Scattering Ashes in Washington State — A Complete Guide

Everything Washington families need to know about ash scattering laws, designated scattering gardens, Puget Sound guidelines, Washington State Ferry options, and cremation choices in the Evergreen State.

Author's Note: I am the product of two academics who believed in lifelong education. As a result, I have also leaned into a long academic journey. While Washington state is still on my bucket list of places to visit, I have often studied business case studies for Amazon, Boeing, and Starbucks, all of which were founded in Washington state. As a lifelong student of business development, Washington has been impressive in its ability to develop some giants!

If you are thinking of scattering ashes in the state of Washington, it may be helpful to know the official symbols:

  • State Flower: Coast Rhododendron 🌺
  • State Tree: Western Hemlock 🌲
  • State Bird: Willow Goldfinch 🐦
  • State Stone: Petrified Wood 🪨
  • State Song: "Washington, My Home" 🎶
  • State Motto: "Alki" (By and By) ⏳

How Prevalent Is Ash Scattering in Washington?

Washington has one of the highest cremation rates in the nation. In 2020, the cremation rate in Washington was approximately 78% — well above the national average — and it continues to grow. With this increase, more families are seeking meaningful and personalized ways to honor their loved ones, including scattering ashes in designated gardens, cemeteries, or natural locations.

Washington's geography makes it one of the most extraordinary states in the country for ash scattering. The San Juan Islands, Puget Sound, the Cascade Range, Olympic Peninsula rainforests, the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Rainier, and the volcanic landscapes of the Cascades all offer families deeply personal settings for final farewells. Washington even offers a unique option found in very few other states: scattering from Washington State Ferries on Puget Sound, with advance permission from the ferry system. Whether families choose a cemetery garden in Seattle, Bellevue, or Tacoma, the Sound's open waters, a national park trail, or a trusted mail-in service, Washington's landscapes invite meaningful memorials.

Washington State Laws on Scattering Ashes

Washington is a permissive state for ash scattering, but it has one important distinction from most other states: a permit may be required for certain scattering situations. The key statutes and rules are:

  • RCW 70.58A.200 — Death certificate must be filed with the local registrar within five days of death and before burial or cremation
  • RCW 70.58A.210 — A burial-transit permit is required before a body can be buried or cremated
  • RCW 68.05.195 — Any person other than those listed in RCW 68.50.160 (the legal right-to-control hierarchy — the deceased's designated agent, spouse/domestic partner, adult children, parents, siblings, in that order) who scatters human remains outside a cemetery must obtain a permit under RCW 68.05.100. This means that commercial or third-party scattering services not operating within a cemetery must be permitted — but family members acting on their own behalf do not need a permit.
  • RCW 68.50.160 — Establishes the order of who has the legal right to control disposition
  • RCW 68.50.200 — Ashes may be kept by the family, interred in a cemetery, scattered in designated areas, or otherwise lawfully disposed of

The Washington State Department of Licensing explicitly addresses where ashes may be scattered:

  • Private land: Permitted with the landowner's permission
  • Washington State trust uplands (DNR land): Permitted with permission from the appropriate DNR regional manager; commercial scattering is not permitted on DNR lands
  • Public navigable waters under state control: Explicitly permitted, including Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, rivers, streams, and lakes
  • National parks and federal land: Advance permission required; contact the managing agency
  • Washington State Ferries: Scattering from scheduled ferry sailings is permitted with advance permission from the ferry system; requests should be made during non-peak sailing times and are weather-dependent

Rules by location type:

  • Private Property: Permitted with landowner's consent.
  • Washington State Parks: Contact the specific state park in advance. Washington State Parks may require a Special Use Permit, particularly for groups or planned ceremonies.
  • National Parks (Mount Rainier, Olympic, North Cascades): Advance contact with each park's Special Use Permit office is required. A free permit is typically issued. Stay away from developed areas, roads, trails, and waterways.
  • Puget Sound and Inland Waters: Explicitly permitted by the Washington State Department of Licensing. Use biodegradable containers; no plastic or non-decomposable materials.
  • Pacific Ocean: Federal Clean Water Act requires scattering at least three nautical miles from shore. Biodegradable containers only. EPA notification within 30 days required.
  • Washington State Ferries: Contact Washington State Ferries in advance to arrange timing during a non-peak sailing. One of the most uniquely Washington options available.
  • Aerial Scattering: No Washington state law restricts aerial scattering. Federal aviation regulations prohibit dropping the urn or container itself.

