Funeral Supervisor Licensure Requirements Snapshot

Pennsylvania Licensure Requirements

A licensed funeral director employed on a full-time basis to supervise the professional activities of a licensed estate, widow, business corporation pre-1935 restricted business corporation, professional corporation or branch place of practice under any of the foregoing.

The term "full-time supervisor" shall mean a licensed funeral director who is a registered supervisor of no more than one funeral establishment and who is accessible to serve the public at the funeral establishment which he is supervising and is not engaged in any activity, business or profession, including assisting other funeral directors, which substantially interferes with or prevents the supervision of the practice carried on by the funeral establishment which he supervises.

Degree Requirement: 

2 Years of College Academics - 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 intern.

Each applicant shall be a citizen of the United States, at least twenty-one (21) years of age, and a graduate of an approved high school of this Commonwealth or have an education equivalent thereto under the rules and regulations of the board.  In addition, each applicant shall 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.

Examination Requirement: 

No Examination Requirement for licensure.

Experience:  

No Experience Requirement for licensure.

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)

To maintain Funeral Director's license, licensees are required to attend six (6) hours of mandatory continuing education during each two-year license period. 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 & Licensure by Act 41:

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:  An original certification from the reciprocal state that the applicant is licensed as a funeral director in that jurisdiction and is in good standing. (The fee for the license  A limited license shall be subject to biennial renewal. (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 allows for portability of out-of-state professional licensees coming to work in Pennsylvania. Act 41 does this by granting all boards and commissions within the Commonwealth the authority to endorse licensees from other states, territories or jurisdictions (with substantially equivalent licensing requirements) who are active, in good standing and without discipline against their license or criminal conviction.