Nashville, Davidson County

Planning a funeral in Nashville, Tennessee

There is a lot being asked of you right now, and most of it is practical. This page holds the ordinary things Nashville families need in the first days: who to call, where the paperwork goes, which court looks after the estate, and what things cost nearby. Take it at whatever pace you can.

Facts checked September 25, 2026 · Local guide

Who to call first in Nashville

If hospice was with you and this was expected, the hospice nurse is the first call. If it happened suddenly, call 911. The funeral home can come after that, and the choice of which one is yours. Nobody can be taken into a funeral home's care without someone in the family agreeing to it, so it is alright to sit for a while first. What to do in the first days.

Nashville is the county seat of Davidson County, so the county offices are in town.

Death certificates in Nashville

The funeral home files the death certificate and can order certified copies. If you need more later, go to the county office. Each copy costs $15 per certified copy. The death certificate must be filed within 5 days of death and before burial or cremation.

Davidson County

Metro Public Health, Lentz Public Health Center, 2500 Charlotte Ave, Nashville, TN 37209, 615-340-5612

Any Tennessee county health department can issue any death certificate registered in the state. Call before you go to confirm hours and vital records services.

Cremation in Tennessee

Tennessee sets no fixed waiting period before cremation. The county medical examiner must approve every cremation, and the crematory needs the permit and a signed authorization first.

Probate for a Nashville estate

In Davidson County, estates are handled by the Seventh Circuit Court, Probate Division, 1 Public Square, Suite 302, Nashville, (615) 862-5980.

Not everything goes through probate. Accounts with a named beneficiary, life insurance and jointly owned property usually pass directly. Tennessee has a simplified small estate process for smaller estates. The clerk can explain the forms but cannot give legal advice.

Funeral prices near you

We collect funeral homes' own published price lists. Direct cremation in the Nashville area starts between $915 and $4,700, across 30 published price lists. See the price comparison, or check a quote you already have. Funeral homes in Nashville may price differently, so ask each one for its General Price List. Under federal law they must give it to you.

Funeral homes near Nashville with published prices

These funeral homes publish their price lists. Hestia doesn't recommend any of them, and no one pays to be listed.

Compare all price lists side by side · Search all providers

Veterans and natural burial

The Middle Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery on McCrory Lane (burials, no cost for eligible veterans) and Nashville National Cemetery in Madison (cremated remains). How veteran burial works.

The closest dedicated natural burial ground is Larkspur Conservation in Westmoreland, Sumner County. About green burial.

Questions families ask

Where do I get a death certificate in Nashville, TN?

From the funeral home, or from the Metro Public Health, Lentz Public Health Center. Any Tennessee county health department can issue a Tennessee death certificate. Copies cost $15 each.

Which court handles probate in Nashville?

In Davidson County, the Seventh Circuit Court, Probate Division.

How much does cremation cost near Nashville?

Published price lists nearby start between $915 and $4,700 for direct cremation. Ask local funeral homes for their current General Price List.

Where this usually goes

Nobody needs all of this at once. It is here so you know what is coming, and so you can stop reading at whatever point you have reached.

  1. Now

    The first days

    One call, then the paperwork, then the people who need to hear it from you. What to do first.

  2. This week

    Deciding together

    Burial or cremation, what it will cost, who is doing what. A family space keeps it in one place, and published prices mean you are not guessing.

  3. Soon

    The farewell

    A gathering, if you want one, whenever suits the people who need to be there. It can be weeks later. Nothing says it has to follow straight on.

  4. The months after

    The quiet part

    Accounts, paperwork, thank-yous, and the days that catch you off guard. What comes after the funeral.

  5. One day, no rush

    Your own wishes

    Many people, once they have been through this, write down what they would want, so that nobody has to guess on their behalf. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and it is not a purchase or a contract. Write yours down, whenever you are ready. Not today.

Whatever has brought you here

If people see things differently

Burial or cremation, what to spend, who speaks. It is worth knowing early that state law sets who has the final say, and it is often not the person paying. Having the options and the prices written down tends to settle more than talking it through again.

If your tradition asks for a prompt burial

Some families need the burial to happen within a day. Say so at the very first conversation with the funeral home and with the doctor, because the paperwork is what sets the pace, and it is fair to ask whether they have done this before.

If you are far away

A lot of the arranging is often done by someone who is not in Nashville. You can look at funeral homes, see itemized prices and get the plan started before you travel, then share it with whoever is closer.

Planning ahead, before anything has happened

Most people meet a funeral director for the first time in one of the hardest weeks of their life. Planning ahead simply moves the choosing earlier, to a time when there is room to think and nobody is waiting on an answer. It comes in two quite different forms, and they are easily confused.

Writing down what you want

Free, and you can change it whenever you like. What you would want, the people to call, the music, burial or cremation, and anything you would rather not have. This is the part that spares a family most, because the hardest moments are the ones where everyone is guessing. Write your wishes down.

Prepaying for a funeral

This is a different thing: a contract with one particular funeral home, paid for now and usually held in a trust or an insurance policy. It can genuinely help a family, and there are a few gentle questions worth asking before anyone signs. The FTC suggests these:

The right to an itemized price list applies before you prepay, just as it does at need. The published prices above are a fair starting point for comparing what you are being offered.

Plan ahead with Hestia, free, with nothing to sign.

Plan it together, for free

Decisions, tasks, guests and costs kept in one private place, so the person doing the organizing is not also carrying all of it in their head.

Start a free family space

Take what helps.

If today holds only one decision, let it be who will care for them. Everything after that has more time in it than it feels like it does right now.

We check this page against Tennessee's own published sources: Tenn. Code 68-3-502 (death registration) · Tenn. Code 62-5-504 (prerequisites to cremation) · Tenn. Code 62-5-703 (who controls disposition) · Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner. Last checked 2026-10-14. It is general information rather than legal advice, and your funeral director can confirm what applies in your situation.

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