The 2026 Pet Owner Protection Scorecard: Grading All 50 States

We graded all 50 states on pet-owner protection, and the picture is unambiguous. Only 7 states earn an A. Twenty-four get an F. The A states each have a pet-cremation consumer-protection statute (licensing, mandatory disclosure, or verified-return-of-remains). The F states have no pet-cremation consumer law and, at best, a weak or ambiguous state rule for backyard burial (some cite a statute; none cite one we grade as clear high-confidence). This is our editorial grade, labeled as opinion. The underlying statute citations and categorizations come from our primary-sourced 50-state law dataset. Disagree with the rubric? The data is transparent. Change the rubric, keep the facts.

Which states actually protect pet owners in cremation and aftercare? Our grade of all 50 states against a two-lens rubric — pet-cremation oversight + burial-rule clarity.

Only 7 states get an A. 24 get an F. Consumer-protection law lags national practice — the map is our editorial grade of each state's protections for pet owners.

A — protected (7 states)C — partial / pending (3)D — weak (16)F — no protection (24)

Find your state Select a state… AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Tap a state — or use the menu above — to see its status.

The Hallowed Paws Pet Owner Protection Scorecard is an editorial construct (our rubric, our opinion), grading each state on two primary-sourced dimensions from our 50-state law dataset: cremation oversight (0–4 points, weighted for confidence in the source) and burial-rule clarity (0–2 points). Total 0–6 → A–F. The underlying facts (statute citations, "legal / none / note" categorization) are verifiable; the rubric and the letter grades are ours. Full methodology on the page below.

Last reviewed 2026-07-10 · See an error? Tell us.

The scorecard

How we graded

Two dimensions, both drawn from our 50-state law dataset. Every statute citation traces to a primary source (state code, administrative rule, or state agency guidance).

Cremation oversight (0–4 points). We score 4 if the state has a pet-cremation consumer-protection law on the books with a high-confidence source citation. We score 3 if the state has such a law but our confidence in the primary source is medium or low. We score 2 if legislation is on the record but not yet enacted (Michigan’s S.B. 157, Pennsylvania’s HB 1750). We score 0 if there is no pet-cremation consumer statute at all. Environmental air-quality permits and human-cremation statutes that categorically exclude pets do not count.

Burial-rule clarity (0–2 points). We score 2 if the state has a clear, primary-sourced burial statute (depth, setback, or timing rules that reach the homeowner) with high confidence. We score 1 if the burial rule exists but confidence is medium, or if the state clearly cedes to local ordinance with a high-confidence “no state rule” citation. We score 0 if the state’s burial position is genuinely unclear or if the cited rule is really livestock or disease-control and does not bind pet burial.

Total 0–6 mapped to a letter. A ≥83% (5–6 points), C ≥50% (3), D ≥33% (2), F under 33% (0–1). B is currently empty; the two-lens rubric produces a natural gap between “has a pet-cremation law” and “has neither.”

Aquamation availability is separate. We show a state’s aquamation-access rating (from our 1,225-provider study) alongside the grade for context, not as part of the grade. Access is a market variable; the grade is a legal-protection judgment. Both matter; they answer different questions.

What the A grades actually mean

The seven A-grade states each protect pet owners differently. Reading them together shows the range of what “consumer protection” can look like in this category.

• Arizona: Licenses animal crematories through the Veterinary Medical Examining Board (A.R.S. §32-2291). Operating without a license is barred.
• Illinois: The Companion Animal Cremation Act (815 ILCS 318) mandates a written service explanation and a signed certification returned with your pet’s remains. Enforced by the Attorney General.
• Maryland: The Pet Cremation and Burial Services Consumer Protection Act (Ch. 547, 2026) takes effect October 1, 2026. Registration, animal identification, cremation certificate, and 5-year records, AG-enforced.
• Nevada: A pet crematory must have a dedicated cremation area (NRS 452.675) and counties or cities may license operations locally.
• New Jersey: A veterinarian or pet cemetery must give the owner a form listing disposal options, each method’s cost, and where the disposal is carried out (N.J.S.A. 4:22A-9).
• New York: Any for-fee pet crematorium requires a Pet Cemetery & Pet Crematorium license from the NY Department of State (GBL Art. 35-C).
• Tennessee: Requires a signed receipt at drop-off AND at release, with pet name, date/time, and signatures. Failure is a Class E felony (T.C.A. §39-14-218).

Together, the A states demonstrate that no single “correct” model exists. Licensing works. Disclosure works. Verified return works. What matters is that some state statute reaches the transaction between pet owner and crematory.

What an F grade actually means

Twenty-four states have no pet-cremation consumer statute AND, at best, an ambiguous or medium-confidence state rule that reaches a homeowner burying a pet. Some F states cite a burial statute; we could not confirm it as clearly binding on pets at high confidence, so it scores below the C threshold. The practical effect: pet-aftercare consumer protection in these states has been left, by default, to local ordinance and general consumer law.

If a crematory in an F-grade state mishandles your pet’s remains, your legal recourse runs through general consumer-fraud law, small-claims court, or a Better Business Bureau complaint — not a pet-specific statute. There’s no state license to revoke and no pet-specific criminal exposure for the operator. That’s not necessarily a defect (some states leave lots of things to local regulation); it is a fact about the protection you actually have.

If you want to bury your pet at home in an F-grade state, you’re relying on county or municipal ordinance. Most homeowners don’t know what that ordinance actually says, and the state hasn’t given them a clean answer either.

The pending three

Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia sit at C. Legislation is on the record but not yet law.

• Michigan: S.B. 157 (2025) passed the Senate 33–3 in June 2025 and awaits House action. If enacted, would create a Pet Cemetery Regulation Act.
• Pennsylvania: HB 1750 / SB 950 passed the House 199–0 in March 2026 after the Vereb / Eternity Pet Memorial scandal (6,500+ owners, AG-charged). Awaits Senate action.
• Virginia: Commonly listed as licensing pet crematories, but our review of the actual statutes could not confirm a pet-specific rule; treat as unconfirmed pending direct legislative action.

If either Michigan or Pennsylvania enacts its bill in 2026, our A count moves from 7 to 8 or 9.

Why we published this

Consumer protection in pet aftercare lags behind consumer expectation. Owners believe their state licenses pet crematories the way it licenses the funeral home for a person; in 43 states, it doesn’t. Owners believe there’s a state rule for backyard burial; in most states, there isn’t. The scorecard makes that gap legible.

We publish the underlying data — the 50-state law map, the 1,225-provider study, the aquamation availability map — as a public resource. This grade is our editorial synthesis of what that data means for pet owners. Journalists and legislators are free to use, quote, or disagree with the rubric under CC-BY-4.0; the data behind it is not our opinion.

If a state moves up (or a citation is wrong), tell us at editor@hallowedpaws.com.