Kentucky Cremation Laws

Kentucky is largely landlocked. However, it does border some substantial waterways, including the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Cumberland River also snakes through much of southern Kentucky as well. There are, of course, countless inland lakes within the state, such as Laurel River Lake and Kentucky Lake and Lake Bartley, which are right next to one another. These are all popular vacation and camping locations, and a native Kentuckian that enjoyed these activities might indeed feel that a final resting place on one of these waters might be appropriate.

None of these waterways are regulated directly by the state, however; instead, they are under the control of federal authorities and laws like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Clean Water Act. For all the lakes, streams, or rivers in Kentucky, you should check with either the EPA directly or any state agency that may manage that body of water to see if you need a permit before scattering.

Most of the time, scattering the cremated remains of loved ones involves being either over land or water. However, you can also scatter ashes over the air, though this does, of course, pose a few unique problems. That said, there are no Kentucky state laws that prohibit the scattering of ashes from altitude, which can be done from an aircraft or a weather balloon.

What is clear, however, is that you must be careful when dropping cremated remains, because federal aviation guidelines require you to not drop anything that could harm people or property. Cremated remains themselves are not considered a hazardous material by the U.S. government, so as long as you don't drop the container as well then you are safe to scatter by air in Kentucky.