Civil Code, Article 306 — Funeral Suited to Social Position

What this article means

A funeral must be in keeping with the social position of the deceased. The rule sets an expectation of proportion — neither a display beyond the person’s station nor a rite beneath it.

The phrase social position looks to the deceased’s actual station in life rather than to the family’s wealth alone — occupation, standing in the community, and manner of living all inform what a fitting funeral looks like. Read together with Article 305, the person given the right to arrange the funeral is also the one expected to keep it within this proportion, so the standard operates as a limit on that discretion rather than a separate rule of its own.

Questions about this provision

• Is there a legal standard for how elaborate a funeral must be relative to what the deceased could afford or their standing in life?

Related provisions

• Article 305 — Who Arranges the Funeral.
• Article 307 — Following the Deceased’s Wishes.

Cases interpreting this article

• Authorities on this article will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.