Decedent Storage Capacity Planning

Count Positions, Not Just Boxes

Capacity is measured in storage positions — how many decedents you can hold at once — not how many coolers you own. Racks and rail systems can dramatically raise positions inside the same equipment, which is why capacity planning starts with the interior, not the floor plan.

Factor In Hold Times

Long holds consume positions. A facility with many evidentiary or unidentified cases needs more positions per annual case than one with quick turnover, because each long-term decedent occupies a position for weeks or months.

Add a Surge Reserve

Plan capacity so routine occupancy stays below roughly 75%. The reserve above that line absorbs mass-casualty events, seasonal spikes, and equipment downtime without overflow.

Translate Numbers Into Equipment

Once you know required positions and hold profile, the system follows: racks to raise positions, vault or walk-in for refrigerated volume, freezers for long holds, and monitoring across all of it.

Capacity Building Blocks