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Cemetery Rules and Regulations
Decoration of Lots

Statement of Policy
1.      The Rules and Regulations for Fairview, Brighton Hills and Old Village Cemetery are reviewed and approved by the City of Brighton City Council, to serve as governance for the operations and maintenance functions of the City of Brighton owned Cemeteries.

2.      These Rules and Regulations have been developed in order to maintain the city owned cemeteries in a condition wherein individual solace and memory may be sought, and the memorial intent of those whom care for those interred can be accommodated to a greatest degree possible without unduly disturbing the peaceful and reverent intent of the City of Brighton Cemeteries.

3.      Per the direction of the City of Brighton City Council, these rules and regulations are deemed necessary for the upkeep of the city cemeteries, and are administered on a daily basis by the City’s Cemetery Sexton, under the general supervision and direction of the City of Brighton Department of Public Services Director.

4.      Cemetery patrons who may have questions or concerns regarding the administration of these rules and regulations as promulgated can contact the City of Brighton City Clerk at 810-227-0463 or the Department of Public Services Director at 810-225-8001.

A.      Decoration of Lots
Please see the Decoration of Lots/Special Plantings Permit which can be obtained at the Clerk's office or click the link above.

B.      Memorial Flag Holders
Memorial Flag holders intended to honor service to the citizens of the United States of America shall be permitted to be sited at a gravesite, to the left or right of a headstone or placed within the decorative border as described in the Decoration of Lots/Special Planting Permit. Such flag holders may commemorate service in the military, military organizations, and service to the public at large, (Police Officers, Firefighters, etc.). Such flags will be allowed to remain at a gravesite throughout the year, and shall be required to be maintained in good condition by any given organization or person that shall such place a flag in a given holder. 

Flag Holders for decorative flags shall be allowed to remain in place either to the left or right of a headstone throughout the year with or without a flag in place. 

The City does not provide the flags or flag holders. Please contact a local veteran’s association for more information.

C.      Location of Markers and Monuments on a Lot
Markers and monuments shall be placed at the head of grave as platted. No marker or monument shall embrace two or more graves except on a two or three grave lot where a double or three-grave marker or monument is permitted. No marker or monument shall be set unless it is first approved by the Cemetery Sexton.
 

D.      Inscriptions on all Markers at the same end of a lot shall read from the same direction. Flush markers with raised letters shall be protected with a raised panel one-inch in width.

E.      Marker and Monument Foundations

All markers and monuments shall be on a foundation of a depth and size and of a material deemed adequate by the Cemetery Sexton. All markers and monument in the upright section shall have foundations with a two-inch border. All foundations shall be installed by cemetery personnel. The maximum marker or monument allowed on a single lot shall be 36”x 18”. The maximum marker and monument allowed on a double lot shall be 72” x 18”. Special requests for larger sizes must be approved by the Cemetery Sexton. 

Foundation Installation Dates/Lead Times Standard-size foundations shall be installed from March 1st through November 15th, weather permitting. Foundations will be installed 90-days after internment. No foundations will be installed from November 15th through March 1st. Custom foundations in both the upright and flush marker/monument sections will be done at the beginning of June and October, weather permitting.
 

F.     Installation of Markers and Monuments

Those persons engaged in placing markers and monuments shall provide planking adequate to protect turf shall remove materials and equipment immediately upon completion of work. The site shall be left in a clean, orderly condition. Markers and monuments will not be permitted to be delivered to lots until a proper order for a foundation installation has been placed with the Cemetery Sexton.
 

G.    Markers and Monuments for Cremains

Grave markers in the cremains section of the cemetery shall be limited to flush markers only. The largest foundation marker allowed is 8” x 16”.

H.     Mausoleums
Approval of Plans and Location: Before work on any private mausoleum is begun, the location and complete plans and specifications shall be approved by the Cemetery Sexton. Mausoleums may be constructed on suitable sites in any section of a municipal cemetery except those sections designated as flush marker and single grave sections.

Endowment: Before construction of a mausoleum, a sum of money equal to not less than fifteen percent of the estimated cost of such a mausoleum shall be deposited with the City. Income from investments of this sum shall be used for perpetual maintenance of the mausoleum.

General Requirements: Interments in mausoleums shall be made in hermetically sealed caskets. Duplicate keys for mausoleums shall be left in the care of the City Clerk.

I.     Children’s Section Largest foundation size 10” x 20” – upright markers or monuments are allowed

J.    Fairview Cemetery, Section 11 Flush Markers only

K.   Cemetery Buyback Per July 2020 Fee Schedule, Cemetery Buyback Price Policy, City Council has determined that after a grave is inspected and considered saleable, the City shall buy back the cemetery grave or $300.00 per grave. The City will buy back graves that were purchased from the City in the last 90 days, that are considered saleable, for 75% of the fee paid, whether it was the resident or non-resident price.

L.   Hold Policy Lots may be held for 90 days. One lot must be purchased within the 90-day period to continue the Hold Policy. A limit of four graves is allowed to be put on hold. The purchase price of the grave will be consistent with the current fee schedule regardless of when the grave was put on hold.