How to Choose a Funeral Home in Delaware (2026): GPL Price List, Licensing, Questions & Red Flags

If you’re reading this, you may be doing two hard things at once: trying to care for someone you love and trying to make decisions that come with paperwork, prices, and unfamiliar terminology. In Delaware, as in most places, the best way to protect your family—emotionally and financially—is to slow the process down just enough to gather clear information, compare options, and put everything in writing before you sign.

Funeral choices are also changing. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, cremation continues to rise nationally, with a 2025 projected cremation rate of 63.4%. The Cremation Association of North America reports a 2024 U.S. cremation rate of 61.8%. That shift matters in a practical way: many families now plan a simple cremation first and schedule a memorial later, which means you may be comparing providers based on transparency, timelines, and basic services rather than “full package” offerings.

Before you call: a quick Delaware checklist

Here is a short “before you call” checklist to ground the conversation and make the first phone call easier. You do not need to have everything solved—just enough to ask for quotes that are truly comparable.

• Budget range (what feels realistic for your household, even if it’s a wide range).
• Service type (direct cremation, cremation with a memorial, burial, or a viewing and funeral).
• Cremation vs. burial (and whether you want a cemetery involved now or later).
• Timing (urgent needs this week vs. flexible planning over the next few weeks).
• Who has legal authority to make arrangements and sign authorizations.

That last point can be especially important when families are grieving and multiple people are trying to help. Delaware has a statute that sets priority for who controls disposition if the decedent did not leave written instructions. You can review Delaware’s “right to dispose of remains” framework in Title 12, Subchapter III, § 264.

How funeral home pricing really works in 2026

A funeral home quote can feel like a single number, but it is usually built from layers. The most reliable way to understand those layers is to request the provider’s General Price List (GPL) and ask for a written, itemized estimate that matches your plan. The GPL is not a “nice to have.” Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must provide a GPL to anyone who asks in person about goods, services, or prices, and it must be yours to keep.

It helps to know what you’re looking at when the GPL arrives. Most Delaware families will see some combination of these common categories:

• Basic services fee (the non-declinable fee that covers overhead and staff time for coordinating arrangements).
• Transfer of remains (often a separate charge for bringing someone into the funeral home’s care).
• Care and preparation (from simple sheltering/refrigeration to embalming, dressing, and cosmetology).
• Use of facilities and staff (for visitation, ceremony, graveside service, or equipment setup).
• Cremation or burial-related charges (crematory fee, alternative container, casket, vault/liner, cemetery coordination).
• Cash-advance items (third-party charges the funeral home pays on your behalf—death certificates, permits, clergy honoraria, obituary placement, certified copies, etc.).

For a national context on typical costs, the National Funeral Directors Association reports that the national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial in 2023 was $8,300, while the median cost of a funeral with cremation was $6,280. Those are medians, not Delaware-specific guarantees, but they can help you sanity-check quotes that are dramatically higher or lower than expected and remind you to ask what’s included.

One detail families often miss: the Funeral Rule contemplates multiple price lists—not just the GPL. The FTC summarizes the required price lists (GPL, casket price list, and outer burial container price list) in its Price List Essentials tip sheet. If you are considering burial, or you want to compare casket pricing fairly, those additional lists matter.

How to compare funeral home quotes apples-to-apples

In a stressful moment, it’s easy to compare two total numbers and assume the lower one is “cheaper.” The problem is that totals often hide different assumptions. One quote may include a higher basic services fee but fewer add-ons; another may look lower until you add a required facility charge, a weekend fee, or cash-advance items that weren’t discussed.

A practical approach is to ask every funeral home to quote the same plan in writing. For example: “We want direct cremation with no viewing, a simple alternative container, and help with the death certificate filing.” Or: “We want a one-day viewing and a funeral service, followed by cremation, and we’re bringing our own urn.” Then confirm each of the following line items so you can compare fairly:

Line item to compare	Why it matters
Basic services fee	This is often the largest fixed component and varies widely by provider.
Transfer of remains	Ask about mileage, after-hours pickups, and hospital/nursing facility pickups.
Sheltering / refrigeration	Especially relevant if timing depends on permits, family travel, or medical examiner review.
Embalming	Clarify when it is optional versus required for a viewing at that funeral home.
Facilities and staff	Visitation rooms, chapel time, equipment, and staffing can be quoted separately.
Cremation-related fees	Ask what is included: transportation to crematory, alternative container, and any “cremation package” contents.
Cash-advance items	These should be estimated clearly so you avoid “surprise” third-party costs later.

When you request a quote, use the same phrasing every time: “Please email me an itemized estimate based on your GPL.” If you are comparing direct cremation funeral home Delaware options, ask each provider to price direct cremation both with and without extras like an upgraded container, upgraded urn, or ceremonial time.

Licensing and reputation checks tailored to Delaware

Reviews can be helpful, but in Delaware, your first “reputation check” should be licensure. The Delaware Board of Funeral Services licenses funeral directors, funeral establishments, and crematory establishments, and it adjudicates complaints and can impose disciplinary sanctions. That matters because your relationship is not only emotional; it is also regulated.

To verify a funeral home or funeral director, use the State’s license lookup system. Delaware’s DELPROS platform provides an online License Look-Up for individuals and facilities. The Division of Professional Regulation also notes that online verifications can include disciplinary documents when they exist, and points the public to its Search & Verify License Online instructions.

When you run the search, you’re looking for a few things that are easy to miss:

• Correct license type (individual vs. facility), since a funeral establishment should be permitted and a funeral director should be individually licensed.
• Active status (not expired, not inactive, not subject to restrictions).
• Disciplinary history (if present), which can help you ask better follow-up questions.

