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scatter ashes in North Dakota

2023 State Guide to Scattering Ashes - North Dakota Edition

How much does cremation cost in North Dakota: $1,000

This forty-seventh edition of state-by-state guides to scattering ashes focuses on North Dakota. This unique state is home to stunning lakes and rivers, beautiful country landscapes, and thriving communities.

With the growing number of people choosing cremation over burial (primarily due to a much lower cremation cost and that many families are less traditional), funeral homes and cremation service providers in North Dakota and other states field questions every day about cremation and scattering ashes. This includes if scattering ashes is permitted in North Dakota, where in North Dakota can you scatter, and what urn do they recommend to scatter with. In this North Dakota state guide, we provide key information about scattering a loved one or pet’s ashes in North Dakota that helps answer these questions and many more.

Regulations in North Dakota for Scattering Ashes

scattering ashes North Dakota

In North Dakota, no state laws exist that prohibit families from storing or scattering cremated ashes. Cremation renders ashes harmless and they do not pose any health risks. Ashes in North Dakota can be stored in a nice, grave, crypt, urn or other container of your choosing. If the decision is made to scatter a loved one’s ashes, there are many beautiful locations to do this at in North Dakota.

Where to Scatter Ashes in North Dakota?

Families in North Dakota have a number of options on where to scatter ashes. Below we provide information on some of the more common places people scatter in the state.

  • In a Yard or Other Private Property – in North Dakota, along with most other states, there are no state laws that prohibit you from scattering cremated ashes in your yard or on other private property that you own. If you’re interested in scattering a loved one’s ashes on property owned by another person or a company, it’s recommended to reach out to them and get their permission first.
  • Public Land – North Dakota is home to some beautiful landscapes, which make for wonderful places to scatter ashes. Even with no state laws that restrict scattering, if you’re looking to scatter ashes on public property, reach out to the city or county government offices in the area to learn if any local restrictions or rules are in place.
  • National Parks – North Dakota has 3 stunning National Parks that attract nearly a million visitors every year. National Parks in North Dakota and elsewhere nationwide are common places where people prefer to scatter a loved one’s ashes. It’s important to note that every park has its own set of regulations related to scattering. Therefore, if you’re interested in scattering at a particular National Park, contact the park ranger’s office to understand if it’s allowed there and if any regulations are in place.
  • Scattering Gardens – with the increasing number of people in North Dakota choosing to be cremated, many churches and cemeteries are starting to introduce scattering gardens. These are special sections on their property where people are allowed to scatter ashes. If you’re interested in scattering a loved one’s ashes in a scattering garden, a quick internet search can typically identify one or more options in your area.
  • Airplane – there are no North Dakota state laws that restrict scattering ashes from an airplane. If this is something you’re interested in doing (or having done), it’s important to understand that ashes are okay to be dropped from the sky, but the urn used to scatter is not. Federal aviation law restricts dropping anything from an airplane that can potentially harm people or damage property.
  • Water Burial – many Americans have a special connection to the water. Therefore, water burial memorials are becoming more and more common and many new urn options have recently been introduced for this purpose. One of the most popular ones is the Eco Water Urn, a patent pending biodegradable urn that floats on the water (similar to a buoy). Then, up to a few minutes later, the bottom breaks open and the ashes are freed in the water. If doing a water burial is something of interest to you or your family, be sure to keep in mind that federal law stipulates that cremated ashes need to be scattered at least three nautical miles from land. In addition, the EPA requires that they’re given notice within thirty days of a water burial occurring.

How to Scatter Ashes?

With the rate of cremation increasing in North Dakota and almost all other states throughout the country, new cremation urns have recently been brought to market that are designed to scatter ashes. These are commonly called ‘scattering urns’ - below we provide information on some of the most popular scattering urns offered by funeral homes in North Dakota and other nearby states.

Eco Scattering Urn

The Eco Scattering Urn is a biodegradable urn that is constructed entirely from bamboo, one of the strongest sustainable materials available! This unique patented urn has an open and close locking mechanism that helps secure the cremated ashes in the urn while traveling to that special place to scatter. The Eco Scattering Urn can be ordered online or purchased from funeral homes throughout the country. It can be engraved with your loved one’s name, dates of birth and death, a special saying, and a symbol of choice – all for a reasonable price. The Eco Scattering Urn comes in four sizes and starts at $49, an affordable price for many families.

Paper Scattering Urns

Like the Eco Scattering Urn, scattering urns manufactured from paper are also shaped like a long cylinder. This special shape helps people scatter the ashes away from their body. The paper scattering urns are a lower cost option to other urns on the market and usually have nature scene or other image printed around the outside of urn. A drawback of the paper scattering urn is that an additional step is required - whoever is loading the urn with ashes needs to glue part of it together.

Eco Water Urn

The patent pending Eco Water Urn gives you the ability to perform a water burial with ease and give your loved one a dignified memorial. This unique urn floats upright on the water, like a buoy, until the bottom of the urn breaks apart and the ashes are freed into the water. The Eco Water Urn is available online and is also offered by leading funeral homes throughout the country. It comes packaged in an attractive bamboo protective case, which also serves as a great way to safely travel with the urn holding a loved one’s ashes to a special place on the water.

More Than One Memorial?

With an increase in the amount of people in North Dakota and other states choosing to be cremated, a number of new urns and memorial options have recently become available. With so many new wonderful options, many people are electing to have more than one memorial to honor a loved one. This commonly includes using a portion of the ashes in more than one of the following urns and memorials:

    • scatter a loved one’s ashes at a beautiful meaningful place (or places);
    • include their ashes in a Living Urn bio urn to grow a memory tree;
    • include ashes in a colorful glass tabletop decoration;
    • infuse them into a stunning stone; or
    • include ashes in jewelry that you can wear with pride, among many other options.

Learn about unique Cremation Urns in North Dakota

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