NRS451.650. Authority to order cremation; execution of affidavit.

      1.  The following persons, in the following order of priority, may order the cremation of human remains of a deceased person:

      (a) A person designated as the person with authority to order the cremation of the human remains of the decedent in a legally valid document or in an affidavit executed in accordance with subsection 5;

      (b) If the decedent was, at the time of death, on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, a reserve component thereof or the National Guard, a person designated by the decedent in the United States Department of Defense Record of Emergency Data, DD Form 93, or its successor form, as the person authorized to direct disposition of the human remains of the decedent;

      (c) The spouse of the decedent;

      (d) An adult son or daughter of the decedent;

      (e) Either parent of the decedent;

      (f) An adult brother or sister of the decedent;

      (g) A grandparent of the decedent;

      (h) A guardian of the person of the decedent at the time of death; and

      (i) A person who held the primary domicile of the decedent in joint tenancy with the decedent at the time of death.

      2.  If the deceased person was an indigent or other person for the final disposition of whose remains a county or the State is responsible, the appropriate public officer may order cremation of the remains and provide for the respectful disposition of the cremated remains.

      3.  If the deceased person donated his or her body for scientific research or, before the person’s death, a medical facility was made responsible for the final disposition of the person, a representative of the scientific institution or medical facility may order cremation of the remains of the person.

      4.  A living person may order the cremation of human remains removed from his or her body or the cremation of the body of the person after the person’s death. In the latter case, any person acting pursuant to his or her instructions is an authorized agent.

      5.  A person 18 years of age or older wishing to give authority to another person to order the cremation of his or her human remains upon the person’s death may execute an affidavit before a notary public in substantially the following form:

 

State of Nevada                  }

                                               }ss

County of............................ }

(Date) .......................................

       I, ......................................, (person authorizing another person to order the cremation of his or her human remains upon his or her death) do hereby designate .................................. (person who is being authorized to order the cremation of the human remains of another person in the event of his or her death) to order the cremation of my human remains upon my death.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this ........

day of the month of ......... of the year .......

..................................................................................

                                   (Notary Public)

 

      (Added to NRS by 1993, 2602; A 1999, 942; 2003, 1882; 2011, 194)