Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Crematory Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State office says it regulates five crematories, logs no recent crematory complaints
Summary
The Maryland Office of Cemetery Oversight told the Health and Government Operations Committee it oversees five crematories, inspected them in the past year with no significant findings, and has a single investigator handling complaints and inspections while two staff positions remain vacant.
John Dove, commissioner of the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing at the Maryland Department of Labor, told the Health and Government Operations Committee that the Office of Cemetery Oversight licenses and inspects a small number of crematories and handles consumer complaints.
Dove said the state has 47 regulated crematories: "42 of them are regulated by the Maryland Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors with the Maryland Department of Health," and "5 crematories are regulated by the Office of Cemetery Oversight." He added the office licenses 21 crematory operators and that the five crematories the office oversees were inspected during the past year "with no significant findings."
The office described a paper-based complaint process. Consumers may download a complaint form or request one by mail or email; the office logs each submission, sends an acknowledgement, and the investigator reviews complaints to decide whether to perform an on-site inspection. Commissioner Dove summarized possible sanctions available to the office, saying the OCO can "order summarily the suspension of a license" in emergencies, hold hearings for nonemergency matters, issue cease-and-desist orders, deny or revoke licenses, reprimand, and impose fines — "a maximum of $5,000 for each violation and $500 for each day a violation continues." The office also can seek restraining orders in circuit court to halt operations.
Dove described the office's staffing as small: an executive director, one investigator, and vacancies for a licensing specialist and a financial administrator (the latter a part-time contract position). Committee members asked whether filling those vacancies would bring staffing to an adequate level; Dove said current staffing suffices for the volume of complaints the office receives now but that the office would reassess if complaint volumes rose.
When asked how often the office inspects the crematories it regulates, Dove said inspections occur at initial licensing and then every two years for those five crematories.
The committee also asked about regulation of alkaline hydrolysis (a cremation alternative). Dove said the office is working with the Maryland Board of Morticians and Funeral Directors and has several drafts of a rule for public comment, but he did not give a publication date.
The office advised consumers and permit holders that when an investigator finds potential criminal conduct the matter is forwarded for criminal investigation, and that once a complaint is closed the office notifies both the permit holder and the complainant of the disposition.
Closing details: Dove asked the committee for patience while the office fills vacancies and said the office posts laws and regulation links on its website for consumers. He thanked the committee for the opportunity to brief members.
