Where to Place a Cremation Urn: Home, Garden or Cemetery

There is no deadline for this decision. Many families keep the ashes at home for months or years before they choose a final place, and some never move them at all. This guide goes through each place an urn can rest, what it asks of the urn, and when a particular choice is the wrong one. The urns shown are from our adult urns for ashes and the collections linked in each section.

The place decides the urn

Each place suits a different kind of urn. Here are the six places in brief.

• At home: any urn made for display, such as ceramic, metal, wood or crystal.
• In the garden, above ground: an urn whose page says it is suitable for outdoor display.
• In a columbarium niche: any urn that fits the inside measurements of the niche.
• In a cemetery plot: whatever the cemetery allows. Some ask for a particular type of container.
• Buried to return to the earth: a biodegradable burial urn.
• On water: a biodegradable water urn, made to sink and dissolve.

Size is the same question wherever the urn goes. As a general guide, allow about one cubic inch of capacity for each pound of body weight before cremation. Our urn size guide shows how to work it out.

Keeping the urn at home

Home is often the first place an urn is kept. A good spot is level and steady, out of direct sunlight, away from radiators and steam, and out of reach of small children and pets. A mantelpiece, a deep shelf, a sideboard or a bedside table all work. Some families set a photograph and a candle beside the urn. Others prefer a quieter corner that visitors would not notice.

The Infinity Adult Cremation Urn for Ashes in Amber is an example of an urn made to be seen. It is kiln-fired ceramic with an amber glaze, and a candle porch within its infinity shape holds a tea light. It holds 4.1 liters (about 250 cubic inches) and stands 36.5 cm (14.4 in) high, 22 cm (8.7 in) wide and 15 cm (5.9 in) deep, so measure the shelf before you choose it. Ashes go in through the base, which is then sealed with the ceramic adhesive supplied.

Pictured: Infinity Adult Cremation Urn for Ashes in Amber

Home is not the right place for everyone. If seeing the urn every day is painful, or if family members disagree about who should keep it, a cemetery or a shared final place may be kinder. Sharing the ashes between several small urns for ashes is another way through. Our guide to urn display ideas for the home has more on choosing a room.

Placing an urn in the garden

An urn can stand outdoors on a plinth, a low wall or a sheltered corner of a patio, often in a place the person liked to sit. Choose an urn whose page says it is suitable for outdoor display, and stand it on something raised and level so that it is not sitting in water or likely to be knocked.

The Harmony Adult Cremation Urn for Ashes in Oily Blue Melange is listed as suitable for indoor and outdoor display. It is a round ceramic urn with a flowing blue glaze and a tea light holder set into the top. It holds 3.2 liters (about 195 cubic inches), which its page gives as suiting an adult of up to approximately 88 kg (195 lb), and it is 20 cm (7.9 in) high and 19 cm (7.5 in) wide. There are more in our outdoor urns for ashes.

Pictured: Harmony Adult Cremation Urn for Ashes in Oily Blue Melange

Two things are worth thinking about before a garden becomes the final place. A garden urn can be seen and reached by anyone who comes into the garden. And if you move, an urn above ground can come with you, but ashes buried in the garden stay behind unless you make arrangements. Wood effect urns and other indoor urns should not be left outside.

Where an urn goes in a cemetery

A cemetery or crematorium usually offers three places for an urn.

• A columbarium niche. A columbarium is a wall or building with rows of small recesses, each holding one or two urns behind a stone or glass front. The urn stays above ground.
• An urn garden or cremation plot. A small plot, set aside for ashes, where the urn is buried and marked with a plaque or small headstone.
• An existing family grave. Many cemeteries allow an urn to be buried in a grave that already holds a relative, with the grave owner's permission.

A cemetery gives the family a fixed place to visit that does not depend on who owns a house. It also has costs and rules. Every cemetery sets its own: the size of its niches, how deep an urn is buried, what an urn may be made of, and whether an outer container is needed. Ask for these in writing before you choose an urn. For a niche, ask for the inside height, width and depth, and compare them with the outside measurements on the urn's page.

