As used in ORS 97.010 to 97.040, 97.012, 97.110 to 97.450, 97.510 to 97.730, 97.810 to 97.920, 97.923 to 97.949, 97.990 and 97.994: (1) Alkaline hydrolysis or hydrolysis means the technical process for reducing human remains by placing the remains in a dissolution chamber that uses heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents, in a licensed hydrolysis facility, to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements. (2) Alternative disposition facility means a structure containing equipment purposed for reduction. (3) Burial means the placement of human remains in a grave or lawn crypt. (4) Burial park means a tract of land for the burial of human remains, used, or intended to be used, and dedicated for cemetery purposes. (5) Burial right means the right to use a grave, mausoleum, columbarium, ossuary or scattering garden for the interment or other disposition of human remains. (6) Cemetery means a place: (a) Dedicated to and used, or intended to be used, for a permanent memorial or the permanent interment of human remains; and (b) That may contain a mausoleum, crypt or vault interment, a columbarium, an ossuary, a cenotaph, a scattering garden, any other structure or place used or intended to be used for the interment or disposition of human remains or any combination of these structures or places. (7) Cemetery association means a corporation or association authorized by its articles of incorporation to conduct the business of a cemetery, but does not include a corporation sole or a charitable, eleemosynary association or corporation. (8) Cemetery authority means a person who owns or controls cemetery lands or property, including but not limited to a cemetery corporation, association or corporation sole. (9) Cemetery business and cemetery purpose are used interchangeably and mean any business or purpose requisite or incident to, or necessary for establishing, maintaining, operating, improving or conducting a cemetery, interring human remains, and the care, preservation and embellishment of cemetery property. (10) Cemetery merchandise means personal property offered for sale or sold for use in connection with the final disposition, memorialization or interment of human remains. Cemetery merchandise includes, but is not limited to, an outer burial container and a memorial. (11) Cemetery services means services provided by a cemetery authority for interment or scattering, and installation of cemetery merchandise. (12) Cenotaph means a place, the primary purpose of which is to provide an area where a person may pay to establish a memorial to honor a person whose remains may be interred elsewhere or whose remains cannot be recovered. (13) Columbarium means a structure or room containing receptacles for permanent inurnment of cremated or reduced remains in a place used, or intended to be used, and dedicated for cemetery purposes. (14) Cremated remains means the remains of a cremated human body after completion of the cremation process. (15) Cremation means the technical process, using direct flame and heat, that reduces human remains to bone fragments. (16) Crematory means a structure containing a retort for the reduction of bodies of deceased persons to cremated remains. (17) Crypt or vault means a space in a mausoleum of sufficient size used, or intended to be used, to entomb uncremated or unreduced human remains. (18) Directors or governing body means the board of directors, board of trustees or other governing body of a cemetery association. (19) Endowment care means the general care and maintenance of developed portions of a cemetery and memorials erected thereon financed from the income of a trust fund. (20) Entombment means the placement of human remains in a crypt or vault. (21) Funeral merchandise means personal property offered for sale or sold for use in connection with funeral services. Funeral merchandise includes, but is not limited to, acknowledgment cards, alternative containers, caskets, clothing, cremation containers, cremation interment containers, flowers, memory folders, monuments, outer burial containers, prayer cards, register books and urns. (22) Funeral services means services customarily provided by a funeral service practitioner including, but not limited to, care and preparation of human remains for final disposition, professional services relating to a funeral or an alternative to a funeral, transportation of human remains, limousine services, use of facilities or equipment for viewing human remains, visitation, memorial services or services that are used in connection with a funeral or alternative to a funeral, coordinating or conducting funeral rites or ceremonies, and other services provided in connection with a funeral, alternative to a funeral or final disposition of human remains. (23) Grave means a space of ground in a burial park used, or intended to be used, for burial of the remains of one person. (24) Human remains or remains means the body of a deceased person in any stage of decomposition or after cremation or reduction. (25) Interment means the disposition of human remains by inurnment, entombment or burial. (26) Inurnment means the placement of cremated or reduced remains in a receptacle and the deposit of the receptacle in a niche. (27) Lot, plot or burial space means space in a cemetery owned by one or more individuals, an association or fraternal or other organization and used, or intended to be used, for the permanent interment therein of the remains of one or more deceased persons. Such terms include and apply with like effect to one, or more than one, adjoining grave, crypt, vault or niche. (28) Mausoleum means a structure substantially exposed above ground for the entombment of human remains in crypts or vaults in a place used, or intended to be used, and dedicated for cemetery purposes. (29) Memorial means a product, other than a mausoleum or columbarium, used for identifying an interment space or for commemoration of the life, deeds or career of a decedent including, but not limited to, an ossuary, monument, marker, niche plate, urn garden plaque, crypt plate, cenotaph, marker bench or vase. (30) Natural organic reduction means the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil. (31) Niche means a recess usually in a columbarium used, or intended to be used, for the inurnment of the cremated or reduced remains of one or more persons. (32) Ossuary means a receptacle used for the communal placement of cremated or reduced remains without benefit of an urn or any other container in which cremated or reduced remains may be commingled with other cremated or reduced remains and are nonrecoverable. (33) Plot owner or owner means any person identified in the records of the cemetery authority as owner of the burial rights to a burial plot, or who holds a certificate of ownership conveyed from the cemetery authority of the burial rights in a particular lot, plot or space. (34) Reduced remains means the remains of a human body after completion of reduction. (35) Reduction means alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction and any other method of final disposition of human remains authorized by the State Mortuary and Cemetery Board. (36) Scattering means the lawful dispersion of cremated or reduced remains that need not be associated with an interment right or issuance of a deed, that may be recorded only as a service that has taken place and may not be recorded on the permanent records of the cemetery authority. (37) Scattering garden means a location set aside within a cemetery that is used for the spreading or broadcasting of cremated or reduced remains that have been removed from their container and can be mixed with or placed on top of the soil or ground cover or buried in an underground receptacle on a commingled basis and that are nonrecoverable. (38) Special care means any care in excess of endowed care in accordance with the specific directions of a donor of funds. (39) Transportation protection agreement means an agreement that primarily provides for the coordination and arrangement of all professional services related to the transportation of human remains and the preparation for the transportation of human remains. [Amended by 1955 c.545 1; 1965 c.396 1; 2007 c.661 1; 2009 c.709 10; 2021 c.296 1; 2025 c.242 2]
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