Rules & Regulations

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Cemetery Decorations Policy
Columbarium Information
Mount Pleasant Cemetery Eagle/Bird Watching Guidelines

General Cemetery Policy

The cemetery asks that for any specific requests or questions regarding this policy please see the Supervisor or address your concerns to the Cemetery Commissioners.

Visitors are forbidden to walk across cemetery lots unless on the way to visit a grave. The General Laws provides a fine for doing so.

Motor vehicles must not be operated within the cemetery at a rate of speed that is greater than reasonable and proper, because roadways are winding and used by pedestrians.

The drinking of alcoholic beverages, as defined in Chapter #138, Sect. #1 of the General Laws is prohibited. Penalty is provided for in Sect. #25 of Articles #9 of the Town of Arlington By-Laws. The following is forbidden within the cemetery:

The riding of mini-bikes, go-carts and any motorized recreational vehicle
The display and/or sale of goods, wares and merchandise
Instructing persons in the use and operation of a motor vehicle
Use of cemetery roadways for pleasure driving
For any person to walk a dog
For any unauthorized person or persons to be within the cemetery after dusk.

Any person found in violation of the above subsections shall be deemed a trespasser and subject to prosecution therefore.

The foregoing rules and regulations and prices are made by the Board of Cemetery Commissioners and are subject to change without notice. Exceptions to these rules may be made by a majority vote of the Commissioners.

INTERMENTS

Rules and regulations of the Board of Cemetery Commissioners of the Town of Arlington, Massachusetts, are made for the protection of Lot Owners and in conformity with the Town By-Laws and Statutes of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In order to purchase a new grave, you must be an Arlington resident for a minimum of four (4) years.

Lots in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery are not sold for future use, however, columbarium niches are.

Lots, graves and niches are sold to residents of Arlington only and are not transferable to non-residents, except with the consent of the commissioners. The first interment must be a member of the Town of Arlington. A long time resident, (35 years) having left Arlington less than four (4) years prior to death, will qualify to purchase a single grave.

The above rule does not apply to lots previously purchased, in which case the owner of the lot may request that a member of his/her immediate family be interred therein, whether or not they are residents of Arlington.

Cemetery Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Office Hours are: 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. 12:30 P.M. to 3:00 P.M.

Interments are not made on Sunday, or on the following holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day, July 4^th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas. There will be an extra charge for all funerals on Saturday and holidays, also for processions arriving after 2:00 P.M. All arrangements for interments require 48 hour notice to the cemetery office. with the exception of Monday interments, for which arrangements must be made to the cemetery office by noon of the previous Thursday. On holidays on which interments are made, arrangements must be made to the cemetery office with 48 hour notice. The supervisor may refuse to make an interment until a more expedient time if too many funerals are scheduled to arrive at the same hour.

Purchase of New Grave

Section A-Z                                                                             $3,250.00
Section AA-HH                                                                           2,000.00
Section A-Z - Regular Depth Only                                           2,000.00
Section AA-HH- Regular Depth Only                                        1,250.00
*Section A-Z-Urn Grave                                                               500.00
*Section AA-HH- Urn Grave                                                         350.00
Perpetual Care                                                                             500.00

SERVICES

Openings

Earth                                                                                          $1000.00
Cremains                                                                                       300.00
Veterans Lot –Earth burial                                                             500.00
Veterans Urn Grave – Cremains burial                                          200.00
**Stillborn & Public Lot                                                                 150.00
Mock Burial                                                                                    200.00

Additional Charges for Saturday, Holiday and after 3:00 pm

Earth Burial                                                                                 $800.00
Cremains Burial                                                                            500.00
Mock Burial                                                                                   400.00

Non-Resident at time of Death

Earth Burial & Cremains $500.00

***Disinterment of Body                                                           $5,000.00 Disinterment of Cremains                                                             500.00 Recording Fee                                                                              100.00
Foundations (Flat Rate)                                                                200.00
Receiving Vault                                                                               50.00                                                                     (1^st month or any part thereof, $2.00 per day each month thereafter, not to exceed $50.00 per month.)

Use of Chapel for funeral                                                               100.00
Use of Chapel for other functions                                                  300.00
Bush Removal per Lot                                                                     75.00

*Urn Graves are approximately 3’ x 3’. These areas can be used for as many as 4 cremations, but only one stone is allowed. If a government marker is to be placed it must be a niche marker which is 8 1/2" long by 5 1/2" wide.

**Eligibility to be determined by Commissioners
(Public Lot opened for cremains only)

***Disinterment relocation out of Mount Pleasant Cemetery is allowed only after a release has been signed. Approval is needed by the Arlington Board of Health and the Arlington Cemetery Commission. Disinterment relocation within Mount Pleasant Cemetery will not be allowed. When disinterment involves the removal of a concrete or metal container, the Funeral Director must also engage a vault company for the disinterment.

Board of Health laws prohibits removals between May 15^th and October 15^th.

Number of cremation burials in a single grave will be:
- When 2 earth burials in grave, 2 cremains if room allows
- When 1 earth burial in grave, 6 cremains

MONUMENTS

Monuments and markers may be erected subject to the approval of the Commissioners. Only granite and bronze will be allowed. No extra markers or headstones will be allowed, excluding veteran markers, which will be allowed 2 markers per grave.
Signed orders with designs and specifications must be submitted to the Commissioners. No statues or objectionable designs will be permitted.
Lot numbers must be on the base on the stone.
All monuments must be uniform in size:
Single Grave    2-0 x 1-0 x 3-0 high
Two Graves    3-0 x 1-0 x 3-0 high
Three Grave    3-6 x 1-0 x 4-0 high

Flat Markers:
    Single Grave                2-0 x 1-0 or 2-0 x 1-2
    Two Grave                  3-0 x 1-2
    Three Grave                3-6 x 1-2

The cemetery department is not responsible for any damage to monuments or markers.
The cemetery department must do all building of foundations. Orders for foundations will not be accepted after November 20^th until the frost is out of the ground in the spring. Orders for foundations for Memorial Day will not be accepted after the 20^th of May.