Florida Statute 382.006
“Burial-transit permit”
What it means
The funeral director who first assumes custody of a dead body or fetus must obtain a burial-transit permit before final disposition and within 5 days after death. The permit is issued by the Department of Health or by the local registrar or subregistrar of the district where the death occurred.
The permit is tied to the death certificate: it does not issue until a complete certificate is filed, except on the funeral director's assurance that it will be. The permit goes to the person in charge of the place of final disposition before interment — and a body transported out of Florida must travel with its permit. Deaths involving a disease deemed dangerous to public health carry added restrictions.
- Obtained by the funeral director who first assumes custody — before final disposition and within 5 days after death.
- Issued by the department or the local registrar or subregistrar of the district where the death occurred.
- Default rule: no permit until the death certificate is filed — with an exception on the funeral director's assurance it will be.
- The permit is delivered to the person in charge of the place of final disposition before interment or disposal.
- A body leaving Florida must travel with the permit to its destination.
How it plays out
This is the statute working in the background whenever a Florida decedent is buried in a family plot up north or brought home from another state. The sequencing is what trips families: the physician or medical examiner must certify the death certificate before the permit issues, the permit must exist before the body moves, and the medical examiner must release the body first if chapter 406 applies. When out-of-state burial is the plan, we tell families to let the funeral director run this chain — it is routine for them and immovable for everyone else.
