St. Andrew Cemetery Rules and Regulations
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St. Andrew Cemetery Rules and Regulations

Updated 11 March 2014

 

 

SECTION I

 

St. Andrew Cemetery has been solemnly consecrated and will remain Orthodox in perpetuity. Visitors are reminded the cemetery is sacred ground and they should conduct themselves accordingly.

 

Clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church may celebrate Memorial Services on the cemetery grounds. Clergy of other ecclesiastical jurisdictions may also celebrate memorials for their members interred in the cemetery.

 

SECTION II: BURIAL RIGHTS

 

The Interment Deed conveys only the privilege to be buried in the cemetery in a particular plot. The purchaser does not own the land outright. The title and legal ownership of the land remains with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

 

Grave sites must be paid in full at the time of purchase. Any deviation from this practice must be approved by the cemetery administration office. An Interment Deed for burial rights will be issued only after full payment is made.

 

St. Andrew Cemetery Administration may refuse interment in any grave against which there is an unpaid account balance or for any reason it deems necessary.

 

Only one casket can be buried in each grave. Only under extraordinary circumstances will a double burial be allowed (location permitting) and only with the permission of the St. Andrew Cemetery administration. Double occupancy spaces will be regarded as a double purchase. Any additional payment must be made prior to the time of interment.

 

Only one set of cremated remains can be buried in each grave.

 

The burial of cremated remains on top of a previously buried casket is permitted. An additional charge of half the price of the grave site (current cost) applies and must be paid prior to the time of inurnment.

 

 

SECTION III: INTERMENTS AND REMOVALS

 

At the time of interment, the cemetery administration will assess a grave-opening fee according to the fee schedule in effect at the time.

 

To prevent settlement of graves, concrete vaults (no exceptions) are required for all casketed interments, including cremation burials.

 

All gravesites must have a permanent monument/marker installed within 1 year of interment.

 

At the time of interment a cross with the name of the deceased must be purchased from the cemetery administration for temporary placement at the grave. This cross will remain on the grave for a maximum of one (1) year.

 

At the time of interment a monument foundation credit, as set by the cemetery administration’s current schedule, must be made with the cemetery administrator. This credit shall be held for one (1) year. Should the family or other responsible individual place a monument on the grave of the deceased within 1 year of burial, this credit will be applied toward the cost of the monument foundation. The family is still responsible for paying the difference between the credit and actual cost of the foundation. If, at the end of one (1) year from the date of interment, no monument has been placed at the grave, the cemetery administration will place a small marker utilizing these funds.

 

All tools and equipment used in connection with actual grave opening or closing and movement of ledgers or copings must be those owned and operated by the cemetery administration. Tools and equipment provided by an outside vendor such as vault and monument companies are the responsibility of those companies alone. Neither the Church nor the cemetery administration bears any responsibility for the function and safety of said equipment or any damage done by it or those utilizing it.

 

Interments are permitted on any day of the year except Sunday, Holy Friday, Bright Monday, Bright Tuesday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. All orders for interment must reach the cemetery office a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled interment - Saturday, Sunday and holidays excluded.

 

The cemetery is open from dawn to dusk every day of the year. No visitation is permitted after dark. The cemetery office is open 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday except Holy Days or civil holidays.

 

The opening of a casket is not permitted at the grave site.

 

No disinterment shall be allowed except for good reason and only with the permission of the cemetery administration and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. A written application for the disinterment must be completed and submitted to the cemetery administration by the responsible Funeral Director prior to the scheduling of the disinterment. The cemetery administration shall exercise due care in preparing for a disinterment, but shall assume no liability for the damage to any casket or vault or their contents incurred prior to, during, or following the disinterment. Fees for disinterment are determined case-by-case, depending on various factors such as location, monument, ledger, coping, trees and bushes.

 

The disinterred burial plot reverts back to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, St. Andrew Cemetery with no refunds since the plot was utilized for a period of time.

 

SECTION IV: MAINTENANCE

 

St. Andrew Cemetery provides no “perpetual care” for graves other than grass cutting and the removal of obstacles for safety and beauty. The beautification and cleanliness of gravesites are the responsibilities of the deceased’s family members or other responsible individuals.

 

No plantings or bushes that obscure a monument, extend into a neighboring grave area (whether roots or plant growth) or interfere with pedestrian or cemetery machinery movement around the grave shall be permitted. The cemetery staff will remove all such items without prior notification.

 

Any overgrown bush or tree plantings on or near graves will be trimmed or removed by cemetery staff without prior notification.

 

No plantings, bushes or edgings are permitted on the back side of a monument. This area must remain clear of any obstacles to allow for moving. Any such plantings will be removed without prior notification.

 

No special lights are permitted around the grave. Any such items will be removed without prior notification.

