Cremation Services in Tulsa, Oklahoma

How Much Does Cremation Cost in Tulsa?

The published prices below come from the Tulsa providers listed on this page. Each figure belongs to one provider and one package. None of them is a citywide average, and the lowest starting price is not always the lowest total for your circumstances.

Provider	Published option	Starting price
Oklahoma Cremation Centers	Simple Cremation (direct cremation)	$797
Simplicity Burial & Cremation	Direct cremation, container provided by the family	$905
Schaudt's Funeral Service	Simple Cremation	$1,905

Prices checked October 2, 2026. Starting prices may not include every item your family needs. Request the provider's current written total before authorizing services.

Oklahoma has one charge worth asking about by name. No cremation can take place in the state until the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has issued a cremation permit, and state law sets the fee for that permit at between $200 and $275. Some providers include it in a package price and some list it separately.

Before choosing a package, ask:

• Does the price cover transportation from the actual place of death, including a home, hospital or care facility outside the city?
• Is the medical examiner's cremation permit fee included, or charged separately?
• Are crematory charges and the filing of the death certificate included?
• How much refrigeration is covered? Oklahoma rules require an unembalmed body to be refrigerated when burial or cremation does not take place within 24 hours of death.
• Which cremation container is included, and how many certified death certificates?
• Is there a separate charge for delivery or shipping of the cremated remains?
• What will the full total be with the services we have selected?

The FTC Funeral Rule gives you the right to price information by phone and an itemized General Price List when you visit a funeral home. You can choose the goods and services you want rather than accepting an unwanted package. The Oklahoma Funeral Board adds that you must be given a written Statement of Funeral Goods and Services Selected at the end of the arrangement conference, listing each item and its cost. The Board does not set prices, so charges for similar services can differ from one provider to the next.

Direct Cremation and a Memorial Service Are Different Choices

Direct cremation usually means cremation without a viewing or formal funeral beforehand. The Oklahoma Funeral Board calls this immediate disposition: transfer to the funeral home, the necessary paperwork, and transportation to the crematory, without ceremonies. A family can still gather later at home, at a place of worship or at another suitable venue. Choosing a simpler cremation does not prevent you from holding a remembrance.

If you want a viewing or a provider-hosted service first, ask about it before signing. Oklahoma law does not require embalming, but the Funeral Board notes that many funeral homes require it when a service includes a viewing. Compare the arrangement you actually want, rather than treating every advertised cremation price as the same service.

What to Do When a Death Has Occurred

If the person was receiving hospice care, follow the hospice team's instructions first. For an unexpected death or a possible medical emergency, call 911. Hospital or care-facility staff can explain their release process.

Once the appropriate professionals have been notified:

1. Call the cremation provider. Give the place of death and ask what must happen before transportation can be arranged. An online inquiry alone should not be treated as a request for immediate pickup.
2. Confirm who can authorize the cremation. Oklahoma law sets the order. The person's own written instructions or prepaid funeral contract come first, then a representative they appointed in a witnessed written document, then the surviving spouse, then a majority of the adult children, then the parents, then a majority of the adult brothers and sisters, and then more distant relatives. Tell the provider early if family members disagree or live in different places. A funeral home may decline to go ahead while it knows of a dispute.
3. Expect a medical examiner review. Oklahoma law requires the medical examiner to look into every death where the body is to be cremated, and no cremation can take place until a cremation permit has been issued. The application is completed with the person who has the right to decide, and the funeral director files it with the medical examiner. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has its Eastern Office in Tulsa at 1627 Southwest Blvd. If the medical examiner has taken the person into its care, tell the office which funeral home or crematory you have chosen so it can be called when the person is ready to be released. An autopsy performed by the medical examiner's office costs the family nothing.
4. Review a written price and service list. Check what is included, what is optional and when payment is due.
5. Ask about death certificates. The funeral director files the death certificate with the Oklahoma State Department of Health and usually helps the family order certified copies. Oklahoma death records are not open to the public. Vital Records issues certified copies to the surviving spouse, parents, children, grandparents, brothers and sisters, a legal guardian, a court-appointed representative of the estate, the funeral director of record, and certain others the department lists, such as a person named in a will that is in probate. Orders are taken online or by phone through the department's ordering partner, with pickup available at offices in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and McAlester. A mailed application can take about six weeks.
6. Ask when the cremated remains will be ready and how they will be returned. Confirm the container, any delivery or shipping charge, and the identification needed for pickup. Oklahoma law does not allow cremated remains to be divided without the prior written consent of the person who authorized the cremation, so raise that question when you sign if relatives want to share them.

Keeping or Scattering Cremated Remains in Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Funeral Board lists several options: burial in a cemetery, placement in a columbarium niche, keeping the remains at home, or scattering on private land with the property owner's consent. For a park, lake or other public place, ask the agency that manages it before you go.

Planning Ahead in Tulsa

A useful plan can start with a short written record: your preferred type of cremation, who your family should contact, whether you want a gathering, and your wishes for the cremated remains. Oklahoma law lets you direct how your body is handled after death, and you can assign that decision to someone you choose by signing a sworn affidavit. The Funeral Board suggests keeping written instructions somewhere other than a safe deposit box, which may be hard to open on a weekend or holiday.

