1. A. Upon receipt of human remains, a permit holder in the presence of the authorizing agent or representative of the funeral establishment engaging crematory services shall:

   1. (1) Verify that the information on the wrist tag is consistent with the:

      1. (a) Documentation accompanying the deceased; and
      2. (b) Visual observation of the remains themselves;
   2. (2) Use a metal detector wand to inspect for the presence of any battery operated, implanted devices including pacemakers, defibrillators, or pain relief devices;
   3. (3) Refuse to accept human remains for cremation if an inspection of the human remains indicates the presence of any battery operated, implanted device;
   4. (4) Ensure the removal and properly dispose of any hazardous object or any other materials that the individual authorized under this subtitle deems should be removed from the human remains, the crematory container, or the hydrolysis container, in order to prevent harm to the public health or damage to the cremator or alkaline hydrolysis unit;

   5. (5) Remove any jewelry:

      1. (a) On the human remains;
      2. (b) In the crematory container; or
      3. (c) In the hydrolysis container;
   6. (6) Return any removed jewelry to the authorizing agent or representative of the funeral establishment engaging crematory services; and
   7. (7) Obtain a signed, itemized receipt from the authorizing agent or representative of the funeral establishment engaging crematory services for the removed jewelry and retain the receipt as a permanent record.

2. B. Foreign objects removed from the human remains:

   1. (1) Shall be treated as medical waste and disposed of accordingly; and
   2. (2) May not be donated until a sterilization process through a third party recognized by the Board to dispose properly of medical waste has been performed.

3. C. Materials identifying the human remains that are placed in the custody of a permit holder shall contain the following information about the decedent:

   1. (1) Name;
   2. (2) Date of birth;
   3. (3) Date of death;
   4. (4) Name of funeral establishment or authorizing agent;
   5. (5) Gender; and
   6. (6) Name and relationship of authorizing agent to deceased.
4. D. A permit holder may not accept unidentified human remains for cremation or alkaline hydrolysis.

Authority: Health-General Article, §§5-502—5-504, 5-508, and 5-511—5-514; Health Occupations Article, §§7-101, 7-102, and 7-205, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: April 14, 2014 (41:7 Md. R. 421)

Chapter revised effective May 11, 2026 (53:9 Md. R. 413)