General information from a recorded webinar, not legal advice for your situation.

Is it legal to keep a body at home in Minnesota?

Quick answer · 0:58 · From Natural Options at the End of Life: Green Burial, Water Cremation & More · Recorded Oct 22, 2026

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Short answer

Yes, within limits. Families can keep their person at home for a time after death. Minnesota law requires embalming, refrigeration or dry ice when burial or cremation will not happen within 72 hours, and it sets time limits for each method. Angela Woosley walks through the timeline in this clip.

Key points

  • Final disposition within 72 hours needs no embalming, refrigeration or dry ice.
  • Dry ice is allowed for up to four days.
  • Confirm current refrigeration limits with your funeral provider.

Angela Woosley, M.A.Mortician and end-of-life doula, Inspired Journeys · Guest presenter

Read this part of the transcript

Don’t you have to be embalmed? How can you care for your person, right?” So in Minnesota, it’s legal to have a person at room temperature after death for three days. And I don’t really recommend this, but just knowing that there’s already this built-in spaciousness to be able to slow down and be present with your person, I think is really helpful and important. If we use dry ice, according to Minnesota law, that gives us up to four days. And then after that, if we keep a person in a refrigerated room, then we have up to 14 days to accomplish burial, water cremation or flame cremation, or NOR.

Created automatically from the recording. Full transcript on the webinar page.

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