TOWN OF ENFIELD
MUNICIPAL CEMETERIES
RULES & REGULATIONS
1. DECLARATION OF POLICY: The Trustees of Cemeteries of the Town of Enfield hereby ordain that the following rules & regulations are hereby established for the proper operation and use of municipal cemeteries in the Town of Enfield. The Trustees of Cemeteries recognize that the municipal cemeteries are sacred grounds reserved as a final resting place for the people of the Town and desire to have the cemeteries maintained in the best possible manner and firmly believe that these rules & regulations are necessary for the protection of lot and grave owners, and for the proper conduct and good order of the cemeteries.
2. APPLICATION
OF THE RULES & REGULATIONS:
a) These rules & regulations shall
apply to any person, firm, corporation, association, club, partnership,
society, or any other form of association or organization.
(b) The Enfield Trustees of Cemeteries upon
its own motion, or upon recommendation of the Town Selectmen, for good cause
shown, may modify, suspend, repeal, or amend the provisions of these rules
& regulations in whole or in part. It is the intent of the Trustees of
Cemeteries that if any portion of these rules & regulations are held to be
invalid or unconstitutional, such invalidity shall not affect the validity of
the remaining sections or parts.
3. GENERAL
REGULATIONS: The following shall be the
general rules & regulations for use of municipal cemeteries.
(a) CONDUCT
IN CEMETERIES. No person shall:
(1) Enter a cemetery except through an
established gate or entranceway.
(2) Deposit rubbish or debris on cemetery
grounds.
(3) Pick or mutilate any flowers, either
wild or domestic, or disturb any trees, shrubs, or other planted material.
(4) Use the cemeteries as picnic grounds, or
consume alcoholic beverages in a cemetery, or bring the same upon the premises.
(5) Use any forms of advertising on cemetery
premises.
(6) Discharge firearms in any cemetery. This
prohibition shall not apply to authorized volleys at burial services conducted
by recognized military organizations or associations of the United States.
(7) In any way injure or deface any
monument, stone, fence or other structure, or property within any cemetery.
(8) Allow any dog or other domestic animal
to run at large within any cemetery.
(9) Allow a child under the age of twelve
(12) years in any cemetery unless accompanied by an adult.
(10) Horseback ride within or through
cemeteries expressly prohibited unless part of honor guard ceremony.
(11) Hunt on cemetery property.
4. TRAFFIC REGULATIONS:
(a) No persons shall operate or cause to
operate any vehicle within a cemetery except on roads designed for that
purpose, and no vehicle shall be driven at a speed in excess of five (5) miles
per hour upon any roads within municipal cemeteries.
(b) No persons shall enter any cemetery with
a loaded truck, except the Grounds Keepers, unless permission has been received
from the Trustees of the Cemetery or Grounds Crew.
(c) No person shall unload any stone, dirt
or other material from trucks in any cemetery, except the Grounds Keepers in
the normal discharge of their work.
(d) Any person operating a vehicle within
any cemetery shall be subject to all of the traffic laws of the Town of Enfield
and State of New Hampshire.
5. ESTABLISHMENT OF CEMETERIES:
(a) The Trustees of Cemeteries shall have
the final authority for the establishment of cemeteries within the corporate
limits of the Town of Enfield, and shall, as the need arises, set aside new
ground areas for this purpose.
(b) EXISTING CEMETERIES. The following first eighteen named existing
cemeteries shall be deemed to have been established as municipal cemeteries:
|
1.
Adams |
2. Burnham |
3. Butman |
|
4.
Choate |
5. Countryside |
6. Day |
|
7.
Enfield Center |
8. Follensbee |
9. George Hill |
|
10. Lakeview |
11.
Lockehaven |
12.
Marston |
|
13. Mont Calm |
14.
Morse |
15.
Paddleford |
|
16. Purmort |
17.
Small Shaker |
18.
Town |
|
19. Whittemore |
|
|
MUNICIPAL, BUT NOT
LOCATED
|
20. Colby |
21.
Fox |
22.
Old |
|
23. Williams |
|
|
PRIVATE AND NOT
MAINTAINED BY TOWN
|
24. LaSalette |
25.
Shaker |
26.
Oak Grove |
|
27. Walker |
|
|
(c) PLANNING
BOARD TO REVIEW. The preliminary plan
and layout of new cemetery land areas shall be submitted to the Planning Board
for review and approval. Upon approval, the Planning Board shall advise the
Trustees of Cemeteries of its approval with recommendation for adoption.
(d) PLATTING
OF CEMETERIES. Before any new land is
opened for cemetery use and the sale of lots the Trustees of Cemeteries shall
have such land area laid out showing the system of streets and avenues, and a
numbered system of lots; and results thereof to be recorded with the Grafton
County Registry of Deeds.
(e) LOT
SIZE ESTABLISHED. Lot sizes for
municipal cemeteries are hereby established as follows:
(1) Each single grave = 4' X 11' or 44
square feet.
