Headstone Cemetery Fees and Services

The different headstone cemetery fees and services for different cemeteries can be confusing. There are various possibilities when using a grave marker of any kind, and before you agree to any fees you will want to explore what your options are and what might be in your best interest. Sometimes it is less expensive to go directly through the cemetery or funeral director for the grave marker, but often it is less expensive to purchase the marker of your choice through an independent dealer.

What are Headstone Cemetery Fees and Services?

When you lay a loved one to rest you are most likely going to wish to mark their grave with some sort of marker, and the headstone cemetery fees and services may very well offer you a good choice for doing this. Some cemeteries have a rule about uniformity while others do not. This can force you into purchasing the headstone or grave marker directly through the funeral director or cemetery in order to ensure that the rules of uniformity are met.

If the cemetery does not have such rules, you may wish to go to an independent dealer and check the various options and prices through them. Often the inscribing of a grave marker can be expensive if you opt for a wide variety of options. Colors range from black to marble to white. You can opt to have a photo of your loved one inscribed as well.

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The headstone or grave marker, regardless of where you purchased it, will have to be secured on the grave site. This is the responsibility of the cemetery staff and you will be charged a fee. Some cemeteries charge a receiving fee for headstones ordered from third party vendors.

Do Headstone Cemetery Fees and Service Always Apply?

Headstone cemetery fees and services are applied in most cases. One of the exceptions to this is the burial of veteran or active service member in a military cemetery, a dependent child of a service member, or the spouse of a military member. In almost all other cases a grave marker is one of the fees that you will be required to pay.

Sometimes there are reasons to delay the application of a headstone. In such situations, the cemetery will often place a small temporary grave marker on the site. This is still a service that you will have to pay for, but it is definitely less expensive than the cost of a headstone and the cemetery fees for applying the headstone.

For cremation services you will not be charged for the headstone unless you are burying the urn. In this case, whether you choose a plaque or a stone, the charges will be applied as necessary. If you are placing the urn in a columbarium niche, the charges you will see would only be for any type of naming plaques that may possibly be adhered to the outside of the door of the crypted remains.

Do Headstone Cemetery Fees and Services Provide Perpetual Care?

The actual policy will be determined by the cemetery, but in many cases there is a small headstone cemetery fees and services charge for any perpetual care that might be applied to the headstone of grave marker. This charge should cover insuring the grave marker if you choose, making sure that the marker remains intact and checking its structural integrity, and ensuring the ground below it doesn't sink under the weight of the stone.

If you have any additional requests, you should speak directly with the cemetery advisor so that you can get a clear picture of what is covered in the fees and what is not. This may help you make your final decision regarding the purchase and use of a headstone or grave marker.

* Headstone cemetery fees and service will not be the same for each individual cemetery but will be expressed in the contract should you need to use a grave marker of any kind.