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What to Do When Someone Dies: A Checklist for the First 24 Hours

The first day after a death is mostly about a few calls made in the right order. This checklist walks through what to do right away, what to do today, and what can wait until later in the week. It’s free, and you don’t have to sign up for anything.

Wayfinder is a free guide for Utah families.
Wayfinder is not a funeral home or a cremation provider. We’re not a government office either, and nothing here costs you money.
Facts on this page last checked October 5, 2026.
If this could be an emergency

If the person might still be alive, or the death was sudden or unexpected, call 911 now. Everything else on this page can wait.

Your First 24 Hours checklist

You don’t have to do everything at once. Start here and open only the sections that apply to you.

What to do when someone dies: a checklist
From Wayfinder, a free Utah funeral guide. If the person might be alive, or the death was sudden or unexpected, call 911 first.
Right away

The first call

3 steps
  1. Make the right first call.
    Under hospice care → the hospice’s 24-hour line, not 911.Expected death at home, no hospice → 911. Tell the dispatcher the death was expected and there’s no hospice.Sudden or unexpected → 911. Utah law requires these deaths to be reported to law enforcement right away.Hospital, nursing home, or care facility → ask the staff what happens next.Who to call, step by step
  2. If the death was sudden or unexpected, leave things as they are.
    Don’t move the person, clean up the scene, or throw away medications unless you’re told to. The police or the medical examiner may need to see the scene before the person can be released to a funeral home.
  3. Find important wishes, medical instructions, or existing arrangements.
    Look for written wishes, a prepaid funeral plan, cemetery paperwork, or other instructions. If the person left a DNR or POLST (a medical order that says which emergency treatments they do or don’t want), keep it where the hospice nurse, medical team, or paramedics can see it. A living will or health care directive alone usually won’t stop paramedics from starting CPR. If the person was a registered donor or wanted to donate, tell the hospice nurse or the funeral home right away. Eye and tissue donation generally has to happen within 24 hours of death, and they coordinate with DonorConnect, so you usually don’t need to call yourself.
First few hours

Slow down and gather

3 steps
  1. Tell the people who need to know.
    You don’t need to contact everyone at once. Start with the people closest to you.
  2. Take care of anything that truly cannot wait.
    Children, pets, medications, the home, work, travel, or other immediate responsibilities.
  3. Take a moment.
    You don’t have to make every funeral decision right away. After the first call, an expected death isn’t an emergency. You can sit with the person and say goodbye before anyone from a funeral home arrives, and if it’s the middle of the night, calling a funeral home in the morning is fine.
When you’re ready

Contact a funeral home

1 step
  1. Contact a funeral home or cremation provider when you’re ready to arrange care and transportation.
    What should I know about the transfer?

    The funeral home can coordinate transportation and move the person into its care. If hospice, a hospital, or a care facility is involved, follow their instructions about when to call. If the death may fall under the medical examiner’s office, wait for instructions before the person is moved.

    Utah’s 24-hour rule is about preserving the person’s body, not a deadline for burial or cremation. A body can’t be held or moved for more than 24 hours after death, while burial or cremation is being arranged, unless it’s kept at 40°F or colder or embalmed by a licensed embalmer. Funeral homes, hospitals, and the medical examiner can do this for you. See the questions below for more.

Can wait a few days

Paperwork and follow-up

1 step
  1. Handle paperwork and follow-up one decision at a time.
    Death certificates, Social Security follow-up, veteran benefits if applicable, and other administrative tasks can generally wait a few days.

Sources: Utah Admin. Code R436-8-4 (preservation of bodies); Utah Code 26B-8-201 and 26B-8-206 (unattended deaths, reporting); Utah Code 58-9-602 (who decides); FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR 453.2 (phone prices); Utah Lions Eye Bank (eye recovery within 24 hours of death); 42 CFR 482.45 (hospital referral to organ, tissue, and eye procurement organizations); Utah Office of the Medical Examiner and DonorConnect (phone, October 5, 2026). Facts checked October 6, 2026.

Common questions

Questions about the first 24 hours

What is the first thing to do when someone dies at home?
If the person was in hospice, call the hospice’s 24-hour number. If the death was expected but hospice wasn’t involved, call 911 and tell the dispatcher the death was expected and there’s no hospice. If it was sudden or you’re not sure what happened, call 911. Our who-to-call guide covers each case.
Do I call 911 when someone dies?
Only in some cases. Call 911 if the death was sudden or unexpected, if you’re not sure the person has died, or if the person died at home without hospice, even when the death was expected. For a death under hospice care, call hospice instead; 911 can lead to resuscitation attempts the person didn’t want.
Do I have to bury or cremate someone within 24 hours in Utah?
No. Utah’s 24-hour rule is about how the person’s body is cared for, not a deadline for burial or cremation. If more than 24 hours will pass before burial or cremation, the body has to be kept at 40°F or colder or be embalmed by a licensed embalmer. That can leave families time to make arrangements and compare options, depending on the circumstances.
How long can a body stay at home in Utah?
Utah’s rule says a body can’t be held or moved for more than 24 hours after death, while burial or cremation is being arranged, unless it’s kept at 40°F or colder or embalmed by a licensed embalmer. A home usually isn’t set up to keep a body that cold, so the person is typically moved to a funeral home or another facility. You can take time to say goodbye first. If you’re not sure how long you have, ask the hospice nurse or the funeral home.
Who is responsible for making funeral arrangements in Utah?
Utah law gives that right first to anyone the person named in writing. After that it goes to the spouse, then the personal representative named in the will, then the person’s children (by majority), then parents, then siblings.
Do I have to choose a funeral home right away?

Not always. How quickly you need to choose depends on where the death happened and the circumstances. If the death was expected and you’re not under immediate pressure, you may have some time to understand your options and compare prices.

In a hospital or care facility, the staff will ask which funeral home to release the person to, and you can take a few hours to decide. After a sudden death, the medical examiner may take the person into its care first and release them to the funeral home you choose once its work is done. The medical examiner doesn’t pick a funeral home for you.

Every funeral home has to give you its prices over the phone if you ask, and you don’t have to give your name first.

What questions should I ask a funeral home?

Start with these five:

  • What type of arrangement are we discussing, and what does it include?
  • What is the complete price, and what is separate?
  • Which costs are paid to another provider, such as the cemetery or death certificates?
  • Can I have a copy of your General Price List?
  • Can I have the final price in writing?

The full list is in our questions to ask a funeral home guide, and you can print it.

Is there a printable “what to do when someone dies” checklist?
Yes. Use the “Print or save as PDF” button above the checklist. The printed version is short: the actions to check off, plus the first-call steps. Choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print window to keep a copy or send it to family.
Where to go next
Who to call
Who to Call When Someone Dies at Home

The first call for a hospice death, an expected death without hospice, and a sudden death.

Paperwork
How to Get a Death Certificate in Utah

Fees, how many copies, and who else needs to be told.

Costs
What Funerals and Cremation Cost in Utah

Real, dated prices from Salt Lake County funeral homes.

When you’re ready, Wayfinder can help with the rest.

We’ll ask only what matters for your situation and organize your choices, costs, questions, and next steps in one plan.

Start the Wayfinder Plan
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