Summary:
You brought the ashes home, and now they’re sitting on a shelf or tucked in a closet — and nobody quite knows what to say about it. That moment is more common than most people talk about. According to the Cremation Association of North America, roughly 25% of U.S. households currently have at least one set of cremated remains stored at home. You’re not behind. You’re not doing anything wrong. There’s no legal deadline in New York for making a decision, and there’s no single right answer.
What follows is an honest look at the options available to Nassau County families — what each one involves, what the law actually requires, and which one tends to feel most meaningful when the time comes.
What Are Your Options for Cremated Remains?
Most families arrive at this question without much guidance. The funeral home handled the cremation, handed over the remains, and that was largely that. What happens next is up to you — and the range of options is wider than most people realize.
Keeping remains at home in a permanent urn is the most common immediate choice, and for many families it stays that way indefinitely. Some people find comfort in having their loved one nearby. Others find that after a few months, they’re ready for something more final — a true resting place, not a holding pattern. Both feelings are valid.
Beyond the home, families can choose interment in a columbarium niche at a cemetery, scattering at a meaningful location on land, incorporating ashes into memorial jewelry or keepsakes, or scattering at sea during a dedicated ceremony. You can also split the remains — keep a small portion at home and scatter the rest. That’s completely legal and more common than you might think.
Keeping Ashes at Home vs. Choosing a Final Resting Place
There’s nothing wrong with keeping ashes at home, and New York has no state laws that restrict where cremated remains may be kept or how long you can hold them. If you’re not ready to make a permanent decision, you don’t have to. Grief doesn’t run on a schedule.
That said, many families describe a quiet, persistent feeling that the ashes deserve somewhere — not just a shelf. It’s not guilt, exactly. It’s more like an unfinished chapter. For those families, choosing a final resting place tends to bring a kind of relief that holding on simply doesn’t provide.
Cemetery interment in Nassau County is one option, though it’s worth knowing that burial plots here are among the most expensive in New York, reflecting the county’s overall real estate market. A columbarium niche — a small compartment in an indoor or outdoor wall structure — is often more affordable and allows families to visit a defined, permanent location.
Scattering at a meaningful location on land is another path, though it requires more research. Private property requires permission from the landowner. Public land — parks, beaches, nature preserves — typically requires checking with the managing agency, as rules vary. Some locations permit it quietly; others have formal processes.
The option that tends to resonate most for Nassau County families, particularly those with a lifelong connection to the south shore, is something closer to home than most people initially consider: the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Point Lookout.
Splitting Cremated Remains — Is It Allowed?
Yes, and it’s more common than most families realize. There’s no law in New York — or under federal regulations — that requires all cremated remains to be handled the same way. Families can keep a small portion at home in a keepsake urn or memorial jewelry, scatter a portion at sea, and inter a portion at a cemetery, all at the same time or across different timelines.
This matters because the decision doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Some families feel strongly about having a physical place to visit — a headstone, a niche, a marker. Others want the sense of release that comes with scattering. Many want both, and splitting the remains makes that possible.
Memorial jewelry — pendants, rings, or bracelets that hold a small amount of cremated remains — has become increasingly common and allows a family member to carry a tangible connection with them. These are available from specialty jewelers and can be ordered independently of whatever you decide to do with the rest of the remains.
The practical point is this: you don’t have to choose between being present and letting go. A sea scattering ceremony can honor the part of your loved one that belonged to the water, while a keepsake at home honors the part that belonged to your family’s daily life. Both can be true at once.
Spreading Ashes in the Ocean — What Nassau County Families Should Know
For families on the south shore of Long Island, the ocean isn’t a metaphor. It’s Jones Beach in July, fishing off the pier at Point Lookout, summer evenings at Long Beach. For many Nassau County residents, the Atlantic is where their loved one was most themselves — and that makes it the most natural place to say goodbye.