Single grave
lot sections shall be established within cemetery areas for those persons
desiring single graves, and for the use of the Town for burial of indigent
persons.
In the case
of cremation interment, the following guidelines shall apply:
(2) Minimum purchase is one (1) grave space.
(3) Maximum number of cremation type
interments shall be four (4) per grave space, except in the case of combining
full and cremation burials in which only one of each per grave will be allowed.
6. PURCHASE OF LOTS:
(a) CONDITION
OF LOT PURCHASES. Lots purchased in the
laid out sections of cemeteries of the Town of Enfield shall be conveyed by
special deed for burial purposes only, and shall be subject at all times to the
provisions of the Town rules & regulations and applicable State Laws. Lots at Lockehaven Cemetery will be sold as
cremation only lots.
(b) Lots
shall be sold only to residents of Enfield, except by approval of the three
Enfield Cemetery Trustees.
(c) PURCHASE
PROCEDURE. Lots in Lakeview or
Lockehaven cemeteries of the Town of Enfield may be selected and purchased from
the Town Office, and payment for lots purchased shall be made at the Town
Office. When Countryside Cemetery is opened, lots must be purchased in
consecutive order only. Such purchases
shall be evidenced by a deed prepared by the Town Office and signed by two of
the three Trustees of Cemeteries. Such deed shall state the name of the
purchaser, purchase price, amount paid, name of cemetery, lot number(s), grave
number(s) and section in which located. Perspective purchasers with the
immediate need for a grave space may, for the purchase of that single grave,
pay for it within a period of ninety (90) days subject to approval by one of
the three Cemetery Trustees. In the event that a prospective purchaser may wish
to buy more than one grave, or to purchase graves in a pre‑need
situation, full payment is expected before such ownership is evidenced.
(d) RECORD
OF CEMETERIES AND PURCHASE OF LOTS. The
keeping of records of the cemeteries of the Town of Enfield shall be the
responsibility of the Town Office. (the Trustees of the Cemeteries to receive
copies of all sales, transfers and burials) All maps showing laid out sections
of each cemetery, records of lot ownership and burials shall be kept by the
Town Office. Copies of the deeds conveyed for lot purchases shall be recorded
by the Town Office in both a book provided for this purpose and on the Town
computer system.
(e) TRANSFER
OF LOTS. No transfer or assignment of a
lot shall be made by any owner without the express approval of the Trustees of
Cemeteries, and all transfers, upon approval, shall be made by the Town Office
and recorded in the cemetery records. The following fee is required by the Town
to accommodate such deed transfers:
$10.00 for each transfer
(f) CHARGE
OF LOTS. The following price is hereby
established as the purchase price, the full amount to go to the CEMETERY
MAINTENANCE TRUST FUND.
EACH SINGLE FULL SIZE
GRAVE LOT $300.00, which includes
continuing care and maintenance.
For information
pertaining to cremation burial and lot size required refer to Section 5 (e).
7. CEMETERY MAINTENANCE.
(a) RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE TOWN. The general maintenance of
the cemeteries and grounds, designed to improve and maintain their appearance
and condition, shall be the responsibility of the Town. It shall include such
items as the upkeep of drives, buildings, fences, spring and fall cleanup,
raking of leaves, and the general periodic mowing of grass. Cemeteries will be
cleared of all flowers, artificial or natural, on April 1st and
October 1st, for a period of one month, each year. Any person
wishing to retain their plants, flowers or pots (cement pots excluded) shall
remove them prior to those dates.
(b) PLANTING
TREES OR SHRUBS PROHIBITED. No trees or
shrubs shall be planted in any lot in any municipal cemetery by any person or
persons, except Grounds Keepers under the direction of the Trustees. Existing trees or shrubs may be removed by
the Grounds Keepers if detrimental to the maintenance of lots. All natural
flowers and plants shall be potted in containers readily movable for
maintenance operations. Any plants or flowers permanently planted may be
removed and disposed of by the Grounds Keepers. Flowers are to be set on one
side of the monument (the side where the family name is engraved) and twelve
(12) inches from the stone. Veterans
flags are to be set beside the monument only.
(c) GRADING
AND CARE OF LOTS. All grading of lots
shall be done by the Grounds Keepers.
No person shall do any grading causing the surface of the ground to be
raised above the existing height of the surrounding area. Only a licensed contractor shall discharge
any chemical or organic fertilizer, herbicide or other substance on any lot.
(d) CURBING
AND FENCING. No curbs or fences shall
be permitted around any individual lot or group of lots.
(e) MONUMENT
AND MARKERS. All municipal cemeteries
shall be permitted to have monuments, markers and corner stones of such
dimension and material as shall be approved by the Trustees of Cemeteries. All reference to "Monuments" is to
mean monumentation of a permanent nature that protrudes above the lawn surface.
All such monumentation requires a concrete foundation (refer to Section 7 (f).