Planning ahead and paying ahead are separate decisions. The Funeral Board describes a prearranged funeral as a contract that records your wishes with no payment made, and a prepaid funeral as one that has also been paid for.

Prepaid funeral contracts in Oklahoma are overseen by the Oklahoma Insurance Department, not the Funeral Board. A funeral home needs a prepaid funeral benefit permit for each location that sells these contracts, and the permit must be displayed on the premises. Contracts are funded through a trust or through life insurance. If a different funeral home ends up providing the services, state law sets out how the contract's value is forwarded on written request. Complaints about a prepaid funeral go to the Insurance Department.

If a provider offers a prepaid contract, ask:

• Does this location hold a current prepaid funeral benefit permit?
• Is the money held in a trust or used to buy an insurance policy, and who is the trustee or insurer?
• Which goods and services are guaranteed at today's price, and which may cost more later?
• What happens if I move away or want a different provider to handle the arrangements?
• If I cancel, how much is refunded, and are any fees kept?
• Who keeps the paperwork, and how will my family find it?

Veterans and Military Families

For a veteran's family, find the military discharge papers early and ask the provider about memorial benefits. The Department of Veterans Affairs explains eligibility for burial in a national cemetery, headstones and markers, memorial items and burial allowances. Benefits are not automatic, and eligibility does not mean every private cremation charge will be paid.

Oklahoma has two VA national cemeteries. Fort Gibson National Cemetery, at 1423 Cemetery Road in Muskogee County, is the one in eastern Oklahoma, and the VA lists space there for both casketed and cremated remains. The other is Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin. The state also runs the Seaman First Class Billy Turner Veterans Cemetery in Ardmore. Eligibility at a state veterans cemetery is similar to a national cemetery but may include residency requirements, so contact the cemetery directly. The VA also offers a pre-need eligibility decision if you want to confirm national cemetery eligibility in advance.

Tulsa Community Facts

Tulsa had an estimated 416,209 residents on July 1, 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city covers 197.53 square miles of land and reaches into four counties. Almost all of its residents live in Tulsa County, with smaller parts of the city in Osage, Wagoner and Rogers counties. Confirm the place of death with each provider when you compare transportation charges.

Local statistic	Figure	Reporting period
Estimated population	416,209	July 1, 2025 (V2025)
Households	172,909	2020-2024 ACS estimates
Veterans	18,335	2020-2024 ACS estimates
Land area	197.53 square miles	2020 Census geography

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Tulsa city, Oklahoma: Vintage 2025 population estimates, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates and the 2020 Gazetteer. These figures describe the community, not local cremation rates or the number of available providers.

Questions About Cremation in Tulsa

What does cremation cost in Tulsa?

Among the Tulsa providers listed here, published direct-cremation starting prices run from $797 at Oklahoma Cremation Centers to $1,905 at Schaudt's Funeral Service, with Simplicity Burial & Cremation at $905. These are each provider's own starting prices, not a local average. Ask whether the medical examiner's cremation permit, which Oklahoma law prices at $200 to $275, is included, and request an itemized total for your circumstances.

Can I arrange a cremation online?

Some providers let you start or complete arrangements online. Oklahoma Cremation Centers publishes an online arrangement option for its simple cremation plan; the other Tulsa providers listed here arrange in person or by phone, and Schaudt's Funeral Service offers an online form for recording future wishes. If a death has already occurred and transportation is needed, call the provider first. Whether you arrange online or in person, Oklahoma still requires a signed cremation authorization and the medical examiner's permit.

Do I have to buy a casket for cremation?

No. The FTC explains that a casket is not legally required for cremation and that providers offering cremation must make alternative containers available. The Oklahoma Funeral Board also states that caskets are not required by law. Ask which cremation container is included in your quote.

How long does the cremation process take?

It cannot happen immediately. In Oklahoma the authorization must be signed and the medical examiner must review the death and issue a permit before the cremation can take place. Ask the provider for the expected time from authorization to the return of the cremated remains, and wait for that estimate before setting a firm memorial date. The time spent performing the cremation itself is not the full arrangement timeline.

Can we hold a memorial after direct cremation?

Yes. A family can arrange a gathering after cremation. Ask separately about venue availability, an urn and any provider assistance you want. A memorial service is not automatically included in a direct-cremation starting price.

Can I prepay for cremation in Oklahoma?

Yes, with a funeral home that holds a prepaid funeral benefit permit from the Oklahoma Insurance Department for that location. Ask how the money is held, which prices are guaranteed, and what happens if you move or cancel. Writing down your wishes is a separate step and does not require any payment.

Take the Next Step

If your family needs help now, call a provider listed on this page and explain where the death occurred. If you have time to compare, request each provider's General Price List and a written total for the same services. For future wishes, ask about planning ahead before making any payment commitment.

• Oklahoma Cremation Centers: (918) 291-1704
• Schaudt's Funeral Service, Tulsa: (918) 523-5757
• Simplicity Burial & Cremation: (918) 221-8523