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Oregon Health Authority

House Bill 2574

House Bill 2574

Oregon House Bill 2574 added a new disposition type and clarified other authorized processes for human remains. The bill goes into effect on July 1, 2022. The new disposition types will be available for decedents whose dispositions occur on or after July 1.

Natural organic reduction (human composting): the contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.

Alkaline hydrolysis or hydrolysis (formerly known as dissolution): the technical process for reducing human remains by placing them in a dissolution chamber that uses heat, pressure, water and base chemical agents, in a licensed hydrolysis facility to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements.

On June 21, Funeral Directors will be able to select these new disposition options in the Oregon Vital Events Registration System. 

For more information about these dispositions and how to enter them into OVERS, visit our HB 2574 Job Aid for Funeral Directors.

  • For questions regarding technical changes to the OVERS system, call the OVERS Helpdesk at 971-673-0279.
  • For questions about the registration of a specific record, contact CHS.Registration@dhsoha.state.or.us.
  • For questions about amending a record with a new disposition type, contact the Amendments Unit at CHS.Amendments@dhsoha.state.or.us