§ 8-4. Uses and restrictions at the municipal cemetery.  


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  • (a)

    Operations of the municipal cemetery of the City of Altus shall be under the direction of the cemetery sexton. No person shall be authorized to dig a grave, disinter a grave, set any type of monument, plant any type of material, spray any type of substance, etc. without the approval of the cemetery sexton or his appointed representative.

    (b)

    No cemetery employee shall engage in any type of private cemetery work, receiving private funds for said work such as: setting monuments, selling cemetery products on services normally associated with a funeral name or memorial industry without first receiving prior written approval from the city council.

    (c)

    No concrete borders of any type shall be placed upon any lot, in the north or south cemeteries. If anyone erects any type of construction including concrete borders the city will remove the concrete, without notice to the lot owner, or next-of-kin. The cost of removal shall be passed on to the lot owner, or next-of-kin.

    (d)

    No loose rock/chat wood of any type shall be authorized to be placed upon any lot or space in the north or south cemetery. Whenever it has been determined that old existing lots utilizing this type of material has been installed are not being maintained the cemetery sexton may, following written notice to the lot owner, next-of-kin, or agent thereof, remove the rock, and/or curb, refill with top soil and plant in grass. The cost to remove any unauthorized construction shall be passed on to the lot owner, next-of-kin, or agent thereof.

    (e)

    Lot owners or their agent shall determine who is authorized to be buried on a lot and space. Only one (1) person per space shall be authorized or a maximum of five (5) people on one (1) full lot. Exceptions are authorized in the following manner:

    (1)

    One (1) conventional with casket and a cremation inside; buried in one (1) space, both buried at the same time.

    (2)

    One (1) conventional with small baby inside casket (mother and baby); both buried at the same time or two (2) babies together.

    (3)

    Cremations buried separately shall be treated as one (1) single space.

    (4)

    Babies may be buried at a family lot and be treated as (1) one single space.

    (5)

    Babies may be buried in a designated babyland and use a half space, six (6) feet by four (4) feet nine (9) inches. Burial permits shall be noted accordingly.

    (f)

    All lot or space ownership transfers shall be noted on a notarized letter, mailed to the city clerk with a copy to the cemetery sexton for record updating. No additional lot deed shall be issued by the city, the original deed should accompany the transfer to the new owner.

    (g)

    A full size burial lot shall measure twenty-four (24) feet by twelve (12) feet, five (5) spaces each four (4) feet nine (9) and three-fifths ( 3/5 ) inches. Spaces shall be lettered starting at the north, a, b, c, d, and e. A half lot shall measure twelve (12) feet by twelve (12) feet and each space measure six (6) feet by twelve (12) feet. Legal designations for writing sales permits and issuing property deeds shall use a lot number, addition number, section number and spaces bought. (ex: Lot #1, South Cemetery, 6th addition, Section 4, Spaces A—E).

    (h)

    All graves shall be a minimum of six (6) feet deep for conventional types. Cremation urns shall be a minimum of four (4) feet deep. All graves are required to have outer burial containers for caskets. The outer burial container shall be a minimum of a two-piece concrete box or vault. This concrete box must be buried a minimum of six (6) feet deep and must hold a requirement five thousand (5,000) pounds per square foot.

    (i)

    The city shall issue a lot deed, which entitles the owner to use the lot for burial purposes only. The owner must comply with all of the guidelines contained in this article.

    (j)

    All upright monuments shall have a concrete base that extends six (6) inches around the monument base. This concrete slab shall be a minimum of four (4) inches thick and be placed at ground level. The top of the concrete shall be level with the ground. The complete concrete base shall be set inside the lot and not extend into another lot.

    (k)

    All flat monuments shall be placed with the top of the monument at ground level, without a concrete base.

    (l)

    All upright veteran monuments shall have a concrete base that extends six (6) inches around the monument base. The concrete base shall be a minimum of eighteen (18) inches thick to support the monument.

