This is often the very first question people ask once they start seriously considering a shroud burial — and the good news is, the answer is almost always yes.
The short answer
In both Canada and the United States, there is no federal law requiring a body to be buried in a casket (except in Quebec - more about that below). Burial in a shroud alone is legal in the majority of places — it's simply a matter of finding a cemetery willing to accommodate it.
How it works in Canada
Canadian federal law sets no requirement for caskets, containers, or grave liners. Instead, the rules are set at the provincial and territorial level, and sometimes by individual municipalities. Green and natural burials — including shroud burial — are permitted across most of the country, though the specific requirements (grave depth, distance from water sources, and so on) vary by province. The one real constraint isn't usually the law itself — it's whether your chosen cemetery allows it, since not every cemetery is set up for green burial. (NB: Quebec is the only province which forbids direct shroud burial, there must be a non-porous container of some sort. Natural burial advocates are lobbying the government to change these restrictive laws.)
How it works in the United States
The picture is similar: there's no federal casket requirement, and the majority of states explicitly permit burial in a shroud or other biodegradable container, either at any cemetery or on private land in a designated family burial ground. The remaining states may have specific regulations around containers, so it's worth checking locally.
What actually determines whether you can do it
In practice, the rules that trip people up usually aren't laws at all — they're cemetery policies. Many conventional cemeteries require a rigid container or a burial vault as a matter of internal policy, not legal obligation. This is exactly why green and natural burial cemeteries exist: they're set up specifically to accommodate shroud burial without those added requirements.
So the real question isn't "is this legal?" — it almost always is. It's "does my cemetery of choice allow it?" That's a conversation worth having early, before you're planning under time pressure.
A few practical notes
- Ask before you need to. If a shroud burial matters to you or someone you love, it's worth confirming your preferred cemetery's policy in advance rather than discovering a restriction in the moment.
- Green and natural burial cemeteries are built for this. If your local conventional cemetery doesn't allow it, a dedicated green burial ground almost certainly will.
- A funeral director or death doula can help navigate local specifics. Rules can vary by municipality, not just province or state, so local guidance is genuinely useful here.
This is general information, not legal advice — regulations can shift, and cemetery policy is ultimately the deciding factor. When in doubt, a quick call to your intended cemetery will give you a clear, current answer.
Sanctum shrouds are handcrafted from organic, biodegradable fabric, designed for exactly this kind of natural burial. Explore our shrouds.