The intent of this section is to allow only one (1) above ground monument per
owner’s lot (grave or group of graves). All cornerstones, grass markers, and
markers shall be set flush with the lawn surface (so that no part shall
protrude above the surface of the ground). In the event that the preceding rule
is not observed, the Trustees of Cemeteries shall notify the lot owner, in
writing, concerning the deficiency and advise a date corrective action must be
taken, after which time the marker in violation may be pulled pending correct
placement. Any work done by Grounds Keepers to correct above deficiency will be
billed at $50.00 an hour.
(f) MONUMENT
FOUNDATION AND MARKER SETTING.
Foundations for monuments shall be constructed of concrete by the
Grounds Keepers. Those requesting foundations shall make the request in writing
stating the location of the lot and size of foundation desired, both of which are
subject to 7 (e). They shall also provide proof of ownership.
Charge for foundations
for monuments shall be:
$150.00 for those up to
30 cubic feet.
$5.00 for every cubic
foot over 30 cubic feet.
The charge for setting
cornerstones shall be $2.50 each.
The charge for setting
footstones shall be $25.00.
8. BURIALS:
(a) CONDITION
FOR BURIAL. No burial shall take place
without a burial permit from the Town Office and all conditions of laws and
rules & regulations having been complied with.
(b) PREPARATION
OF GRAVE. This shall be the
responsibility of the funeral director handling the funeral and will include
artificial grass, burial vaults and lowering device.
(c) WINTER
BURIALS. The Grounds Keepers will open
graves for burial from April 15 to November 15, weather and other circumstances
permitting. In case circumstances are such that burial cannot be made,
temporary interment shall be the responsibility of the funeral director.
d) BURIAL
RATES. The Town of Enfield burial rates
shall be as follows:
Weekday Full
Burials $250.00
Saturday Full Burial
until 1 p.m. $350.00
Weekday Cremation Burial $ 75.00
Saturday Cremation
Burial until 1 p.m. $125.00
PLUS RATES. Overtime charges will be levied for any
services the Grounds Keepers cannot commence by 3:00 P.M. ($50.00 per hour for
each hour or part thereof).
(e) BURIALS ON SUNDAYS OR LEGAL HOLIDAYS are allowed only with the written permission of two (2) Cemetery Trustees.
Legal holidays include:
(1) New Years Day, (2)
Civil Rights Day, (3) Presidents Day, (4) Memorial Day, (5) July 4, (6) Labor
Day, (7) Columbus Day, (8) Veterans Day,
(9) Thanksgiving, (10)
Christmas and any other holiday honored by the Town of Enfield.
(f) TOWN
NOT RESPONSIBLE. Neither the Town of
Enfield, the Trustees of Cemeteries nor the Grounds Keepers shall be
responsible for errors in location of graves on lots arising from improper
instructions from persons making arrangements. In all cases, orders for grave
openings shall be communicated to the Trustees of Cemeteries or Town Office in
writing. Orders from funeral directors shall be construed as orders from
owners.
(g) OUTSIDE
BURIAL. In matters pertaining to
burials coming into the Town from outside agencies, unless the exact lot and
grave location is ordered with sufficient identification to the satisfaction of
the Trustees of Cemeteries, the body will remain with the outside agency
pending proper arrangements at family's expense.
(h) PERMANENT
OUTSIDE CONTAINERS. In all interments,
cremation or full, the remains shall be enclosed in a permanent outside
container and shall be installed under the supervision of the Trustees of
Cemeteries personnel. The owner of the lot or his agent shall provide the
container.
The
following are considered permanent outside containers: concrete boxes with one piece vault cover,
copper or steel vaults, ceramic cremation urns encased in a concrete container,
or any material made to withstand the elements of burial.
(i) The
Town of Enfield has no provision for entombment. Arrangements must be made
through a funeral director.
9. CARE OF LOTS:
(a) The
monies from the sale of all cemetery lots sold after the effective date of
these rules & regulations will go into a Cemetery Maintenance Trust
Fund. The monies are used for care and
maintenance of all municipal cemeteries or left in the Trust to increase the
Trust Fund. (Burial and lot transfer fees and foundation costs are paid to the
Town.)
(b) DEFINITION
OF CARE AND MAINTENANCE. The care and
maintenance of lots shall include the mowing and trimming of grass at
reasonable intervals, the raking and cleaning of lots, the grading and seeding
of lots, maintenance of cemetery fences and gates, repair of grave markers and
the upkeep of drives and buildings.
Repair of damages to
individual grave tablets or monuments, or cleaning of same, are the
responsibility of the individual lot owners or their heirs or assigns.
(c) BURIAL
OF INDIGENTS. The Town will provide
space and maintenance of a section for single grave lots for burial of
indigents. However, no above ground
monumentation will be allowed until such lot has been paid in full.
10. PENALTY FOR VIOLATION. Unless otherwise provided by State law
pertaining to cemeteries or burial of the dead, a maximum fine of fifty dollars
($50.00) plus restitution of damages shall be imposed upon any person violating
the provisions of this rules & regulations.
11. EFFECTIVE DATE: These rules & regulations shall become effective January 1,
1996.
12. REVISED:
10 September 2002