Cremation urns for ashes in Washington
Washington is among a small group of states with a projected cremation rate above 80%. Families in Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, and around Puget Sound often need a cremation urn for ashes, cremation jewelry, or a lawful plan for Washington ash scattering.
The NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report projected an 81.5% cremation rate for Washington in 2025, fourth in the public state table, up from an 80.8% projection for 2024. The same table’s national 2025 projection was 63.3%. Coverage of the Cremation Association of North America’s 2026 report says that by 2025, Washington and New Hampshire had joined Nevada and Maine in having cremation rates higher than 80%.
Washington also has one of the clearer public rules in the country about how reduced remains may be scattered. That combination — a very high cremation rate and a written state rule — is why this page spends time on both a cremation urn for ashes and on Puget Sound, Pacific, and inland options.
The Memorial Market is an online marketplace and does not operate a funeral home in Washington. The pieces below ship to the state.
Ash scattering in Washington
Washington Administrative Code 308-47A-020 says that an authorizing agent (or a person with the right to control final disposition) may dispose of reduced human remains without a permit. If that person designates someone who regularly or occasionally disposes of remains for others, the designee must obtain a disposition permit when the placement is outside dedicated cemetery property.
The same rule lists lawful manners of scattering, including: national parks, after permission from the chief park ranger; state trust uplands, after permission from the regional manager for each scattering; public navigable waters under state control, including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, rivers, streams, and lakes; the Pacific Ocean beyond the mean lower low water mark, following the U.S. EPA general permit and reporting to EPA Region 10 within 30 days; and private land, with the landowner’s permission.
A biodegradable memorial urn is the usual vessel if remains will be placed in the Pacific, because the EPA permit does not allow non-decomposable materials to be left in the ocean. Ceramic and glass cremation urns for ashes on this site are better suited to keeping remains at home or placing them in a cemetery.
Cremation urns, jewelry, and memorials for Washington families
These memorials are from the live Memorial Market catalog — cremation urns for ashes, cremation jewelry, and related tributes. The Memorial Market is an online marketplace and does not operate a funeral home or showroom in this city. Boat or plane ash-scattering listings, when shown, are the actual departure areas named on those listings.
Cities in Washington
Frequently asked questions
What is the cremation rate in Washington?
The National Funeral Directors Association’s 2024 Cremation & Burial Report projected that 81.5% of deaths in Washington would be cremated in 2025, compared with a national projection of 63.3% in the same table. Those figures are projections, not a final vital-statistics release. A later NFDA report, announced in October 2025, updated the national 2025 projection to 63.4%. The Cremation Association of North America has separately reported a U.S. cremation rate of 62.8% in 2025. CANA’s full state table is not published publicly.
Do I need a permit to scatter ashes in Washington?
WAC 308-47A-020 says the authorizing agent may dispose of reduced remains without a permit. A person or company that regularly scatters remains for others must register for a disposition permit when the placement is outside a dedicated cemetery. National parks and state trust uplands still require permission from the named official. Pacific Ocean placements must follow the EPA general permit. This is not legal advice.
Is Puget Sound treated as a legal scattering site?
Yes, the Washington rule expressly includes public navigable waters under state control, including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, rivers, streams, and lakes. Local, tribal, or facility rules may still apply at a particular dock or park. This is not legal advice.
What is a biodegradable memorial urn?
A biodegradable memorial urn is a vessel designed to break down in soil or water, often chosen for a burial or a water scattering. The U.S. EPA’s general permit for burial at sea allows only materials that are readily decomposable in the marine environment — plastic or metal containers must not be left in the ocean. The Memorial Market’s current urn listings are primarily artisan ceramic, glass, and sculptural cremation urns for ashes; none of the published titles are labeled biodegradable. If you need a water-soluble vessel for an ocean ceremony, confirm the material with the seller or your charter captain before you buy.
Does The Memorial Market have a store or funeral home in Washington?
No. The Memorial Market is an online marketplace. We do not operate a showroom, funeral home, or staffed office in Washington. Families there can browse cremation urns for ashes, cremation jewelry, and other memorials on the site, and vendors ship completed pieces. Local funeral homes, crematories, and park agencies handle arrangements and any permits where you live.
Sources
This page summarizes published statistics and public rules to help families plan. It is not legal advice. Rules can change, and parks, cemeteries, and landowners may have their own requirements — confirm with the agency or owner that manages the place you have in mind.