18VAC65-20-170. Requirements for an establishment license.
A. No person shall maintain, manage, or operate a funeral service establishment in the Commonwealth, unless such establishment holds a license issued by the board. The name of the funeral service licensee or licensed funeral director designated by the ownership to be manager of record for the establishment shall be included on the license.
B. Except as provided in § 54.1-2810 of the Code of Virginia, every funeral service establishment and every branch or chapel of such establishment, regardless of how owned, shall have a separate manager of record who has responsibility for the establishment as prescribed in 18VAC65-20-171. The owner of the establishment shall not abridge the authority of the manager of record relating to compliance with the laws governing the practice of funeral services and regulations of the board.
C. At least 30 days prior to opening an establishment, an owner or licensed manager seeking an establishment license shall submit simultaneously a completed application, any additional documentation as may be required by the board to determine eligibility, and the applicable fee. An incomplete package will be returned to the licensee. A license shall not be issued until an inspection of the establishment has been completed and approved.
D. Within 30 days following a change of ownership, the owner or licensed manager shall request a reinspection of the establishment, submit an application for a new establishment license with documentation that identifies the new owner, and pay the licensure and reinspection fees as required by 18VAC65-20-70. Reinspection of the establishment may occur on a schedule determined by the board, but shall occur no later than one year from the date of the change.
E. The application for licensure of a branch or chapel shall specify the name of the main establishment and contain an attestation of the affiliation of the branch or chapel and the main establishment.
F. In the event of an emergency requiring the evacuation or discontinued use of a funeral establishment, the impacted establishment may be approved by the board to continue operations out of another licensed funeral establishment for a period of no more than 60 days. The impacted establishment may request an extension of emergency operations for an additional 30 days upon good cause shown. In requesting approval for conducting emergency operations under this section, the impacted funeral establishment shall submit documentation that identifies the manager of record for both the impacted establishment and establishment for emergency operations and any agreement for emergency usage.
Statutory Authority
§§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-2803 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR320-01-2 § 5.2, eff. October 24, 1990; amended, Virginia Register Volume 8, Issue 25, eff. October 7, 1992; Volume 11, Issue 14, eff. May 3, 1995; Volume 15, Issue 7, eff. January 20, 1999; Volume 20, Issue 8, eff. January 28, 2004; Volume 24, Issue 24, eff. September 3, 2008; Volume 27, Issue 10, eff. March 3, 2011; Volume 29, Issue 25, eff. September 26, 2013; Volume 37, Issue 12, eff. March 3, 2021.