The Short Answer
Is Ash Scattering at Sea Legal in San Diego?
Yes. It's fully legal — and every piece of required paperwork, federal and state, is something we handle for your family, not something you need to manage yourself.
If someone you love has asked to be scattered at sea, you shouldn't have to become an expert in maritime and vital-records law to make it happen. Here's the short version of what's actually required, and — more importantly — who takes care of it.
What the law requires
- At least 3 nautical miles offshore. Federal law (the EPA's ocean-burial permit) sets this distance. We navigate to the verified location — you don't need to track it.
- A disposition permit on file with the county, correctly marked for sea scattering. If your funeral home issued the permit, this is usually already in order; we check it before the ceremony date.
- A statement filed with San Diego County within 10 days confirming where the scattering took place.
- A report filed with the EPA within 30 days of the ceremony.
- Biodegradable flowers only — no plastic or wire — if your family wants to release petals or a wreath alongside the ashes.
What we do so you don't have to
Every JADA ceremony is logged the same day it happens. Our captain records the exact GPS coordinates of the release on the water, and that record becomes the source for everything that follows: the certificate we give your family, the county filing, and the EPA report — all tracked to their legal deadlines and handled by us.
You will not need to fill out a form, track a deadline, or follow up with a county office. That is the entire point of how we've built this. Your only task is to be present for the ceremony.
Why this matters right now
You are dealing with enough. Our license (California Cremated Remains Disposer #950) exists specifically so that a family in your position never has to become the one chasing paperwork during the hardest weeks of the year. We built our process — and the systems behind it — around that one idea: put this out of your mind, and trust that it is handled.
For the Detail-Oriented
Read the full legal reference, with citations
The complete federal and California statutory framework — MPRSA, EPA regulations, California Health & Safety Code, and our licensing — with primary-source citations for every claim above.
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