Cemetery Commissioners

TOWN OF WELLFLEET

CEMETERY RULES AND REGULATIONS

  • 1. Lots shall not be used for any other purposes than the burial of the human dead.
  • 2. Dogs in Town Cemeteries must be on leash and owners are responsible for the proper disposal of animal waste.
  • 3. Plantings must be approved by the Cemetery Commissioners. A maximum of two shrubs of small or limited growth are allowed per lot.
  • 4. If any plantings on a lot shall, in the judgment of the Commissioners, by means of roots, branches or otherwise, become detrimental, dangerous or inconvenient to the lot or to an adjacent lot or avenue, the Commissioners may cause such plantings or parts thereof to be removed.
  • 5. No new curbing or fences of any kind will be permitted.
  • 6. Balloons, perpetual live flame candles, and artificial flowers are not allowed. Rustic baskets, wire frames, old bouquets, tin cans, bottles, dead plants, trees or shrubs and all other decorations must be removed when they become unsightly as  deemed by the Commissioners.
  • 7. All work done on lots shall be under the supervision of the Commissioners. No trees or shrubs shall be removed without  permission. Workers who disregard the regulations and propriety of the cemetery will not be permitted to do work in the future.
  • 8. The Town shall not be responsible for injury to stones, monuments, markers or lots by vandals or any persons not in the employ of the Town.
  • 9. Upon purchase of a lot, the Commissioners shall have four stone corner markers installed.
  • 10. A permanent vault of some type must be used except in the section of the Pleasant Hill/Oakdale Cemetery designated by the Wellfleet Cemetery Commission for green burials. As of August 11, 2022, green burials are limited to Pleasant Hill    Cemetery Section DEF, plots 2, 9, 16, 72, and 79.  The minimum size plots for green burials will be 10 feet x 10 feet; with    up to two bodies and with one vault interment permissible if requested. All other existing Cemetery rules and regulations will be followed. All interments will continue to be coordinated and completed by funeral homes and other contracted vendors. The Wellfleet Cemetery Commission will assist in identifying vendors that accept green burials. Those who purchase a Green Burial Lot will be given literature pertaining specifically to Green Burial.
  • 10A.Green Burial shall mean a burial that allows the body to decompose naturally, returning all elements to the earth through environmentally sound practices. A Green Burial may incorporate the following essential elements: an un-embalmed body wrapped in a biodegradable shroud (cotton, wool, silk, hemp, etc.) and buried on a natural burial trundle (wooden tray with handles), or in a coffin made solely of biodegradable materials (cardboard, wood, willow, bamboo, seagrass, felt, etc.), or placed directly onto the earth without a trundle or a coffin.
  • 10B.Green burial graves shall be a minimum of 4 feet deep (to the bottom of the remains. Green Burials require a backfill height of 3-5 feet to allow for the natural settling of earth.
  • 11. No grave may be opened without permission of the Cemetery Commissioners.
  • 12. The Commissioners will not be held responsible for any order given by telephone or for any mistake occurring from the lack of precise and proper instructions as to the particular space, size and location in a plot where interment is desired.
  • 13. No proprietor shall sell a lot to which he has title. The Commissioners may facilitate the resale of the lot, in which case the then proprietor will receive his original purchase price back. Any lot that has had an interment shall not be sold.
  • 14. Burial rights are the sole responsibility of the owner, or heirs, with written notification of all interments given to the Burial Agent for the Town and Cemetery Commission’s records.
  • 15. Each lot shall be indivisible.
  • 16. In the case of inheritance of a plot, the heirs may, with proof of death and executed will, request the Commissioners change the name(s) on the plot deed (in accordance with MGL Ch. 114 sec. 29).
  • 17. Two interments (vault with casket) in one grave will not be allowed, except in the case of a parent and infant child.
  • 18. Automobiles, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles or pedestrians will not be allowed to use the avenues or paths as a thoroughfare. Vehicles must not be turned except at intersections or avenues.

MONUMENTS

(Headstones, benches, etc.)

  • 19. All monuments and grave markers shall be of a design and character approved by the Commissioners. If any stone, monument or other structure, or any inscription, is deemed by the Commissioners to be offensive or improper, the Commissioners shall have the right, and it shall be their duty, to remove said offensive or improper object or objects.
  • 20. No monument susceptible to disintegration or corrosion, such as limestone, slate, sandstone, cement or iron, will be permitted.
  • 21. All monuments shall be located on the lot by the Commissioners according to the plan for that particular lot.
  • 22. Only one upright monument is permitted per lot. All other grave markers or headstones must be installed flush to the ground. Foundations must be large enough to be appropriate for the monument.
  • 23. Maximum dimensions for any upright or vertical monument may not exceed 2/3 of the plot’s width, as follows:
  •        5’ x 10’ 3’ 4” wide
  •       10’ x 10’ 6’ 8” wide
  •       10’ x 20’ 6’ 8” wide
  •       20’ x 20’ 13’ 2” wide
  •       20’ x 30’ 13’ 2” wide

There is no height restriction.

  • 24. Mausoleums are not allowed.
  • 25. The Cemetery Commissioners reserve the right to amend and revise these regulations at any time as deemed necessary.
  • Accepted by Cemetery Commission at Open Meeting of June 9, 1982
  • Amended and accepted by Cemetery Commission at Open Meeting of May 2, 2001
  • Amended and accepted by Cemetery Commission at Open Meeting of May 19, 2010
  • Amended and accepted by Cemetery Commission at Open Meeting of November 10, 2016
  • Amended and accepted by Cemetery Commission at Open Meeting of August 11, 2022

 

 

 

Members

NameTitleTerm
Skip Annett

Member

ATE 2025

Clerk

ATE 2024

Chair

ATE 2026