California law requires us to have written permission from the landowner or governing agency prior to scattering cremated remains over land (HSC 7116). Over the 18 years of scattering cremated remains by airplane, we have learned which governing agencies will grant us written permission to scatter over land and which ones will not.
Scattering Cremated Remains over California State Parks
Most California State Parks allow for scattering of cremated remains over their property. In fact, that procedure is addressed in the California Code of Regulations Section 4331. The California State Park system is divided into sectors. The Superintendent of the specific sector where a scattering is requested determines whether or not scattering in the individual park is appropriate. To this point, the only reason a request has been denies is if the park has found Native American remains in that particular location. The parks will not give us permission to scatter if there is a possibility of co-mingling cremated remains with Native American remains. In order to obtain written permission, our client must first submit an application to the appropriate Superintendent. We lead them through this process and submit the form for them. It generally takes about one week for the Superintendent to issue the permission letter.
Scattering Cremated Remains over National Parks
We work with many National Parks. As in the State Park system, written permission for the scattering is granted by the individual Park Superintendent. There is no standard application process. Some parks, such as Sequoia National Park, have a downloadable letter right on their website. Other parks, such as Yosemite National Park, require that the family submit a letter with the request form. We guide the family through the process to request permission for each location.
Scattering Cremated Remains over a Conservancy
We work with several conservancies in the Southern California area. Permission from any Conservancy usually requires approval from their Board. As such, obtaining permission can often take some time. Some conservancies that are familiar with our services, like the Catalina Island Conservancy, allow us to use a blanket letter of permission for our clients.
Scattering Cremated remains over Private Property
It has been fairly easy to work with private property owners over the years. In most cases, the decedent has a connection to the property in some way, and that is why they are requesting that location. On occasion, a family requests a location that they think is public land but turns out to be private property. We can usually find the contact information for the property owner or business entity that owns it. They are usually touched to hear that someone had a strong enough connection to their property to want to be scattered there, and they will often give us permission to do so. This has happened several times with requests to be scattered over a golf course.
Obtaining Written Permission
Our business has a lot of experience seeking out permission from property owners and agencies. We do our best to make the arrangements that each clients requests. When a family calls with a specific location request we can usually tell them right away if that location will be possible. If their specific location request is not possible, we try to help the client find a suitable alternative location, such as a State Park or private property that is near their requested location.
We have a list of State Parks, National Parks, and other over-land locations that we work with regularly. If you would like more information about these options, please contact us at 800-407-6401.