If you are in a crisis moment and searching “funeral home near me Delaware,” this is the safest sequence: locate two or three nearby providers, verify licensure first, then compare pricing and service details. It keeps you from choosing based on advertising or proximity alone.

Delaware paperwork and cremation-specific realities families should know

Many families assume the “paperwork” is just forms the funeral home wants. In reality, there are legal filings that must occur before final disposition. Delaware law requires that a certificate of death be filed with the Office of Vital Statistics within a prescribed timeframe and prior to final disposition. The statute describes responsibilities for filing and certification in Title 16, Chapter 31, § 3123 (Registration of death).

If you are choosing cremation, Delaware also has specific rules around authorization and permits. Delaware’s code explains that a cremation (or natural organic reduction) permit must be prepared and signed by the Chief Medical Examiner (or designee), and it must be presented with a signed death certificate and a cremation authorization signed by next-of-kin or a legal representative. You can review this framework in Title 16, § 3159 (Permit for cremation).

Those requirements are one reason timelines can vary. A funeral home that is transparent about timing will tell you what is pending (physician certification, medical examiner review, permit signature, scheduling at the crematory) and what they are doing to keep the process moving. If you want a family-friendly overview of Delaware-specific cremation planning, Funeral.com’s Delaware Cremation Guide: Costs, Laws & Options (2026) can help you understand what the funeral home is coordinating behind the scenes, and Cremation Laws in Delaware (2026) offers a practical lens for permits, authorization, and the questions families ask most often.

This is also where chain-of-custody questions become reasonable, not “difficult.” You are allowed to ask who performs identification, how the identification is documented, and whether a representative may be present if that matters to your family. The right provider will answer calmly and precisely.

A practical question list to ask Delaware funeral homes

If you want to feel confident, you need questions that translate into concrete answers. These are designed to match common Delaware searches like funeral home questions to ask Delaware, while also helping you compare providers fairly.

• Can you provide your General Price List (GPL) today? (If you’re in person, it should be handed to you; if you’re on the phone, ask for an emailed price list and an itemized estimate based on it.)
• Is this quote itemized or packaged? If packaged, ask for the itemized version anyway so you can compare.
• What is your basic services fee, and what does it cover?
• What does transfer of remains cost, and are there after-hours or mileage charges?
• For cremation: what is included in your direct cremation price? Ask specifically about the alternative container, crematory fee, and the timing for permits.
• For burial: what charges come from the cemetery versus the funeral home? Ask about opening/closing, vault/liner requirements, and scheduling.
• What is your policy on embalming? Is it required for a viewing at your facility, and is there a lower-cost option such as a private ID viewing without embalming?
• How do you handle identification and chain of custody for cremation? Who confirms identity, how is it documented, and can you explain the process step-by-step?
• Which services are performed in-house, and which are subcontracted? If a crematory is used offsite, ask which one and how transportation is handled.
• What cash-advance items should we expect in Delaware? Ask for a written estimate of third-party items like death certificates, permits, and obituary placement.
• What are your deposit, cancellation, and refund policies? Ask for these in writing before you pay.
• Will you provide a written, itemized statement before we finalize everything? The goal is no surprises and no “required” items that are actually optional.

If you are arranging cremation and the funeral home is quoting an urn, remember this: the FTC Funeral Rule generally protects your right to buy goods like caskets and urns elsewhere. If you want to browse options calmly, you can review cremation urns for ashes, small cremation urns, and keepsake urns, and you can explore cremation jewelry and cremation necklaces if your family is considering shared memorial keepsakes. If you want guidance on selection rather than shopping, How to Choose a Cremation Urn and Cremation Jewelry 101 are designed to help families avoid common mistakes.

Common red flags to watch for

Most funeral directors are doing difficult work with genuine care. Red flags are not about being suspicious; they are about recognizing when a provider is not being clear or is pressuring you into decisions you are not ready to make. These are common funeral home red flags Delaware families report nationally, and they are worth taking seriously.

• Refusal to provide a GPL or a statement that they “don’t give pricing without an appointment.”
• Vague totals without itemization, especially when you ask “what is included?”
• Pressure tactics (“this is required,” “you have to decide right now,” “everyone chooses this”).
• Upselling embalming as legally required when it is not, or presenting it as the only way to proceed without explaining alternatives.
• Unexplained fees (facility fees, weekend fees, administrative fees) that appear late in the process.
• Claims you cannot bring your own casket or urn, or that an outside purchase will trigger a penalty.
• Unclear cremation identification steps or discomfort when you ask how identification is handled.
• Reluctance to put it in writing, especially regarding totals, policies, and what you are approving.

If something feels off, it is reasonable to pause, get a second quote, and ask for everything in writing. Choosing a different provider is not disrespectful. It is funeral planning in the most practical sense: protecting your family’s energy, time, and finances while honoring the person who died.

What to do next

When families feel stuck, it’s usually because everything feels urgent. A simple next-step plan can make the process feel manageable.

• Get 2–3 quotes using the same plan description, and request the GPL and a written itemized estimate from each provider.
• Ask for a written itemized statement that separates funeral home charges from cash-advance items, and confirm which fees are estimates versus fixed.
• Confirm services in writing before paying a deposit: timeline, who performs key steps, and exactly what you are authorizing.

If you’re also thinking ahead about “what to do with ashes” or the question of keeping ashes at home, it can be comforting to remember you do not have to decide everything immediately. Many families choose cremation first and decide later how to memorialize. If that is your situation, Keeping Cremation Ashes at Home can help you understand safe storage and practical options in a calm, non-rushed way.

FAQs for Delaware families