Ocean scattering is legal, regulated, and more accessible than most people assume. Here’s what the process actually involves and what you need to know before you decide.
Is It Legal to Scatter Ashes in the Ocean Near Long Island?
Yes — with a few federal requirements that we handle for you. Under the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, ocean scattering must take place at least three nautical miles from shore. That’s roughly 3.45 statute miles out into open water. Scattering from a beach, a pier, or close to shore is not permitted under federal law, regardless of what you may have seen or heard.
The other requirement is a notification filed with the EPA within 30 days of the scattering. It’s a straightforward form, but it’s easy to miss if you’re not aware it exists. When families work with us, that paperwork is handled on your behalf — one less thing to navigate during an already difficult time.
Only biodegradable materials may enter the water. That means no plastic, no synthetic flowers, no metal. Fresh flowers, biodegradable wreaths, and biodegradable urns are all permitted and commonly used in ceremonies.
One misconception worth clearing up: scattering ashes at sea has nothing to do with the Navy’s burial at sea program, which is a separate military service. Ocean scattering is available to any civilian family, for any loved one, at any time of year. You don’t need a military connection, a special permit issued in advance, or any particular religious affiliation.
We operate from Freeport Marina at 1 Anchorage Way, Slip A23 — right on the south shore of Nassau County — and conduct ceremonies off the coast of Point Lookout. Families can attend in person aboard the *Seaspray*, our Coast Guard-inspected vessel, or choose an unattended scattering if they prefer we carry out the ceremony on your behalf.
Water Cremation Ashes — Clearing Up a Common Confusion
Some families searching for what to do with ashes come across the term “water cremation” and wonder if it’s relevant to their situation. It’s worth clarifying, because the two things people mean by that phrase are very different.
Water cremation — also called aquamation or alkaline hydrolysis — is a method of body disposition that uses water and an alkaline solution instead of heat. It’s an alternative to traditional flame cremation, not something that happens after cremation. As of 2026, alkaline hydrolysis is not legally authorized in New York State. New York Public Health Law defines cremation specifically as incineration, and aquamation is not currently listed as a permitted disposition method.
If you’re in Nassau County and you’ve seen this option mentioned online, it’s likely from providers in other states where it is legal. What families here can do with the ashes from a traditional cremation is a separate question entirely — and that’s where ocean scattering becomes relevant.
If the idea behind searching “water cremation” was finding a water-based, environmentally thoughtful way to honor your loved one, a sea scattering ceremony is exactly that. The ashes return to the ocean naturally, carried by open water off the coast of a place your family already knows.
Our vessel, the *Seaspray*, sits low in the water specifically to make the release of ashes easier and more accessible — particularly for older family members or anyone who might find it difficult to reach over a high railing. The cabin is heated, which means we operate year-round. If you lose someone in January, you don’t have to wait until the weather turns.
Master Captain Scott Schafer leads every journey, and our Burial Coordinator Maria Brusalis is available to walk you through every detail of the ceremony before you commit to anything. We also offer the option of having a priest aboard for religious rites and prayers — something that matters to a lot of Catholic and Christian families on Long Island — and pets are welcome to accompany families on board.
Finding the Right Answer for Your Family
There’s no single right way to handle cremated remains. Some families keep ashes at home for years and find genuine comfort in it. Others need a ceremony, a moment, a place — something that feels like a real goodbye.
For Nassau County families with roots on the south shore, the ocean has a way of making that goodbye feel right. Not because it’s dramatic or poetic, but because it’s already part of your life. Point Lookout, the waters off Freeport, the coastline you’ve driven past a hundred times — there’s something to returning a loved one to a place that was already theirs.
If you’re at the point where you’re ready to think through what a sea ceremony would actually look like for your family, Eternal Peace Sea Burials is here to walk you through that conversation. Reach out to us at 631-668-5800 and ask for Maria — she’ll answer your questions without pressure, at whatever pace feels right for you.