Editorial
Cemetery & burial guides
Clear answers to the questions families ask when planning a burial, visiting a grave or tracing an ancestor. Written for people, reviewed for accuracy.
Burial
- What Is a Mausoleum?Community and private mausoleums, crypt types, costs, and how entombment differs from burial.
- How Are Cemetery Plots Organized?Sections, lots, rows and graves explained, plus how to read a cemetery map and a plot deed.
- Can Two People Be Buried in One Plot?Double-depth graves, companion plots, cremated remains in an occupied grave, and the cemetery rules that decide it.
- How Deep Is a Grave?Where "six feet under" comes from, typical depths today, and what state rules actually require.
- What Happens When a Cemetery Is Full?Closed and inactive cemeteries, who maintains them, and what it means for families with existing plots.
Cremation
Cemetery Costs
- How Much Does a Cemetery Plot Cost?What drives plot prices in the US, typical ranges by cemetery type and region, and the fees that come on top of the plot itself.
- How Much Does a Burial Cost?A line-by-line look at the cost of a traditional burial: plot, opening and closing, vault, casket, marker and funeral home fees.
- What Is Perpetual Care?How endowment care funds work, what they do and do not pay for, and questions to ask a cemetery before you buy.
- How Long Do You Own a Cemetery Plot?What you actually buy when you buy a plot, the right of interment, and how ownership passes to heirs.
- Can Cemetery Plots Be Resold?When you can sell or transfer an unused plot, the cemetery's role, transfer fees and how to avoid resale scams.
Funeral Planning
Veterans
- What Is a Veterans Cemetery?National, state and post cemeteries explained, what they provide, and how they differ from a veterans section.
- Who Qualifies for Burial in a National Cemetery?VA eligibility for veterans, service members, spouses and dependents, what is provided at no cost, and how to apply for pre-need eligibility.
Headstones
Genealogy
Cemetery Etiquette
- What Can You Leave at a Grave?Flowers, flags, stones, coins and keepsakes: what cemeteries allow, what they remove, and the traditions behind them.
- Cemetery Etiquette: How to Visit RespectfullyVisiting hours, where to walk, photography, gravestone rubbing, children and pets, and visiting family cemeteries on private land.