Types of cemeteries

National cemeteries are federal burial grounds, most run by the VA National Cemetery Administration, for eligible veterans, service members and their families.

Veterans cemeteries are reserved for people who served in the armed forces and, usually, their spouses and dependents. They include national cemeteries and state veterans cemeteries.

Military cemeteries sit on or belong to an installation, such as post cemeteries at Army forts and service academy cemeteries.

Historic cemeteries are burial grounds with a recorded heritage designation, a historic tag in the source data, or an establishment year before 1900.

Memorial parks are lawn cemeteries, most laid out after 1920, that use flat bronze or granite markers set flush with the grass instead of upright headstones.

Municipal cemeteries are owned and run by a city, town, township or county, and often sell plots to residents at set rates.

Public cemeteries are owned by a government body or public cemetery district and are generally open to anyone for burial.

Private cemeteries are owned by a company, association, church or family rather than a government body.

Family cemeteries are small private burial plots, often on farmland, used by one or a few related families. Many sit on private property and need the owner's permission to visit.

Church cemeteries and churchyards belong to a congregation and usually sit next to, or near, the church building.

Green burial cemeteries allow burial without embalming, concrete vaults or metal caskets, using biodegradable shrouds or containers.

Natural burial grounds are green cemeteries where the land itself is managed as a meadow, prairie or woodland, often under a conservation easement.

Pet cemeteries are burial grounds for companion animals, some with cremation and memorial services.

Catholic cemeteries are consecrated burial grounds, usually run by a diocese or parish, where Catholic burial rites are observed.

Jewish cemeteries follow halakhic burial customs and are typically owned by a congregation, burial society (chevra kadisha) or benevolent association.

Christian cemeteries are affiliated with a Christian church or congregation where the specific denomination is not recorded.

Lutheran cemeteries belong to Lutheran congregations, many founded by German and Scandinavian settlers.

Methodist cemeteries belong to Methodist and United Methodist congregations, often beside a rural church.

Baptist cemeteries belong to Baptist congregations and are especially common across the South.

Presbyterian cemeteries belong to Presbyterian congregations, many dating to Scots-Irish settlement.

Episcopal cemeteries and churchyards belong to parishes of the Episcopal Church.

Quaker burial grounds belong to Friends meetings and traditionally use small, uniform markers or none at all.

Orthodox cemeteries belong to Eastern Orthodox parishes, such as Greek, Russian, Serbian and Ukrainian churches.

Muslim cemeteries, or Muslim sections of larger cemeteries, allow burial facing Mecca in keeping with Islamic practice.

Mennonite and Amish cemeteries belong to Anabaptist communities and typically use simple, uniform headstones.

Latter-day Saint cemeteries are associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A mausoleum is an above-ground building with crypts for entombment instead of in-ground burial.

A columbarium is a wall or building with niches that hold cremation urns.

These cemeteries offer cremation burial, niches or scattering, according to the cemetery or its records.

These cemeteries are confirmed to still sell plots or accept new interments.

These cemeteries have a chapel on the grounds for committal or memorial services.