Tex. Health & Safety Code § 714.001 · Chapter 714. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO CEMETERIES
DEPTH OF GRAVES; CRIMINAL PENALTY.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) The body of a decedent may not be buried in a manner so that the outside top surface of the container of the body is:
(1) less than two feet below the surface of the ground if the container is not made of an impermeable material; or
(2) less than 1-1/2 feet below the surface of the ground if the container is made of an impermeable material.
(b) The governing body of a political subdivision of this state may, because of subsurface soil conditions or other relevant considerations, permit, by ordinance or rule, burials in that political subdivision at a shallower depth than that required by Subsection (a).
(c) This section does not apply to burials in a sealed surface reinforced concrete burial vault.
(d) A person commits an offense if the person buries the body of a decedent in violation of this section or in violation of an ordinance or rule adopted under this section.
(e) An offense under this section is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 or more than $200.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/HS/htm/HS.714.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 df781f80b0bb42761476e13781c657b526f2cf6caa8d7e47c54b98b2af0ca7b8
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Cited by 1 provision
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