KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Tennessee

HB1286 • 2026

Death

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 34, Chapter 6, Part 37; Title 38; Title 50; Title 56; Title 62, Chapter 5; Title 62, Chapter 6 and Title 68, relative to burial.

Healthcare
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hill, Crowe
Last action
2026-03-25
Official status
Taken off notice for cal in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill has not yet been signed into law and its status is still active.

Burial Time Limit Act

This bill sets a rule that bodies must be buried within two days if an autopsy or embalming is not requested by the person or agency in charge of burial, unless there are special reasons to do an autopsy.

What This Bill Does

  • Sets a limit of 48 hours for burying a body after it's decided not to have an autopsy or embalming.
  • Doesn't apply if another law requires an autopsy due to the circumstances surrounding the death.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People or agencies that take care of bodies before burial.

Terms To Know

Autopsy
A medical examination of a dead body to find out the cause of death.
Embalming
The process of preserving a body after death, often for viewing before burial.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not apply if another law requires an autopsy.
  • It's unclear how this will be enforced or what happens if the rule is broken.
  • This bill has not yet been signed into law and its status is still active.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-01 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to General Subcommittee of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  2. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Taken off notice for cal in s/c Health Subcommittee of Health Committee

  3. 2026-03-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 4/1/2026

  4. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/25/2026

  5. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/25/2026

  6. 2026-03-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Reset on Final calendar of Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  7. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/18/2026

  8. 2026-03-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Health and Welfare Committee to 3/18/2026

  9. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/18/2026

  10. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action Def. in s/c Health Subcommittee to 3/18/2026

  11. 2026-03-11 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Health and Welfare Committee calendar for 3/17/2026

  12. 2026-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Health Subcommittee for 3/11/2026

  13. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Health Subcommittee

  14. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to Health Committee

  15. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Health and Welfare Committee

  16. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  17. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  18. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  19. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

This bill generally provides that if
the person or government agency assuming custody of a body for the purposes of burial does not request an autopsy, or that the body be embalmed, then the person or government agency must ensure that the body is buried within 48 hours from the time when th
e person or government agency waives the ability to request an autopsy or embalming of the body.
However, this provision
does not apply when an autopsy may be requested in accordance with the Post-Mortem Examination Ac
t, or another law that allows this state or a political subdivision of this state to request an autopsy due to the circumstances surrounding the death of the decedent
.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1145
By Crowe

HOUSE BILL 1286
By Hill

HB1286
002915
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 34,
Chapter 6, Part 37; Title 38; Title 50; Title 56; Title
62, Chapter 5; Title 62, Chapter 6 and Title 68,
relative to burial.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 68, Chapter 4, is amended by adding
the following as a new section:
(a) If the person or government agency assuming custody of a body for the
purposes of burial does not request an autopsy pursuant to § 68-4-111, or that the body
be embalmed, then the person or government agency must ensure that the body is
buried within forty-eight (48) hours from the time when the person or government agency
waives the ability to request an autopsy or embalming of the body.
(b) Subsection (a) does not apply when an autopsy may be requested in
accordance with the Post-Mortem Examination Act, compiled in title 38, chapter 7, or
another law that allows this state or a political subdivision of this state to request an
autopsy due to the circumstances surrounding the death of the decedent.
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.