 

All Christmas decorations on graves must be removed by February 15. All Paschal decorations must be removed from graves by May 31. All other decorations may remain on a grave for a maximum of 30 days after which time they will be removed by the cemetery staff.

 

No fencing, coping or barricades around any grave shall be permitted. The cemetery staff will remove all such items without prior notification.

 

No pets are permitted in St. Andrew Cemetery at any time.

 

Plant containers, grass cuttings and all other debris resulting from cleaning of graves must be deposited in the proper receptacles placed throughout the cemetery.

 

The Cemetery disclaims all responsibility for the theft or disappearance of any items left at the grave site.

 

SECTION V: MONUMENTS

 

No monument or memorial may be erected until all cemetery fees and charges have been paid in full.

 

Monument may be erected at a vacant grave space if the data on the monument refers to a living person who intends to be buried in the grave.

 

All designs for grave monuments must include the symbol of a cross. The cross must always appear above and not below the family name. Drawings and/or photographs, including exact dimensions of all proposed monuments, along with payment, must be submitted to the cemetery administration for approval prior to the manufacture of the desired monument. Monument permit fee is applicable and is determined by the size of the base. Grave monuments must be placed upon a concrete foundation, which will be poured by cemetery staff at then current rates. Grave monuments shall be placed at the head of the grave and shall accurately depict the name of the person interred.

    1. Grave monuments may not exceed eight (8) feet in height.

    2. Grave monuments may not exceed the following lengths:

      • single grave – three (3) feet

      • double grave – six (6) feet

      • triple grave – ten (10) feet, etc.

      • Grave monuments may not exceed sixteen (16) inches in width.

    1. Grave ledgers may be placed by permit at then current fees, but are strongly discouraged, especially on vacant gravesites. A grave ledger may not exceed dimensions of three (3) feet by six (6) feet in length. If a ledger must be moved for an interment or any other reason, a fee as set by the cemetery administration must be paid.

    2. In addition to concrete foundation and ledger permit fees, a special care fee must be paid. This fee provides for the extraordinary cost associated with the upkeep and maintenance of a ledger covered grave. All grounds work around the grave must be done by hand.

 

The cemetery administration shall exercise due care when removing grave ledgers from vacant sites but shall assume no liability for any damage done in the removal and replacement process.

 

Monuments may be purchased from any company however installation can only be done by a company with a Certificate of Liability Insurance on file at the St. Andrew cemetery office. Installation of monuments and markers and all inscriptions are the sole responsibility of the company which provides them.

 

Concrete foundations for monuments, markers or family mausoleums are poured only by St. Andrew cemetery employees. Foundations are usually poured 2-3 times per year during the spring to fall months.

Any monument, marker or family mausoleum is the property of the individual owner. As such it should be added to your homeowner’s insurance to protect against theft, vandalism, storm damage, etc. The cemetery will exercise due care as it goes about its daily business and will attempt to notify the owner or his/her descendants of any concerns it may have concerning the monument, marker or family mausoleum.

 

SECTION VI: TRANSFER OF BURIAL RIGHTS

 

The transfer of a burial right is permitted only during the lifetime of the original owner and only to immediate family members. Immediate family is defined as the parents of the deed owner, the siblings of the deed owner, sons and daughters of the deed owner and their spouses. Deed owner must surrender the original deed and a notarized request to initiate the transfer process. A transfer fee applies.

 

The owner may sell all or part of original purchase back to the Cemetery office for the original purchase price less a recording fee. These rights shall terminate after the death of the original owner. If the original owner of the plots is buried elsewhere or reinterred into another area of the cemetery, the original burial plots return back to St. Andrew Cemetery.

 

An individual who wishes to transfer from their originally purchased area of the cemetery into another area of the cemetery prior to an interment in the original grave site may do so by presenting their original Interment Deed in person or through a notarized request to the cemetery administration. The owner will be credited the original purchase price, minus a recording fee, toward the purchase of any other plot right within the cemetery. If the new burial right is the same price as the original right, then just a recording fee must be paid.

 

SECTION VII: MISCELLANEOUS

 

For insurance purposes, no parking is permitted in the cemetery over St. Thomas Weekend – Provody – the weekend following Pascha/Easter.

 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA reserves the right at any time with or without notice to the owners of the gravesites or to any monument dealer, to revise these rules and regulations or to amend, alter or supplement and/or repeal the whole or any part thereof. St. Andrew Cemetery Administration decisions in all matters pertaining to these rules are final.

 

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, St. Andrew Cemetery Administration and the Consistory of the UOC of USA bear no responsibility for any vandalism at graves or for the theft of any items or plantings placed upon graves and do not insure against such and bear no responsibility for damage to monuments caused by snow, ice, hail, lightning strikes or other weather conditions.

 

Above Rules and Regulations are an integral part of the Interment Deed. All deed holders and those responsible for funeral/burial arrangements are bound to comply with these rules and regulations.



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