I've thought that creating a cemetary for the communtiy and not neccessarily for any certain family branch would be a good investment for us, especially after retirement. Does anyone know where I can find information on the regulations and so on this subject? I've had no luck in finding anything, even on the net.

-- Carmen Black (carmenblack@vol.com), February 11, 2002

Answers

Try your state mortuary board or which ever board oversees the funeral home and funeral home directors in your state.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), February 11, 2002.

Before venturing into this, ask yourself some questions. If public cemeteries are profitable, why aren't there more of them? What will the initial cost be to put in roads and surveyed grave plots? Are you prepared for the effort required to arrange for pre-payment of plots? How much maintenance (ground work) will be required for mowing, weedeating, road maintenance, etc.? What will be the future impact on cemeteries due to increasing use of cremation?

Have you considered an alternative: a pet cemetery? Regulations and requirements are far less complicated. Out of my book:

PET CEMETERY:

People can become so attached to their pets they want the equivalent of a human burial for them, complete with casket and marker. Some even visit the grave site on a regular basis. Burial and perpetual care typically costs $850 to $1,550 including plot, hard plastic casket and marker. A cement vault would increase the cost. For those pet cemeteries which provide the service, pick-up, cremation and return of the ashes runs about $350.

If you are near a sizable city, have a good site for a pet cemetery and are willing to put a permanent land use restriction on your deed, this could be an attractive sideline, including making your own ground-level markers (to make mowing easier). This service could also include picking up, washing and grooming dead pets which the owners are too grief-stricken to handle themselves. Due to abuses at some pet cemeteries, the owners should be encouraged to attend and participate in the burial service, such as putting a favorite toy in the casket before closure and burial.

There are about 400 pet cemeteries in the U.S. Only a couple of states have pet cemetery statues to ensure they are permanent and operated properly.

National groups include the International Association of Pet Cemeteries, P.O. Box 1346, South Bend, IN 46624-1346, Accredited Pet Cemetery Society in Rochester, NY and the National Association of Pet Funeral Directors.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 12, 2002.

Most cemetaries are affliated with churches or are city, cty or federally owned. And because they are, they pay little or NO property taxes.

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 12, 2002.

try your state's health dept for regulations.

-- carol (kanogisdi@yahoo.com), February 12, 2002.

Face it, burying people is a dying business.

-- =) (Yulp@grin.com), February 13, 2002.

The first thing you will be required to do is to have a survey done and the boundaries located. This is done around here all the time as most folks are buried on their own property. If there isn't a family plot already in existence, they have to create one. Cememtery lots are sold like real estate with some sort of deed. Check with your city or with a church that has a cememery and see what they suggest.

-- Patricia Ramsey (pattykettler@yahoo.com), February 16, 2002.