(A) The rules and regulations governing the cemetery provide for an orderly, well-groomed, quiet sanctuary. To achieve and maintain that status requires a joint effort between the cemetery staff and cemetery patrons.
(B) Those persons owning rights to burial, and those having deceased loved ones interred within the cemetery, need to be aware of, and are expected to be compliant with, the policies that regulate cemetery activities so that no misunderstandings or problems occur.
(1) Burial permit (request for burial form). No body shall be interred, or remains received, unless a request for burial form is completed in full and presented to the city at the office of the City Recorder. The request for burial form shall reflect the full name of the deceased, the date and place of birth, the date and place of death, and the name and address of the person requesting the burial.
(2) Certificate of “burial rights” (deed) required. It is unlawful for any person to bury the body of a deceased person in the cemetery without first obtaining a certificate of burial rights for the lot used, or producing satisfactory evidence, through legal documentation, of a right to burial based on a properly acquired/inherited certificate of burial right.
(3) Excavating and refilling graves. No grave shall be opened, filled, refilled, or sod removed or replaced except by the employees of the cemetery under the direction of the Sexton and Public Works Director.
(4) Disinterment/exhumations. The scheduling of disinterment shall be at the discretion of the Sexton. Absent a court order to the contrary, the Sexton shall have the right to refuse to disinter any person when, in his or her sole discretion, such disinterment would endanger the health and safety of cemetery employees or the public. Disinterment may be postponed without notice if the Sexton deems it necessary to maintain the regular operation of the cemetery.
(5) Approval of disinterment/exhumations. No person shall disinter any body buried in such cemetery, unless under the direction of the Sexton, and before disinterment, the city shall require a permit from the Board of Health and a written order from the owner of the lot, or the owner’s legal representative, authorizing such removal, which order the Sexton shall file and preserve, and all such removals shall be recorded by the Sexton, City Recorder, or Deputy Recorder. Absent a court order to the contrary, it is unlawful to remove the body of any person who has died of a contagious disease within two years from the date of burial, except such body has been buried in a hermetically sealed coffin.
(6) Restriction on burials. It shall be unlawful for any person to bury the body of a deceased person, within the city limits, except in an approved cemetery. It is unlawful to inter the remains of anything, other than the remains of human bodies in the cemetery proper. Pet remains may be buried in a section of the cemetery designated for such by following specific rules provided for that section of ground.
(7) Hours for burials. Burials are accepted from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily at the cemetery. An overtime fee will be assessed for burials after 4:00 p.m. on regularly-scheduled work/weekdays, as well as Fridays, Saturdays, or holidays as established by the governing body. All graveside services, interments or exhumations must be arranged through the Sexton, or in his or her absence, the Public Works Director or City Recorder. A minimum of a 72-hour advanced notice of service is required. No burials will be accepted on Sunday or on the holidays of Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years Day, July 4, July 24, or Memorial Day weekend (Saturday to Monday).
(8) Vaults required. It is unlawful for any person to be buried in the cemetery unless the casket shall be placed in a vault of concrete or steel, substantially constructed and covered with similar durable material. No wood shall be used as a permanent part of the construction of any part of the vault. All vaults must be buried at a minimum standard depth specified by the city. Aboveground vaults are not allowed in the cemetery. All vaults must be preapproved by the city.
(9) Burials per grave. It is normal practice to allow only one burial per space; however, certain double burials will be allowed involving parent/child burial or cremated remains. A parent/child may be buried in the same grave space but must be in the same casket. The city must approve every parent/child burial on an individual basis regarding size and age of the deceased. The general guideline is that the child must be under two years of age.
(10) Cremation. Cremated remains must be placed in a preapproved urn vault constructed of concrete, steel, or reinforced polyethylene material. Each urn vault shall only contain cremated remains of one individual. The interment of no more than two urn vaults in one gravesite shall be permitted.
(11) Perpetual care. Cemetery perpetual care will be done, generally, every Tuesday unless weather or other unforeseen circumstances prevent such work. The upkeep of the cemetery, provided by the city, includes, but is not limited to, mowing grass at reasonable intervals, laying sod and reseeding as necessary, filling sunken graves, sprinkler irrigation, trimming trees and shrubs, removing wilted flowers and decorations, and other cleanup as needed. Perpetual care does not include repairing or replacing markers, monuments, or other personal property.
(Prior Code, § 13.12.080) (Ord. 14-2017, passed 6-7-2017) Penalty, see § 10.99