Ash Scattering Gardens in Washington

Evergreen Washelli Cemetery — Cremation Gardens and Memory Glen

Location: 11111 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98133 Phone: (206) 362-5200

Founded in 1884 by Seattle pioneer David T. Denny and his wife Louisa Boren Denny, Evergreen Washelli is Seattle's largest, most scenic, and most historic cemetery — 144 acres of rolling, tree-canopied grounds on both sides of Aurora Avenue in north Seattle, operating continuously for over 135 years. The cemetery offers several cremation memorial options including Memory Glen, a dedicated cremation garden with ground burial options and an above-ground Memory Glen Wall for urn placement, both set within a beautifully natural garden setting. Evergreen Washelli operates its own on-site crematory offering both traditional flame cremation and water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis), and is the only Seattle cemetery complex to include a Veterans Memorial Cemetery with over 5,000 white marble headstones, the historic Chimes Tower, and two cannon carronades from the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides"). The Washelli columbarium holds the cremated remains of approximately 30,000 persons. As part of the Dignity Memorial network, Evergreen Washelli brings full-service funeral, cremation, and cemetery coordination under one address.

Website: dignitymemorial.com — Evergreen Washelli

Bellevue Memorial Park — Six Dedicated Memorial Cremation Scattering Gardens

Location: 2505 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004 Phone: (425) 454-9250

Bellevue Memorial Park offers one of the most explicitly and thoroughly documented scattering programs of any cemetery in Washington state. The cemetery maintains six dedicated Memorial Cremation Gardens located throughout the grounds, specifically designed for families who wish to scatter cremated remains. The process is described in detail on their own website: a space is prepared in the earth, cremated remains are deposited directly into the soil with an identification tag, and the area is raked afterward so that no remains are exposed. A granite border on each memorial cremation garden is available for name memorialization to be inscribed — providing a permanent, visitable memorial for families who scatter. Bellevue Memorial Park is a full-service cemetery offering the complete range of ground interment, mausoleum, columbarium, and cremation urn burial options alongside the scattering gardens.

Website: bellevuememorialpark.com

Sunset Hills Memorial Park — Cremation Services with Scattering Expertise

Location: 1575 145th Pl. SE, Bellevue, WA 98007 Phone: (425) 746-1400

Serving the greater Seattle Eastside since 1936, Sunset Hills Memorial Park is set on 59 beautifully forested acres in the Lake Hills area of Bellevue — with sweeping views of downtown Bellevue, Seattle, and the Olympic Mountains from its elevated grounds. Sunset Hills is explicitly noted for its expertise in scattering ashes, and offers both traditional flame cremation and water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis). The park's mature autumn canopy of orange, gold, and red foliage makes it one of the most visually distinctive Eastside memorial settings year-round. A new Celebration of Life center opened in 2024, providing a premium event venue for personalized memorial gatherings. As a Dignity Memorial Premier Collection cemetery, Sunset Hills offers full-service funeral, cremation, and cemetery coordination on one campus. Families should contact the cemetery directly for details on current scattering options and policies.

Website: dignitymemorial.com — Sunset Hills

Tahoma National Cemetery — Veterans and Eligible Family Members Only

Location: 18600 SE 240th St., Kent, WA 98042 Phone: (425) 413-9614

Tahoma National Cemetery, dedicated September 26, 1997, is Washington's premier national veterans cemetery — a beautifully designed 160-acre facility in south King County with a sweeping view of Mount Rainier. The name "Tahoma" is drawn from the Puget Sound Native American name for Mount Rainier, meaning "snowiest peak" or "the mountain that is God." The cemetery has grown to over 60,000 interments and offers columbarium niches, in-ground garden cremation sites, memorial walls, and an ossuary — all specifically for cremated remains. This cemetery is restricted to eligible veterans and their qualifying immediate family members. Services are provided at no cost to eligible veterans. Families interested in the in-ground garden cremation sites or columbarium niches should contact the cemetery directly at (425) 413-9614.

Website: cem.va.gov — Tahoma National Cemetery

Mountain View Memorial Park — Cremation Garden, Tacoma Area

Location: 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA 98499 Phone: (253) 584-0252

One of the oldest and most distinguished privately owned cemetery complexes in the Pacific Northwest, Mountain View has served Tacoma-area families continuously since 1915. The 160-acre campus features 53 separate named memorial gardens, five veterans sections, 181 varieties of trees, 575 rhododendrons, and a prize-winning rose garden. For cremation families, Mountain View offers the Mount Rainier Mausoleum & Cremation Garden alongside multiple urn garden sections — including over 3,000 inurnment spaces in recently developed urn gardens — plus 10 mausoleum structures with over 10,000 niches for cremated remains. The cemetery includes an on-site crematory and three chapels. Mountain View's century-long history of community service in the Tacoma and Lakewood area makes it one of the most established cremation memorial destinations in Pierce County.

