This bill addresses natural organic reduction.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Natural organic reduction — sometimes called "human composting" — is a process that converts human remains into soil, and this bill would formally authorize Utah funeral service establishments to offer it as an end-of-life option alongside burial, cremation, and alkaline hydrolysis. Funeral directors offering the service would need to meet training and facility standards set by the state, and could not begin the process without a signed authorization form from a legally designated agent, a completed death certificate, and required permits; the bill also grants funeral establishments legal immunity when they rely in good faith on these authorization forms and limits their liability for actions taken under a valid authorization. It sets detailed procedural rules, including a ban on processing more than one person's remains in the same container at once, identification tracking requirements, and specific steps for handling and returning the resulting soil and any bone particles, while updating recordkeeping requirements for establishments that provide the service. Finally, the bill specifies where the resulting soil may be placed — including cemeteries, uninhabited public land, waterways, or private property with written owner consent and disclosure requirements for future property sales — and makes it a crime for anyone to knowingly use those remains to grow food for human consumption.
Current version: SB0049S02 (Substitute)
Introduction
Jan 20
Senate Rules
Mar 6
Senate Committee
Jan 26
Senate 2nd Reading
Feb 9
Senate 3rd Reading
Feb 10
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Governor
IntroductionJan 20
Senate RulesMar 6
Senate CommitteeJan 26
Senate 2nd ReadingFeb 9
Senate 3rd ReadingFeb 10
House Rules
House Committee
House Floor Vote
Governor
This bill addresses natural organic reduction.
This bill:
AI-generated summary, not yet reviewed by Better Utah staff. Please consult the bill text.
Natural organic reduction — sometimes called "human composting" — is a process that converts human remains into soil, and this bill would formally authorize Utah funeral service establishments to offer it as an end-of-life option alongside burial, cremation, and alkaline hydrolysis. Funeral directors offering the service would need to meet training and facility standards set by the state, and could not begin the process without a signed authorization form from a legally designated agent, a completed death certificate, and required permits; the bill also grants funeral establishments legal immunity when they rely in good faith on these authorization forms and limits their liability for actions taken under a valid authorization. It sets detailed procedural rules, including a ban on processing more than one person's remains in the same container at once, identification tracking requirements, and specific steps for handling and returning the resulting soil and any bone particles, while updating recordkeeping requirements for establishments that provide the service. Finally, the bill specifies where the resulting soil may be placed — including cemeteries, uninhabited public land, waterways, or private property with written owner consent and disclosure requirements for future property sales — and makes it a crime for anyone to knowingly use those remains to grow food for human consumption.
Motion: Favorable Recommendation
Senate/ filed
Senate file for bills not passed
Senate/ strike enacting clause
Senate Secretary
Senate/ 3nd Reading Calendar to Rules
Senate Rules Committee
Senate/ circled
Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Senate/ uncircled
Senate 3rd Reading Calendar
Last updated Aug 29, 2026, 5:26 PM