Nevada · Clark County
Clark County is home to about 2,398,871 people. Everything below applies county-wide.
If you cannot afford burial or cremation in Clark County, call the Clark County Social Service first, before signing anything with a funeral home. If the person was a veteran, free burial benefits may cover even more.
Clark County Burial and Cremation Assistance
Clark County Social Service
When they answer, say: "I need to apply for burial assistance for a family member." It is okay if you do not have documents ready. They will tell you what to bring.
Step 1 of 5 · If money is tight
Do not sign anything with a funeral home before you call. In many counties, signing first disqualifies the family.
Clark County program
Read this before you call
Clark County only accepts referrals from crematories, cemeteries, funeral establishments, or direct cremation facilities that hold a contract with Clark County Social Service or the Public Administrator and Public Guardian. Call 702-455-4270 and ask for the contracted provider list before you choose a funeral home.
Clark County Social Service covers burial or cremation expenses for deceased indigent individuals. The person legally responsible for the disposition under Nevada Revised Statutes 428.070 has to meet financial requirements based on household size, and the person who died must have been a Clark County resident. Assistance is also available for residents who died outside Clark County if they had been relocated by the Clark County Public Guardian for nursing, home placement, or hospital care.
| Residency | The person who died must have been a Clark County resident, with an exception for residents relocated out of county by the Clark County Public Guardian. |
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Burial or cremation expenses.
Call Clark County Social Service at 702-455-4270 to confirm the financial requirements for your household size and to get the list of contracted providers.
Step 2 of 5 · If they served
This can replace the county program
You may be able to skip the county program entirely. Veterans can receive a free gravesite, headstone, and perpetual care at a national or state veterans cemetery, plus a VA burial allowance of up to $2,000 for service-connected deaths.
Veteran burial help in Clark CountyFrom our free tools
Housing costs weighing on the family too?
Check what housing assistance the household may qualify for, including Section 8 vouchers, in a few minutes. Free, no signup.
Check housing help at CheckMyVoucher.comStep 4 of 5 · The paperwork
Where copies come from
Certified copies come from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Office of Vital Records (official site). The price depends on where the death happened: $25 per certified copy for Carson, Clark, Douglas, Lyon, Mineral, or Washoe counties, and $22 for any other Nevada county. Ordering online through VitalChek is fastest but costs $42 to $45 depending on the county, plus $20 more for expedited delivery, so mail or in person saves real money if you can wait. The Office of Vital Records is at 4150 Technology Way, Suite 104, Carson City, NV 89706, phone 775-684-4242. You need photo ID, full payment, and proof of relationship. Never mail cash.
Order about 10 certified copies. Banks, insurers, Social Security, vehicles, and property will each want one.
Know your rights
Federal law (the FTC Funeral Rule) protects you. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.
Full rules: the FTC Funeral Rule. If a funeral home breaks them, you can report it to the FTC.
Step 5 of 5 · If you need more
Where families find the rest
Right now
Nothing else on this page matters until these are done. Everything not on this list can wait, and most of it should.
Local sponsor
Own a funeral home or cremation service in Clark County? This page has one exclusive sponsor spot, reserved at the founding rate of $499 per month.
Sponsor Clark CountyQuestions families ask
Clark County's assistance program (Clark County Burial and Cremation Assistance) can cover a basic burial or cremation for families who qualify. Call 702-455-4270 before signing anything with a funeral home.
Yes. An eligible surviving spouse or child can claim a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment by calling 1-800-772-1213, and monthly survivor benefits are often available too.
Veterans may qualify for free burial in a national or state veterans cemetery plus a VA burial allowance, which can matter more than any county program. See our Clark County veteran page for details.
Most families need about 10 certified copies for banks, insurance, and property. In Nevada, order through the funeral home or the state vital records office.
A traditional funeral with burial commonly runs $7,000 to $12,000. Direct cremation is usually the lowest-cost professional option, often $700 to $2,000, and prices vary widely between providers in the same area, so it pays to call two or three. Every funeral home must give you prices over the phone under the FTC Funeral Rule.
No, and this surprises almost everyone: a power of attorney ends the moment the person dies. After death, authority passes to the executor named in the will, or to a court-appointed administrator when there is no will. Funeral decisions belong to the next of kin in the order set by state law, usually spouse first, then adult children, then parents, then siblings.
For after-death decisions, no. Power of attorney only matters while someone is alive. The next of kin can make funeral decisions right away, and the estate is handled through the will or, without one, through the state's simple next-of-kin rules. See our guide on what happens when there is no will.
Legal help sponsor
Estate or probate attorney serving Clark County? Families here are one week from probate questions. One exclusive spot, founding rate $499 per month.
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Step 3 of 5 · Money owed to you
The Social Security $255 payment
Who can claim it
A surviving spouse who was living with the person who died, or a spouse or child eligible for benefits on the deceased person's record.
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office. You must apply within 2 years of the death. The funeral home often reports the death to SSA, but the survivor must apply for the payment.
Full guide: the $255 death payment, explained