    (m)

    All flat veteran monuments shall be placed with the top of the monument at ground level, without a concrete base.

    (n)

    All flat metal veteran monuments shall be placed with the top of the monument at ground level. The metal plate shall be attached to a concrete base using the metal type legs. The overall size of the concrete base shall be the same size as the metal monument and four (4) inches thick.

    (o)

    No complete surface vaults, or surface vault tops or any other similar shipped monument shall be authorized in the south cemetery. Exceptions are authorized in the north cemetery, but only in lots which have surface vaults already set. Lots which already have surface vaults in the north cemetery and require another are restricted to full/complete vaults. No surface vault top without a bottom shall be authorized.

    (p)

    All monuments used as foot stones, shall be placed at ground level, without concrete bases.

    (q)

    All lot corner posts shall be placed with the top at ground level, without concrete borders.

    (r)

    Temporary metal grave markers shall be removed, when damaged, faded or at which time the lot owner, next-of-kin, or agent thereof, shall install a grave monument.

    (s)

    No bricks, stones, rocks, pipe ropes, chains, etc. shall be used to take the place of a monument or outline a lot, or grave space or be authorized on the lot.

    (t)

    All graves shall be leveled by cemetery employees, to permit mowing and proper monument setting.

    (u)

    No one shall be authorized to dig up, remove, or kill out, any grass growing in the south cemetery, unless arrangements are made in advance with the cemetery sexton for replanting of the grass.

    (v)

    No herbicides of any type shall be used without prior approval from the cemetery sexton.

    (w)

    No glass containers of any type shall be authorized.

    (x)

    No cactus of any type shall be authorized.

    (y)

    No flowers can be used to outline a grave or lot. Flowers should be placed next to the head monument. Funeral flowers shall be removed after three (3) days. Flowers after the initial funeral shall be placed in a rust proof pipe, approximately four (4) inches off the ground and next to the monument. Flowers may also be set in monument flower containers when available.

    (z)

    No rose bushes or potted plants/flower are authorized.

    (aa)

    No shrub, tree, vine or flower or any other plant material, shall be placed on or near a lot or grave without prior approval of the cemetery sexton.

    (bb)

    No type of fence or trellis will be permitted on any lot or space.

    (cc)

    Artificial wreaths, sprays, etc., must be placed on a lot/space and must be secured with wire to keep from blowing away. The cemetery sexton shall remove any type of flower, wreath, spray, tree, or bush, which has not been adequately maintained.

    (dd)

    Mausoleums shall be authorized on any roadside lots in the cemetery, meaning a ten-foot roadway at the foot, side, or the head of a mausoleum, in the following manner:

    (1)

    Each mausoleum shall have a concrete base that extends a minimum of six (6) inches on all sides of the mausoleum.

    (2)

    The city engineer shall approve in advance the foundations of each mausoleum. Approval of the foundations will be approval of the specifications for installation of the mausoleum. Each funeral home or monument company shall provide the city engineer with literature and proposed installation and foundation specifications, and strength of concrete to be used, sufficient in detail for the city engineer to determine whether to approve the foundation of the mausoleum. The city engineer shall have a reasonable amount of time to review the foundation specifications before determining whether to approve the foundations. A letter from the city engineer approving the foundation of each mausoleum shall be attached to the permit required in section 8-5(a)(4) of this article prior to installation of the mausoleum.

    (3)

    The building official or code enforcement officer, as defined in chapter 7 of this Code, or the cemetery sexton shall inspect the construction of the foundation of the mausoleum and the installation of the mausoleum. The funeral home or monument company shall obtain a mausoleum setting permit as provided in section 8-5(a)(4) of this article.

    (4)

    Each mausoleum shall fit on the lot purchased and shall not encroach on any other lot or on the roads in the cemetery.

(Ord. No. 88-26, § 9-20-88; Ord. No. 92-29, § 1, 11-3-92; Ord. No. 2008-05, § 1, 5-6-08)