Tennessee Code Annotated
Tenn. Code Ann. § 62-5-303 (2026)
Licensing requirement
✓ current as of May 2026
- (a)
- (1) In order to safeguard life and health and to prevent the spread of contagious diseases and to improve sanitary conditions and public health generally, it is required that only properly qualified persons shall engage in funeral directing, embalming and operating of a funeral establishment.
- (2) Any person engaged in funeral directing, embalming and operating of a funeral establishment in this state shall be licensed by the board created in part 2 of this chapter prior to engaging in funeral directing, embalming and operating of a funeral establishment.
- (b) It is unlawful for any person to engage in, or offer to engage in, either funeral directing, embalming or operation of a funeral establishment unless the person or business has been duly licensed under this chapter.
Acts 1951, ch. 13, § 1 (Williams, § 7140.1); Acts 1968, ch. 542, § 2; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 62-510.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2
cases (1 in the last 5 years), 2000–2025 · leading case: Craigmiles v. Giles, 110 F. Supp. 2d 658 (E.D. Tenn. 2000).
Craigmiles v. Giles, 110 F. Supp. 2d 658 (E.D. Tenn. 2000). “§ 62-5-303. “Funeral directing” is defined to include, among other things, “Making of arrangements to provide for funeral services and/or the selling of funeral merchandise, and/or the making of financial arrangements for the rendering of the services, and/or the sale of such…”
Van Ness v. Stephens (M.D. Tenn. 2025). “As of May 9, 2022, “unlicensed assistant” is defined under the Act as: (A) [] an individual who assists in the operation of a funeral establishment, under the direction and supervision of a funeral director or embalmer, and who is not a licensed funeral director or embalmer…”
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