Available Lots

This fee is a requirement at a lot of cemeteries. It can be a one-time or an annual fee. But perpetual care isn’t what many people think it is. This fee is for cemetery maintenance on the whole. “The perpetual care fee you pay helps offset the costs of upkeep like mowing, litter removal, and road maintenance,” according to Legacy.com. 

It is typically expected for family members that visit the gravesite of their loved one to keep it clean, which can include the gravestone. The cemetery takes care of mowing and trimming, but anything more detailed is the responsibility of the deceased’s loved ones.

While perpetual care may sound like eternal care for a grave, that’s often not the case. Ask the cemetery about their perpetual care and what the fee covers so you’re not surprised down the road. 

If you are interested in having personalized maintenance care for a grave, you might consider hiring someone to provide the care for you. Grave caregivers offer whatever level of care you would like. These are often people who offer their services but aren’t officially connected with the cemetery. 

Grave care services can include:

• Grave marker cleaning
• Grass trimming 
• Weed removal
• Placing fresh or artificial flowers (in general or on specific days like holidays and anniversaries)

Each cemetery will have its own rules and regulations and are often posted on signs near the cemetery’s entrance. 

You can typically see things listed like hours of opening, guidelines, and restrictions for grave decorations, how often decorations are cleared away, what kinds of flowers are allowed, and if families are allowed to plant flowers or other plants by the grave.

Other regulations may be available with the cemetery office, and can include specifics like the following:

Restrictions regarding gravestone or marker sizes, shapes, or content
Restrictions on casket types or sizes
Who is responsible if a gravestone is damaged

• Sometimes a person needs or wants to sell a cemetery burial plot they’ve purchased ahead of time. Is this something you can do? Yes, or possibly no. Check with the state government’s cemetery regulations and licensing to make sure. 
• If it is legal where you live, you can do the selling yourself or you can use a cemetery broker. There’s a lot involved in the transferring of ownership just like there is with any property. In certain states, cemetery brokers must have a license.  
• Even if you don’t live in one of those states, working with a licensed cemetery broker can be very helpful. They will know exactly which papers and deeds have to be verified legally as well as have the knowledge on the other ins and outs of what is necessary. 

When you buy a cemetery plot, you own the plot. You do not own the land itself. “The cemetery retains ownership of the land, you are purchasing the right to use the land for a burial,” according to Burial Planning. 

One of the fees you are likely to encounter when purchasing a burial plot is perpetual care. At many cemeteries, this is a requirement, and it can be either an annual fee or a one-time charge. What it pays for is the maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery. It can feel like a frustrating added expense, but a lot of work goes into keeping a cemetery a beautiful and welcoming place, and there’s plenty of overhead involved. The perpetual care fee you pay helps offset the costs of upkeep like mowing, litter removal, and road maintenance. 

Some cemeteries offer additional services like automatic delivery of fresh flowers on special days. This is typically not covered under perpetual care and requires an extra fee. Perpetual care also doesn’t necessarily mean an individual grave will be maintained. It may fund general cemetery maintenance but leave individual gravesite tending up to the family. When you’re purchasing a burial plot, be sure you ask and understand exactly what any perpetual care fees will pay for. 

Some cemeteries charge groundskeeping or maintenance fees for things such as mowing the grass. 

Check whether this is a one-time fee or if you’ll be charged annually

At some cemeteries, family is expected to maintain individual plots. At others, the groundskeeping team takes care of everything. Make sure you know which model your chosen cemetery uses. 

The Federal Trade Commission regulates the funeral industry, requiring cemeteries to allow people to use the caskets of their choice. 

However, some cemeteries do impose restrictions on the types of caskets they’ll allow, or requiring grave liners or vaults. 

Burial containers, grave liners, and vaults all are placed into the grave before the casket to help prevent cave-ins. This helps keep the grounds looking good. 

However, adding these extras increases the cost. 

If one is required by the cemetery, be sure to confirm that beforehand so there isn’t a surprise additional cost later on. 

Gravestones and markers come in a variety of material, style, and size options. 

Before you begin choosing a marker, check with the cemetery to see if there are any rules on height or type of marker. 

Some cemeteries only allow ground-set, flat markers. Others have requirements on the size, height, or decoration of a headstone. 

No matter where you purchase a marker, whether it’s through the cemetery or with a separate monument company, there almost always are fees associated with installing it. 

Check to see what those fees may be and whether they’re included in your plot purchase

Depending on where you’re purchasing a plot and how quickly the cemetery is growing, the amount of space used by the cemetery or the way it uses space may change over time. 

Check with your chosen cemetery about any future plans they may have so you can anticipate what the layout may be down the road.