Burial at Sea Reporting Tool: Fact Sheet
Overview
EPA has issued a general permit under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA)
to authorize the burial of non-cremated and cremated human remains at sea. The MPRSA general
permit authorizes the transportation and burial at sea of non-cremated and cremated human remains
in ocean waters under specified conditions. Placement of non-human remains (such as pet remains) is
not allowed under the general permit. The MPRSA general permit is published in the federal
regulations at 40 CFR 229.1. For additional information about the MPRSA general permit for burial at
sea, including EPA contacts for inquiries about burial at sea, please refer to the EPA Burial at Sea Web
page: https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/burial-sea
The MPRSA general permit for burial at sea requires that EPA be notified of a burial at sea within 30
days following the event. All burials at sea conducted under the MPRSA general permit must be
reported to the EPA Region from which the vessel carrying the remains departed.
To facilitate reporting of burials conducted under the MPRSA general permit and reduce paperwork
burden, EPA developed the online Burial at Sea Reporting Tool. The Burial at Sea Reporting Tool may
be accessed at https://burialatsea.epa.gov/
What is the Burial at Sea Reporting Tool?
The Burial at Sea Reporting Tool enables individuals or companies that have conducted a burial at sea
to enter information into a simple online form and report the burial directly to EPA. The Burial at Sea
Reporting Tool provides two options for submitting a report: you may submit a report as a "guest" or
you may create an account to submit reports. The guest option is anticipated to be most suitable for
individuals reporting one burial at sea. Individuals and companies that provide burial-at-sea services,
however, may prefer to create an account; this option reduces the burden of re-entering information
on future reports and allows the account holder to view the report submission history. The Burial at
Sea Reporting Tool also includes the option of using a spreadsheet to simplify the reporting of multiple
burials at sea.
The Burial at Sea Reporting Tool should be used solely for reporting burials at sea of human remains
authorized under the MPRSA general permit.
What information will I need to report?
•	Contact information (i.e., the name, address, phone number, and email address) for the director or
individual responsible for the burial arrangements. This individual may be a funeral director, a
relative of the deceased, or a person designated to report the burial at sea.
•	Contact information for person responsible for the vessel used to conduct the burial at sea.
•	Information about the burial arrangements, including the name of the deceased, burial date, and
location of the burial. Coordinates for the burial location can be entered in in decimal degrees, if

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