Who decides? Authorization for cremation and burial in Washington

For families · WA · Last reviewed Aug 12, 2026

DRAFT STUB, outline only. To be written from the statute and public sources, in plain language, before publishing (set draft: false).

The order the law sets

Washington sets a specific order of who has the right to decide what happens after a death. Outline:

1. A person you named in a signed authorization while alive
2. Your designated agent (durable power of attorney for health care, if it covers disposition)
3. Spouse or registered domestic partner
4. Majority of adult children
5. Parents
6. Majority of siblings
7. Court-appointed guardian

When the family disagrees

(To write: what “majority of adult children” means in practice, what a funeral home will and won’t accept, what actually happens during a standoff.)

Settling it in advance

(To write: the written designation, where it lives, why a will is the wrong place for it.)

Sources

1. RCW 68.50.160 Right to control disposition of remains (the statutory hierarchy)