Human remains in Washington must be decently buried or undergo cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, or natural organic reduction within a reasonable time after death.

Generally, a person has the authority to direct the disposition of their own remains.  If a person has not made arrangements or provided directions, or if the cost of executing the person's wishes exceeds a reasonable amount, then responsibility for arranging the disposition, and the liability for the costs of the disposition, falls to the person's family or guardian.

However, when a person dies indigent and their body is not claimed by relatives or a church organization, it is the responsibility of the board of county commissioners of the county in which they died to provide for the disposition of the person's remains.

A board of county commissioners may provide for the disposition of the remains of an indigent resident of the county who dies in an adjacent county that is not in Washington.