Board grants establishment license to Horizon Cremations Chattanooga LLC

The Tennessee Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers voted Jan. 14 to approve an establishment license for Horizon Cremations Chattanooga LLC, a storefront office proposed at 1509 South Smith Street, Suite A in East Ridge.

Why it matters: Licensing a new storefront that relies on another licensed funeral home’s preparation facilities and an out-of-state crematory raises operational questions the board reviewed before approving the application.

What the board reviewed

Applicant Josh Ann Long appeared before the board and said he is a third-generation funeral director and embalmer recently licensed in Tennessee. The board reviewed inspection materials, the general price list and a signed agreement with MD Dodson and Sons Funeral Home in Cleveland, Tennessee, to provide embalming, preparation and viewing services. The applicant told the board families will be offered viewing and identification at Dodson’s facility or off-site at a church; no decedents will be stored in the East Ridge storefront.

The applicant also said the licensed embalming and preparation would be performed at the partner funeral home; cremations will use a crematory located just over the Georgia line. Documents confirming the partnership and the inspection report were on file with the department.

Board action

A motion to accept the establishment application passed by voice vote; the board’s minutes record a motion by Wendell Naylor with a second by Don Haynes to approve the license for Horizon Cremations Chattanooga LLC.

Ending

Horizon Cremations Chattanooga LLC is licensed to operate as a storefront office that will contract with an established licensed funeral home for preparation and viewing services and use an out-of-state crematory for disposition. The board advised the applicant to keep its licensing, inspection records and inter-facility agreements current and to contact staff with questions.