Funeral industry licensing, regulation now falls under ADHS

Oversight of the nearly 1,800 licenses associated with the funeral industry in Arizona have transitioned to ADHS. In June, the Arizona State Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers joined our agency and we have since launched the new Funeral Services Licensing section to support the oversight role, which includes licensing and regulation.

The public can find information, search licenses, and submit complaints on the ADHS Funeral Services Licensing site. Updated consumer guides for the public and funeral homes will be shared in the section soon.

Funeral industry professionals and establishments can now access forms for new license applications or license renewal applications on the forms page of ADHS Funeral Services Licensing. They can also find information on continuing education and additional resources. We are also in the process of integrating Funeral Services Licensing into AZ Care Check, a searchable database listing licensing history, which may include deficiencies and/or enforcement actions found against facilities/providers by ADHS.

Governor Hobbs will appoint a seven-member advisory committee to assist ADHS with oversight. The advisory committee will include two licensed funeral directors, one licensed embalmer, one licensed cremationist, and three members of the public who must be Arizona residents that are not licensed currently as a funeral industry professional or have been licensed in the funeral industry over the past five years. One of the public members must be an owner or manager of a business that has no pecuniary or proprietary interest in a funeral establishment or crematory or in the sale of funeral goods and services

Sometimes, oversight over related areas can fall to different departments, which can make it difficult for the public to know where to go for information and support. Here are the departments that oversee some common end-of-life areas:

ADHS oversees funeral licensing and regulation including funeral homes, crematories and funeral professionals. It also licenses Non-transplant Procurement Organizations that freeze donated bodies and tissue for scientific research.

There are some related issues ADHS does not manage, instead:

The Department of Real Estate regulates the sale of cemetery plots.
The federal government oversees organ and tissue donation.
Medical study donations or Willed Body Programs (WBP), where families can donate directly to accredited universities that train medical professionals to give students hands-on training before assisting living patients, are overseen by their respective institutions.

Visit the Funeral Services Licensing website for more information.

By Tom Salow|2023-07-21T12:11:08-07:00July 21st, 2023|Licensing|Comments Off

About the Author: Tom Salow

Tom Salow is the Assistant Director for Public Health Licensing Services (Licensing) at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS). With a career spanning over 17 years at ADHS, he has provided oversight and expertise in various roles. Beginning in 2005 as a senior rules analyst, Tom worked with a variety of licensing programs to draft, amend, and adopt administrative rules. In 2009, he became the manager for the Office of Administrative Counsel and Rules, leading Senior Rules Analysts, administrative counsel, and policies. He also served as interim legislative liaison for just under a year during this time. After a few years, he transitioned to the Division of Licensing as deputy assistant director (branch chief), overseeing Vital Records, Radiation Control, Child Care Licensing, and Special Licensing. This oversight included the medical and adult-use marijuana programs, business and finance, and enforcement. In January 2022, Tom became the acting assistant director, eventually being appointed as assistant director in June 2022. In his current role, he provides strategic leadership, overseeing the eight Bureaus within the Division of Licensing.