Funeral Director Licensure Requirements Snapshot

Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements

Any person engaged in the profession of a funeral director or in the care and disposition of the human dead, or in the practice of disinfecting and preparing by embalming the human dead for the funeral service, burial or cremation, or the supervising of the burial, transportation or disposal of deceased human bodies, or in the practice of funeral directing or embalming.

To become a funeral director, you must:

·       Be 21 years of age or older.

·       Finish high school or complete an equivalent program.

·       Have successfully completed a course of actual class work in didactic and laboratory studies in a school of embalming for a period to be fixed by the board at not less than nine hundred (900) hours nor more than twenty-four hundred (2400) hours, and shall have completed two years as a resident trainee.

Degree Requirement: 

Mortuary college course completion - Each applicant shall have successfully completed two years of academic work at a college or university accredited by the Department of Education, and a one year course at a mortuary college or university accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education, Inc. and shall have completed one year as a resident internship.

Examination Requirement: 

2 Examinations - To qualify for licensure, an applicant shall successfully complete the following examinations: (1) The National Board Examination prepared and administered by the Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards. (2) Written and oral examinations on the clinical practice of funeral directing, the act and this chapter, prepared and administered by a qualified and approved professional testing organization authorized by the Bureau.

Experience Requirement:

12 Months - A resident intern shall complete 12 full continuous months in that capacity. An intern shall work a minimum of 40 hours per week. During the resident intern training period, a resident intern shall complete work on a minimum of 35 deceased individuals, 1 year of age or older, under the supervision of the intern's preceptor and shall maintain a case history of each deceased individual.

Continuing Education:

3 Hours (for initial licensure) 

Applicants must complete 3 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for initial licensure. 

6 Hours (when renewing license)

During each biennial renewal period, a licensed funeral director shall complete 6 hours of continuing education. A licensee is not required to complete continuing education during the biennium in which the licensee is first licensed. Of those 6 hours, 2 hours must be Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting. 

Initial Licensing Fee: 

$ 25.00

Licensure Renewal Fee: 

$400.00 - Biennial renewal of license.

Licensure by Reciprocity:

 (a)  A person licensed by a reciprocal state to practice the profession of funeral director who seeks a limited license shall apply to the Board on a form provided by the Board, including:

     (i)   An original certification from the reciprocal state that the applicant is licensed as a funeral director in that jurisdiction and is in good standing.

     (ii)   The fee prescribed by §  13.12 (relating to fees).

     (iii)   Certification of completion of at least 3 hours of approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting in accordance with §  13.308(a) (relating to child abuse recognition and reporting—mandatory training requirement).

 (b)  A limited license shall be subject to biennial renewal. The limited license holder shall complete, as a condition of renewal, at least 2 hours of approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting in accordance with §  13.308(b).

 (c)  A limited license shall become inactive upon the revocation, suspension, placement upon inactive status, or other lapse of the holder’s license in the reciprocal state. Unless a limited license is otherwise suspended or revoked, the Board may reinstate the limited license to active status upon proof that the holder’s license in the reciprocal state is no longer revoked, suspended, placed on inactive status or otherwise lapsed.

 (d)  The Board may take disciplinary action against the holder of a limited license for any unprofessional conduct that occurs within this Commonwealth. The Board will report to the reciprocal state any disciplinary action taken against the holder of a limited license.

Act 41 requires licensing boards and commissions to issue a license, certificate, registration or permit to an applicant who holds a current license, certificate, registration or permit from another state, territory or country whose licensing requirements are substantially equivalent to or exceed the requirements in this Commonwealth and who meet other criteria set forth under Act 41.