Brooklyn, NY 11209 Phone: (718) 277-6255 [Jewish]
Canarsie Cemetery, 1370 Remsen Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11236 Phone: (718) 251-6934
Cypress Hills Cemetery, 833 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11208 Phone: (718) 277-2900
Evergreens Cemetery, 1629 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207 Phone: (718) 455-5300
Gravesend Cemetery, Ave V & Van Sicklen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232
Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 – 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 Phone: (718) 768-7300
Holy Cross Cemetery, 3620 Tilden Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203 Phone: (718) 284-4520 [Catholic]
Maimonides Cemetery, 895 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY Phone: (516) 775-6222 [Jewish]
Most Holy Trinity Cemetery, 675 Central Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207 Phone: (718) 894-4888 [Catholic]
Mount Hope Cemetery, 927 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY Phone: (516) 775-6222 [Jewish]
Salem Fields Cemetery, 775 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11208 Phone: (718) 277-3898 [Jewish]
Washington Cemetery, 5400 Bay Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Phone: (718) 377-8690 [Jewish]
Funerals and cremations available in the neighborhoods of Bath Beach – Bay Ridge – Bedford-Stuyvesant – Bensonhurst – Bergen Beach – Boerum Hill – Borough Park – Brighton Beach – Brooklyn – Brooklyn Heights – Brownsville – Bushwick – Canarsie – Carroll Gardens – City Line – Clinton Hill – Cobble Hill – Columbia St Waterfront District – Coney Island – Crown Heights – Ditmas Park – Downtown Brooklyn – DUMBO – Dyker Heights – East New York – East Williamsburg – Farragut – Fiske Terrace – Flatbush – Flatlands – Fort Greene – Fort Hamilton – Gerritsen Beach – Gowanus – Gravesend – Greenpoint – Greenwood – Homecrest – Kensington – Madison – Manhattan Beach – Mapleton – Marine Park – Midwood – Mill Basin – New Lots – Northeast Flatbush – Ocean Hill – Ocean Parkway – Old Mill Basin – Park Slope – Prospect Heights – Prospect Lefferts Gardens – Prospect Park South – Red Hook – Seagate – Sheepshead Bay – Starrett City – Stuyvesant Heights – Sunset Park – Vinegar Hill – Weeksville – Williamsburg – Windsor Terrace – Wingate
