The cemetery is now telling us that we didn’t buy burial plots (3) back in 1973. They call it interment rights. Could laws have changed?

I am thankful you posted this because I am just cremating with no plots. My father's ashes remain in a cigar box ($30 on sale) which looks better than the one the funeral home tried to push on me ($1,000 for a small box). His ashes are in a china cabinet at home and there is where it stays.

Funerals are a rip off.

I think you misunderstood what you bought back in 1973. It sounds like you bought 3 burial plots/interment rights. That means you bought the right to bury ONE person in each plot. If you are now trying to double up cremation urns, you do in fact have to buy an internment right for each set of remains.

this is what I went through with my mom. First my paternal grandma bought four plots together. One for grandpa, he died when dad was 3. One for herself, then one for my dad and one for dads wife. Mom was the only one cremated. When we were preparing for moms funeral ( she had ALZ) we asked the cemetery office if mom could be placed on top of dad as they only require 3 feet, not 6 feet. They said yes and it would be $400. We thought great. My brother could have the 4th plot because he lived in California, and was close to the cemetery and I lived out of state. Well, when we received moms cremains, we were told that it would cost us $800 to put her on top on dad or we could put her in the plot next to him for $400. We were upset but due to monies, we put her next to dad. In a 3” hole. We tried to make arrangements for my brother to put him above mom but they said laws could change and prices too. (this was in 2007) So when the time comes, I will deal with that. In my opinion it seems to be all about the money. So sad.

Sunny

The death industry is in transition but laws are fairly stable.
It is true that you don’t *own* the property. You own the right to inter someone on the property. This isn’t new.
Read the Deed you purchased. It should explain what you are buying. Look up your specific state laws. Understand that cooperate owned cemeteries might have different rules than private or church cemeteries.
For instance, some cemeteries require flat markers (for ease in maintenance) while others allow an assortment of styles.
Also know that not every employee knows the rules. There is a high turnover in many cases while in small towns you might find an employee has been there for many years. Also large corporations will buy out a private cemetery, not change the name on the building but change the method of operation. You might still find the old empkoyee there only now they will be badmouthing the new rules.

If it turns out your lot is in a cemetery owned by a corporation, call the headquarters and discuss your situation. They will most likely honor the terms of any contract (as they have to). Just google your cemetery and check their website.
The person managing the cemetery may not have the authority to make any concessions that only the corporation can.

So just know that there are state laws, possibly additional county or city requirements and individual cemetery requirements to consider that might not have been discussed at the time of your purchase, not necessarily a new rule or law.

These type questions come up from time to time so you can do a search on this site as well to see issues others have experienced.

I am a POA for two people and fully paid for their funerals and burial sites. Then I read the tiny print. At the time of death, there are additional (unknown prices) for digging the ground up, etc. I was in shock but finally had to give the funeral a large sum of money now while it was still there to make sure everything was paid in full. It is a bad situation but funeral homes do not always tell you this and you are shocked when it happens.

Sunny, I know this is complicated. One would think if they bought a cemetery plot that they own that piece of land. They don't.

The cemetery owns all the land within the cemetery and a client can purchase the rights to be buried. Were burial locations chosen back in 1973? Usually the cemetery would give the person who bought a location a document saying within what section and what plot number was purchased.

Sometimes were are mix-ups if no one comes forward for almost 50 years. The cemetery could have thought those plot locations had been abandoned, thus sold to some one else. You should be able to pick a new location within the cemetery.

As for burying the urns, that depends on State laws and the rules of the cemetery. Some cemeteries will allow one casket and one urn in one plot. And allow 2 urns in one plot. Some allow only one name per plot.

Some cemeteries have a special metal box container that can be purchased just for urns. These metal box containers remind me of the wall of mail boxes in an office building. These are less expensive than a regular cemetery plot.

Yes, there will be fees for "opening and closing" the plots, normally there is a separate "grave digging" company who does this work, separate from the cemetery. The cemetery will do all the logistics involved.

Hope everything works out.

Years ago, my mother-in-law bought two plots for my husband's brothers. When they died, the funeral home charged $1500 just to bury their urns. My husband and I said we could have snuck back up there at night and done it for free!

You should have deeds. If so, hen they have to give you the same number a plots. I had a friend that went to see his lots and someone else was buried in them.

Yes, you have to pay to have any grave opened. Used to be they would allow a cremated person to buried in the plot of a relative. But with more people opting for cremation, those laws have changed.

This is interesting. In New Orleans we purchase family plots. Everyone can be buried in the plots forever!

There is a fee for opening the plot, which the cemetery does here. I called not long ago and it’s about $2000 but she would not allow it to be prepaid. She also said the price can go up at anytime.

Do you have your original contract? - look for it as they may be unaware of what it originally said but going on what is happening now - an online check of any change to the law since you bought it should have a 'grandfather' clause

FYI my great-great grandfather bought a 1/2 section in 1853 - there are 20 in it now - we have to comply with their regulations now but we OWN it outright