What can you do with
cremated remains?

Keep the urn at home

Many families keep cremated remains at home, at least at first. It is legal, it costs nothing, and for some it feels right. Two things are worth knowing. First, an urn at home has no permanent record — when a house is sold or a generation passes, remains can be misplaced in ways a cemetery record prevents. Second, many families tell us the urn becomes a quiet burden over time: something they feel responsible for but no longer know what to do with. There is no deadline — placement in a cemetery is possible years later.

Place them in a columbarium niche

A niche is an individual above-ground compartment in a columbarium, built specifically for urns. Each niche is inscribed and permanently recorded, giving family — including generations not yet born — a place to find and visit. At Evergreen, niches start at $2,000, and the columbarium is on grounds open daily. See our niches & urn burial page.

Bury them in an urn space or family grave

Cremated remains may be buried in a designated urn space (from $650 at Evergreen) or, in many cases, interred in an existing family grave — reuniting generations in one plot. If your family already holds a lot at any cemetery, ask what it allows; our office confirms this from our records for Evergreen lots.

Scatter them

Scattering is meaningful for some families. Rules vary by location — on private land you need the owner's permission, and public parks and waters have their own regulations, so check before you plan a ceremony. The trade-off to weigh honestly: scattering is final, and it leaves no place to return to. Some families scatter a portion and place the rest in a niche or urn space, keeping both the gesture and the destination.

Divide them among family

Remains may be divided among family members in keepsake urns or jewelry. This is often combined with a permanent placement, so there is a recorded resting place alongside the keepsakes.

The question underneath the question

If you are arranging a cremation now, placement can be settled in the same conversation — see our cremation services page. If the cremation happened long ago, it is never too late; contact our office and we will walk you through it.