A. Dead Must Be Buried In Cemetery: Nothing other than human remains shall be interred within the Stockton Cemetery, and no cemetery shall be established without the express written permission of the Town Council.
B. Interment Order Required: Before burying human remains in the cemetery, there shall be procured from the Cemetery Office an interment order for the deceased person in such plot, lot, block and plat as may be designated by the responsible party. This order must be executed forty eight (48) hours prior to the scheduled funeral service.
C. Orders And Responsibilities: Under no circumstances will the Town assume responsibilities for errors in opening graves when orders are given by telephone or for any mistake occurring from want of precise and proper instructions as to the particular plot, size of grave and location where interment is desired.
D. Schedule Use Of Cemetery: Funeral directors must schedule the use of the cemetery, have the interment order signed, and have fees paid in full before arrangements with the family are concluded.
E. Right Of Ownership To Bury: No person, except the certificate holder of a lot upon which interment is to be made, shall use a plot or lot in the cemetery, without first obtaining written permission from the certificate holder of said lot, or nearest relative of the certificate holder thereof, or legal heirs, which permission shall be filed with the Cemetery Office.
F. Number Of Bodies Per Interment: No interment of two (2) or more bodies shall be made in one (1) grave, except in the case of a parent and child, or two (2) infants buried in one (1) casket. In the case of cremation, the number of vaulted urns per burial plot shall be no more than four (4).
G. When Body Must Be Delivered For Burial: The human remains must be delivered at the cemetery at or before three o'clock (3:00) P.M. November 1 to April 30, and at or before four o'clock (4:00) P.M. May 1 to October 31 for interment if the grave is to be filled in with earth the same day.
H. No Interments On Sunday Or Holidays: Except in cases of emergency, there shall be no interments on Sundays or legal holidays observed and approved by the Town Council. No interments or removals whatsoever will be permitted between twelve o'clock (12:00) noon on the Friday before Memorial Day and twelve o'clock (12:00) noon on the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
I. All Interments Must Be In Vaults: It shall be unlawful for any remains to be interred in the cemetery unless the casket or urn shall be placed in a vault made of reinforced concrete, stone or metal.
J. Fees Paid For Opening Grave: No grave will be opened in the cemetery until the payment of interment fee, burial right fee and other applicable fees as established from time to time by resolution of the Town Council are paid in full to the satisfaction of the Town Clerk. The presentation of the interment order from the Cemetery Office to the Sexton will be his authority to open or cause to be opened a grave for the burial of the deceased. However, upon a verbal or written contract being entered into between the mortician and the Town wherein the said mortician agrees to guarantee, be responsible and liable for fees for the opening of a grave, or any other applicable fees related to the interment, and be personally liable for such fees, the Cemetery Office may give the Sexton authority to open graves. The said mortician then has thirty (30) days from date of interment to pay in full all outstanding fees related to his guaranteeing of payment.
K. Casket Within Cemetery: Once a casket containing the human remains is within the confines of the cemetery, no funeral director nor his embalmer, assistant, employee, agent, or any other person, shall be permitted to open the casket or to touch the body without the written consent of the legal representative of the deceased or an order signed by a court of competent jurisdiction.
L. Persons Permitted To Open Graves: The Sexton, and those employees of the Town designated by the Sexton, are the only persons who will be permitted to open graves with the following exceptions:
1. When the cemetery is directed to make a disinterment by order of a court of competent jurisdiction and a certified copy of such order has been filed with the Cemetery Office.
2. When the coroner directs the disinterment for the purpose of holding an inquest and has filed with the Cemetery Office his signed authorization to release the body to himself and his lawful agents. In such case, the disinterment must be made by the coroner or his lawful agents. Town employees will not be permitted to assist the coroner or his agents.
M. Deceased Identity: The Town will not be liable for the identity of the person to be interred.
N. Burial Of Indigents: The Town Council, with the advice of the Sexton, may designate a portion of the cemetery for the burial of indigents whenever it is made to appear to the Sexton, by proof submitted to him by the Town Clerk, that any person who has died does not have an estate sufficient to pay the purchase price of burial rights in the cemetery, and the nearest relative or responsible party of such deceased person desired to have the body of such deceased interred in said cemetery, the Sexton may grant burial space privileges for such deceased person at the request made to him by the Town Clerk. The Sexton shall give report of his decision, whether affirmative or negative, to the Town Council at their next regular meeting.
O. Remuneration To Certificate Holder: Certificate holders shall not allow interments in their plots or lots in return for remuneration of any kind.
P. Interment Responsibility Of Responsible Party: Persons responsible for the deceased will have full liability for the remains of the deceased when it enters the grounds of the cemetery and will have complete charge of those remains and will cause the deceased to be lowered into the grave site. After this has been accomplished, the Sexton or his representative will take charge of the remains and will proceed thenceforth with the closing of the grave.
Q. Access To Interment Area: The Sexton or his representative has the perpetual right of ingress and egress over any part of the cemetery burial plat areas and shall use reasonable care in protecting all existing turf, markers, monuments, grave flowers, grave decorations, trees or existing shrubbery in order to cause the opening and closing of graves with the required vehicles, equipment, tools and personnel.
R. Overtime Charges: Saturday services will be charged an additional fee as set forth by resolution of the Town Council in addition to the standard interment fee. (Ord. 01-15, 10-15-2001; amd. 2017 Code)