UKIAH (AP) — A former California congressman who buried his wife on the couple’s rural property now has after-the-fact permission in a decision his attorney said sets a precedent for home burial.

Dan Hamburg, now a Mendocino County supervisor, sued the county when it would not issue a home burial permit and death certificate for his wife when she died in March.

On Friday Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Cindee Mayfield ordered the county to issue the permit.

Carrie Hamburg had wanted to be buried at home following her death.

The case set of a debate over home burials, which are effectively prohibited in California and Washington state over fears that the undisclosed bodies could be unearthed by future landowners.