Cemetery Rules & Regulations

• Interment, disinterment, and all other services shall not be permitted without cemetery staff approval. There shall be no services provided on Sundays or any of the following holidays: New Year’s Day; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day.

• All interments shall be made in an approved outer container of stone, metal, or reinforced concrete.

• Interment and disinterment shall not be permitted in any property not fully paid for.

• Washington Township shall not be held responsible for any order given by telephone, email, fax or in person for any mistake occurring from the want of precise and proper instructions as to the space, size, and location on a plot where interment is desired.

• Washington Township reserves the right to refuse interment and disinterment in any plot, for any reason, except on written application by the plot owner(s).

• Deeds will be issued to the rightful plot owner when the plot is paid in full.

• Interments shall be permitted with the consent of the lot owner, or whomever is authorized (as may appear on record at the cemetery or in the Washington Township fiscal office).

• All interments on plots shall be restricted to family and relatives of the plot owner(s).

• Deed transfer requests are available at the cemetery office. Deed transfer applications must be completed and reviewed by Washington Township Trustees for approval. Once a deed transfer is approved, records will be updated appropriately, along with a newly created deed.

• The surviving spouse of the original plot owner has a prior right of one burial space in said plot. This right may be voluntarily forfeited and/or terminated upon burial, remarriage or divorce.

• Except for one grave space reserved for the surviving spouse of the original plot owner, the burial rights in the remainder of a plot descend from an intestate owner in the following order:

  • Children of the plot owner.

  • If none of the children of the original plot owner are alive, then grandchildren of the original owner.

  • If there are no children and grandchildren, then the mother, father of both original plot owners.

  • If none of the above are living, then any brothers and sisters of the original plot owner, or their lineal descendants.

  • To the grandparents of the original plot owner.

  • To the surviving spouse of each of the foregoing.

• When there is no longer any living person who could be classified in any of the above groups, the burial rights in said plot will be terminated.

• Washington Township reserves the right to add or remove any decoration necessary to preserve the natural aesthetics of the grounds of the cemetery. This includes the following but is not limited to: flowers, artificial flowers, trees, shrubs, plants, planters, plant stands, pots, solar lights, memorabilia, shepherd’s hooks, flags, flag holders, balloons, and any other items not listed.

• All items listed and unlisted are subject to removal by Washington Township to maintain a safe, clean, and appealing setting within all cemeteries.

• Placement of chairs, vases and glass, wood or metal cases, boxes, shells, toys, and any other articles that are a hazard to Washington Township shall not be permitted. Specifications for monumental vases and urns must be submitted to the cemetery sexton for review and approval.

• All decorations shall be placed next to or in front of a grave marker and are subject to removal by Washington Township at any time.

• Permanently planted flowers, trees, and shrubs are not permitted on cemetery grounds.

• Placement of artificial flowers, wreaths and any other decoration deemed “unnatural” will be removed as maintenance is done throughout the cemetery. The anomalous stature of said decorations do not coincide with naturally planted flowers due to fading, tearing, breakdown, and deterioration.

• In addition to artificial planters, naturally potted plants that are showing signs of neglect will be subject to removal by Washington Township.

• Memorial Day decorations shall be permitted 1 week prior to and following Memorial Day, they will then be removed as deemed necessary no later than September 1.

• Winter and holiday decorations are permitted from November 1 to March 1. All winter and holiday decorations will be maintained to the same standard as all other decorations throughout the cemetery.

• Any decoration classified as winter or holiday will be removed after March 1. 

• Only one central or family memorial shall be placed on a family plot and only on those lots so designed by the cemetery as monument lots.

• The Washington Township Board of Trustees is not responsible for any damage to any memorial on any lot.

• Should any memorial, mausoleum or marker become unsightly or unsafe, Washington Township shall have the right to correct the condition at any means necessary, at the expense of the plot owner.

• Children under the age of 15 years shall not be permitted within the cemetery or its buildings unless accompanied by an adult.

• Loitering on cemetery grounds is prohibited.

• Consumption of beverages and food is prohibited.

• The posted speed limit for vehicles is 10 MPH.

Signs or advertisements shall not be placed within the cemetery grounds, unless permitted by Washington Township. Washington Township is not responsible for loss or damage. Washington Township reserves the right, without notice, to make exceptions, suspensions, or modifications in any of its rules and regulations when, in its judgement, the same appears advisable; and such actions shall in no way be construed as affecting the general application of such rules. Washington Township may make amendments to these rules and regulations at any time it is deemed advisable and without prior notice.