Website: mountainviewtacoma.com

Are There Mail-In Options for Ash Scattering Services?

Yes. Washington families who want a peaceful, rural setting without travel — or who want a meaningful complement to a private Puget Sound or mountain ceremony — may choose a mail-in ash scattering service.

Farmstead Scattering Garden is located on a working farm in northwestern Pennsylvania and offers a private, customizable mail-in experience. Cremated remains are mailed directly to the farm, where the scattering is carried out respectfully according to the options selected by the family. For Washington families who cherish working rural landscapes, Farmstead offers a lush, rolling-hills farm setting — accessible without the Pacific Northwest's permit requirements, ferry logistics, or weather-dependent mountain travel.

Visit our service page at farmsteadscattering.com/collections/services, or call or text us at (814) 450-5432 to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions About Scattering Ashes in Washington

Is it legal to scatter ashes in Washington?

Yes, with some important distinctions. Washington has no state law restricting where ashes may be kept or scattered, but RCW 68.05.195 requires that anyone who is not among the legally authorized family members (per RCW 68.50.160) who scatters remains outside a cemetery must hold a permit. Family members acting on their own behalf do not need a permit for private scattering.

Do I need a permit to scatter ashes in Washington?

If you are an immediate family member with the legal right to control disposition (spouse, adult child, parent, sibling, in the order listed in RCW 68.50.160), you do not need a permit for private scattering on appropriate land. If you are using a third-party commercial scattering service, that service must be permitted. For scattering on state parks, national parks, or DNR trust uplands, advance permission from the managing agency is still required regardless of family status.

Can I scatter ashes from a Washington State Ferry?

Yes — this is one of Washington's most distinctive and uniquely Puget Sound memorial options. Washington State Ferries permit scattering with advance permission, during non-peak sailing times and when weather allows. Contact Washington State Ferries in advance to arrange and receive the appropriate permission.

Can I scatter ashes in Puget Sound or other Washington waters?

Yes. The Washington State Department of Licensing explicitly permits scattering in "public navigable waters under state control, including Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, rivers, streams, and lakes." For Pacific Ocean scattering, the federal Clean Water Act requires at least three nautical miles from shore and EPA notification within 30 days.

Can I scatter ashes at Mount Rainier, Olympic, or North Cascades National Parks?

Yes, with advance permission. Each park requires contact with the Special Use Permit office before scattering. Permits are typically free. Follow each park's specific guidelines on location, group size, and conduct — staying away from developed areas, visitor facilities, trails, and waterways.

What makes Bellevue Memorial Park's scattering gardens distinctive?

Bellevue Memorial Park is one of the most thoroughly documented cemetery scattering programs in Washington — maintaining six dedicated Memorial Cremation Gardens with a described, consistent process and permanent granite memorialization borders where names can be engraved. It is one of the few Washington cemeteries that provides this level of detail and permanence around the scattering option.

Is Tahoma National Cemetery open to the public for scattering?

No. Tahoma is a federal VA national cemetery restricted to eligible veterans and their qualifying immediate family members. It provides in-ground garden cremation sites and columbarium niches for eligible interments, not open scattering for the general public.

What if there is no scattering garden near me in Washington?

Bellevue Memorial Park (six dedicated scattering gardens), Evergreen Washelli (Seattle), Sunset Hills (Bellevue), and Mountain View (Lakewood/Tacoma) cover the major Puget Sound metropolitan areas. For families in Spokane, Yakima, the Tri-Cities, Bellingham, or other areas of the state, Farmstead Scattering Garden accepts cremated remains by mail and carries out the scattering on a private working farm. Call or text (814) 450-5432 for more information.

Can I mail ashes for scattering if I live in Washington?

Yes. Cremated remains may be legally mailed within the United States via the U.S. Postal Service using Priority Mail Express — the only domestic carrier federally permitted to transport cremated remains. Remains must be properly packaged and labeled. Farmstead Scattering Garden can walk you through the mailing process when you contact us.

Is a funeral home required to scatter ashes in Washington?

A licensed funeral establishment must file the death certificate and burial-transit permit before cremation in Washington. Once cremated remains are in the family's custody, a family member with the legal right to control disposition (per RCW 68.50.160) may scatter without a permit on appropriate land.

How much does ash scattering cost in Washington?

Costs vary. Bellevue Memorial Park, Evergreen Washelli, Sunset Hills, and Mountain View each set their own pricing — contact each directly for current rates. Mail-in services like Farmstead Scattering Garden offer flexible options. Call or text (814) 450-5432 for details.

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