Our guides to columbarium niche sizes and how cremation urns are buried cover both in more detail.

Burying an urn so it returns to the earth

If the wish is for the ashes to go back to the ground, in a natural burial ground, a woodland or a cemetery that allows it, choose a biodegradable urn. A ceramic or metal urn will not break down.

The Simplicity Earthurn Biodegradable Urn for Ashes in Slate Grey is an upright, box-shaped urn made by hand from mulberry tree bark, harvested without harming the tree. It holds 3.93 liters (about 240 cubic inches), listed as suitable for an adult up to approximately 108 kg (238 lb), and it stands 25.4 cm (10.0 in) high. The lid lifts off, and once buried the urn breaks down completely. There are more in our biodegradable burial urns.

Pictured: Simplicity Earthurn Biodegradable Urn for Ashes in Slate Grey - Adult

A biodegradable urn is the wrong choice if the family may want to move the ashes later, because there will be nothing to lift. On land you do not own, always ask the landowner first. Rules about burying ashes on private land differ from country to country and, in the United States, from state to state, so check with your local authority or funeral director.

Placing an urn on water

A water urn is set on the surface of the sea, a lake or a river, floats for a short time, then sinks and dissolves. It is made for that one purpose. An ordinary urn must never be put into water.

The Oceane Sand Biodegradable Water Urn for Ashes is formed from a blend of sand and natural gelatin and finished with real beach sand pressed into its surface. Small holes in the base let water in, so it floats only briefly before it sinks. It holds 3.28 liters (about 200 cubic inches), listed as suitable for an adult up to approximately 90 kg (198 lb), and comes with a biodegradable inner bag. No glue is needed. See the full range of water urns for ashes, or read water burial ceremonies explained.

Pictured: Oceane Sand Biodegradable Water Urn for Ashes - Adult

United States: the federal rule for the ocean

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency says that cremated remains may be buried in or on ocean waters of any depth, provided the burial takes place at least three nautical miles from land, and that the EPA must be notified within 30 days following the event. A container used at sea must not contain plastic, float or otherwise contribute to marine debris. The EPA also says that scattering in lakes, rivers and other inland waters is not covered by this federal rule, and that states may set their own requirements. Source: US Environmental Protection Agency, Burial at Sea, page last updated August 26, 2026, read October 11, 2026.

In other countries the rules are different. Ask the national environment agency or a local funeral director before a water ceremony.

If you cannot decide yet

You do not have to. An urn kept at home today can go to a cemetery later. The ashes can also be shared, with part buried or placed on water and part kept in a small urn. The one choice that cannot be undone is a biodegradable urn once it has been buried or placed on water, so leave that until everyone who should have a say has had it.

Sizes and product details in this guide were checked against our product pages on October 11, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to put an urn at home?

Choose a level, steady surface out of direct sunlight, away from heat and steam, and out of reach of children and pets. A mantelpiece, a deep shelf, a sideboard or a bedside table are the usual places.

Where do you put an urn in a cemetery?

A cemetery usually offers a columbarium niche above ground, a small plot in an urn garden, or burial in an existing family grave with the grave owner's permission. Each cemetery sets its own rules on sizes, depth and containers, so ask before you choose an urn.

Can a cremation urn be kept outside in the garden?

Yes, if the urn is sold as suitable for outdoor display. Stand it on a raised, level surface in a sheltered spot. Urns made only for indoor display, such as wood effect urns, should stay indoors.

Can you bury an urn in your own garden?

The rules differ between countries and, in the United States, between states, so check with your local authority first. Remember that buried ashes stay with the property if you move.

What kind of urn do you need for burial?

For the ashes to return to the earth, choose a biodegradable burial urn. For a cemetery plot, ask the cemetery what it allows, because some ask for a particular type of container.

Can any urn be placed in water?

No. Only a biodegradable water urn, which is made to sink and dissolve, should be placed on water. In the United States, the EPA requires a burial of cremated remains in the ocean to take place at least three nautical miles from land.

Do you have to decide where to place the urn right away?

No. Many families keep the urn at home for a long time before choosing a final place, and an urn kept at home can still be moved to a cemetery later.