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Local funeral homes listed with expired licenses
Posted: 09.28.2011 at 8:39 PM
Updated: 09.29.2011 at 1:40 PM
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Meadows Funeral Home in Albany is listed on the Secretary of State's website as having a lapsed funeral license  / Sarah Bleau
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After receiving a call about one funeral home operating on an expired funeral home license, FOX 31 did some digging to check on other area funeral homes

ALBANY, GA -- Would you go to a funeral home with an expired license?

“Not if one of my family members got to go. I wouldn't trust them,” says Cornelius Crawford of Albany, one man who would speak with FOX 31 about this. “Everything you do you've got to have a license these days.”

On Wednesday, FOX 31 received a call from a citizen concerned about Meadows Funeral Home in Albany having an expired license. According to Steve Lindsey, Executive Director with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, Meadows Funeral Home’s license expired on June 30th and the funeral home has not renewed.

FOX 31 visited Meadows Funeral Home Wednesday afternoon to check on their expired license.

No one there was able to answer questions.

Meadows Funeral Home isn’t the only funeral home in the area listed with a lapsed license. According to the Secretary of State’s website, Oaklawn Chapel Funeral Home and Fields Funeral Home also have expired licenses.

FOX 31 went to visit Oaklawn Chapel Funeral Home, which is listed on the Secretary of State’s website at 611 N. Jefferson. It’s no longer a funeral home, but rather accounting offices.



For those still in business on a lapsed license, Lindsey says there are penalties.

“If a funeral home doesn't have a license that is active with us then they are not lawfully in business,” he says. “If they don't have a license the first thing that's generally done is an inspector gives them a voluntary cease and desist order.”

He says if a funeral home does refuse the voluntary cease and desist order, the business owners are set up with a hearing before the board to explain why they should not have to cease and desist.

The Secretary of State’s office says all funeral home licenses in Georgia expire on June 30th with a late renewal period running through July 31st. A late fee costs funeral homes $250 on top of the $140 renewal fee for a grand total of $390.

As for Meadows Funeral Home, neighbors, who did not want to comment on camera, say Meadows has been in business for many years and they have not heard of any trouble coming from that business.

FOX 31 News Poll
Would you use a funeral home with an expired license?

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