You can scatter ashes in a national park, but only with a Special Use Permit from that specific park, or in an area the park superintendent has formally designated for scattering. Federal regulation 36 CFR 2.62 prohibits scattering cremated remains anywhere in the National Park System without one of those two authorizations.1eCFR. 36 CFR 2.62 – Memorialization Every park layers its own conditions on top of that baseline, so the park you have in mind is the first call to make.
How to Apply for the Permit
The application is NPS Form 10-930, Application for Special Park Uses. Most parks let you download it from their website or request it from the park’s administrative office.2National Park Service. Special Event Permits It asks for the proposed date, the location within the park, and how many people will attend.
A non-refundable application fee goes in with the form. The scattering-specific version of Form 10-930 lists a $25 fee, and payment is usually handled through pay.gov.3National Park Service. Application for Special Park Uses – Form 10-930 (Scattering of Ashes) The park may also recover additional costs it incurs processing your application or monitoring the activity.4National Park Service. Director’s Order 53 – Special Park Uses
Give the park at least 21 days to process the request; that’s the minimum stated on the scattering form itself.3National Park Service. Application for Special Park Uses – Form 10-930 (Scattering of Ashes) Some parks ask for more. You can’t submit more than a year in advance. If you’re building the day around an anniversary, apply early: staff may come back with alternate locations or timing if your request conflicts with other activities or resource concerns.
What the Permit Will Require
Once approved, the permit spells out conditions. They vary by park, but the framework is consistent.
Where You Can Scatter
Scattering has to happen in undeveloped areas, away from roads, parking lots, campgrounds, buildings, and maintained grounds. Cultural and archaeological sites are off-limits. Parks with thermal features add their own restrictions: Yellowstone keeps ashes away from geysers and hot springs.5National Park Service. Scattering of Ashes Permit – Yellowstone National Park Arches requires scattering on land only, away from cultural features and other visitors.6National Park Service. Memorialization (Scattering Ashes) – Arches National Park
A minimum distance from water is common, but the number varies. Yosemite requires at least 100 yards from any watercourse or creek bed, running or dry.7National Park Service. Scattering Cremated Remains – Yosemite National Park Gulf Islands National Seashore sets a 100-foot minimum from any inland or coastal water, including ponds, streams, marshes, and tidal waters.8National Park Service. Scattering Cremated Remains Permits – Gulf Islands National Seashore Your permit will state the number for your park.
How to Scatter
The remains have to be fully processed, not visibly identifiable as human remains, and dispersed widely enough that nothing accumulates in one spot.5National Park Service. Scattering of Ashes Permit – Yellowstone National Park Piling or burying isn’t allowed. Keep the ceremony discreet so it doesn’t disturb other visitors.
What You Can’t Leave Behind
Nothing stays in the park. No markers, plaques, urns, photos, flowers, or other memorial items, including biodegradable ones.5National Park Service. Scattering of Ashes Permit – Yellowstone National Park Leaving anything behind violates 36 CFR 2.62’s ban on unauthorized memorials and the terms of the permit itself.1eCFR. 36 CFR 2.62 – Memorialization Rangers regularly remove flowers, stones, and small shrines left at scattering sites. A photograph or a digital memorial is a workable substitute.
Coastal and Ocean Scattering
If the park borders the ocean, a second federal rule applies. The Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, through 40 CFR 229.1, allows scattering cremated remains in ocean waters only at least three nautical miles from land.9eCFR. 40 CFR 229.1 – Burial at Sea Gulf Islands National Seashore points to this three-mile rule along with Clean Water Act restrictions on inland waterways.8National Park Service. Scattering Cremated Remains Permits – Gulf Islands National Seashore
Within 30 days of scattering at sea, you have to notify the EPA using its online Burial at Sea Reporting Tool. No death certificate is required.10US EPA. Burial at Sea Flowers or wreaths placed with the remains have to be materials that decompose readily in salt water. Any container can’t contain plastic, can’t float, and should break down quickly in the marine environment.
Scattering from the shoreline of a coastal park into the surf would violate both the three-mile rule and, in most cases, the NPS permit conditions. A coastal scattering means a boat, plus coordination with both the park and the EPA.
Penalties for Scattering Without a Permit
Scattering without a permit is a federal violation. The criminal penalties for breaking NPS regulations come from 18 U.S.C. ยง 1865: up to six months in jail, a fine, or both, plus the cost of proceedings.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1865 – National Park Service In practice, a ranger who sees it happen is more likely to issue a citation, which works like a federal misdemeanor ticket. Leaving memorial items behind or scattering in a sensitive area can add resource-damage charges on top. The permit process is simple enough that skipping it rarely makes sense.