5 Places Where It’s Legal to Scatter Ashes in California

After your loved one departs and has been cremated, the next big questions arise: What do you do with their remains? Should you scatter them? Should you hold onto them as a keepsake? Or should you find another way to remember the departed?

If you’re interested in scattering the remains, you should first know where it is legal to scatter ashes in California. Then you can decide how to scatter the ashes and who should be there to witness the ceremony.

Where Can You Scatter Ashes in California?

State law dictates that ashes can be scattered wherever you or your loved one have chosen, provided the ceremony meets three qualifications:

• No prohibition exists against scattering ashes in that particular location.
• You have written permission from the owner of the property.
• The cremated remains are not easily identifiable as remains after scattering.

Common Places to Scatter Ashes

Ideally, the location you decide to scatter cremated remains will have some sort of special meaning to your dearly departed. For example, maybe they frequented a certain beachfront or loved going on a specific hike in their favorite national park. With the right permissions in order, you can help them depart from this life in the places they loved the most.

To give you an idea of where those places might be, consider these popular places to scatter cremated remains.

1. The Pacific Ocean

Scattering remains at sea is a beautiful way to send off your loved one. To observe the Federal Clean Water Act, all scattering ceremonies must be performed at least three nautical miles away from the coast. Fortunately, there are boating services that will take you out to that distance so you and a small group of people can observe the scattering ceremony. At Simply Remembered, we offer a service where we scatter your loved one’s ashes for you and even a full-body burial at sea option.

2. In the Air (from an Airplane)

Certain private airline services will take your group into the air to scatter your loved one’s remains. This gives you easy access to breathtaking views and locations where you can say one final goodbye.

3. National Parks

Federal land, like national parks, often requires individuals to have a permit before they can scatter their loved one’s ashes on the premises. We recommend asking park officials, as they may have designated ash scattering zones for you to hold the ceremony.

4. Sports Stadiums

Was your loved one a sports fan? Many people have had their ashes scattered at their favorite sports stadiums. As long as you have permission from the arena owner, you may scatter the departed’s ashes there (usually on the grass field).

5. Mountain Peaks

Provided that it is not within a National Park, most mountain peaks in California are public land. So, if you get permission from the county office, you can climb to the top of a mountain and scatter your loved one’s ashes from there.

Where Can’t You Scatter Ashes?

As a rule of thumb, assume you can’t scatter ashes somewhere unless you have written consent from the property owner. However, three places are always off-limits: lakes, rivers, and streams. Doing so can pollute the water, resulting in a citation.

How to Scatter Ashes

Now that you have some ideas of where you can scatter your loved one’s ashes, it’s time to consider how to scatter their ashes. You may have a single person scatter the ashes. Or, you could choose to make it a ceremony for the whole group, allowing everyone to pick up and let go of the departed, both physically and metaphorically.

However many people participate in the ceremony, there are a few ways you can scatter the remains:

• Casting: Casting, or letting the ashes blow away in the wind, is probably the most common form of ash scattering. The person scattering will simply pick up a handful of ashes, extend their arm, and slowly release the ashes into the wind. Be sure you’re positioned so the ashes blow away from you; cremated remains blowing into your face are both unpleasant and dangerous due to the small, sharp bone fragments.
• Burying (Trenching): Trenching ashes is essentially like a traditional burial ceremony. The only difference is that you will be burying ashes, not a casket. The trench should be shallow, and you may wish to mark it with flowers or other biodegradable decor. 
• Raking: With raking, cremated remains are scattered on top of loose soil and then raked until they are well-incorporated with the earth. This soil may be part of a flower garden, a forest, or a beautiful grassy knoll. 

Alternatives to Scattering Ashes

We’ve gone over some alternatives of how to spread ashes, like by plane or at sea, but there are a few other options to consider:

• Memorial Jewelry: Memorial jewelry might take the shape of rings, necklaces, and any other accessory that’s made from your loved one’s cremated remains. The possibilities are endless—the final piece can be any shape, style, and color you want it to be. There are other kinds of memorial jewelry that include fillable vessels for your loved one’s remains.
• Tree Urns: Some companies create biodegradable urns with tree seeds embedded. Your loved one’s remains provide nourishment for the seed to grow into a flourishing tree. You can have a living memory of your loved one as long as that tree stands.
• Memorial Fireworks: Memorial services should be a celebration—both of the life your loved one lived and of the memories every guest shared with them. And what better way to end the celebration than to set off fireworks? Some companies will put your loved one’s ashes into a firework so they can be a part of the celebration.

Depending on the best way to remember your loved one, the memorial can be costly. That’s why finding an affordable cremation service helps you open up your scattering options.

What to Say When Scattering Ashes

Now for what is perhaps the most difficult part of any scattering ceremony: what you will say during it. 

There are a few routes you can take with this. You may assign one person to give a eulogy on behalf of the deceased. Or you could open it to all guests, allowing anyone who wants to share a memory or their love and admiration for the departed.

Whatever you or anyone else says during the service, just make sure it is said in appreciation. This isn’t an opportunity to air grievances but rather celebrate the good memories the person left behind.

Honor Your Loved One

If you are still unsure of where to scatter your loved one’s ashes in California, we hope Simply Remembered can be of service to you. 

Please give us a call to help you determine the best way to honor your loved one. Or, if you need to plan a cremation service, we’d love to answer any questions you have about that as well.