St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery, New Ulm, Minnesota
Rules and Regulations
The display and placing of any anti-christian symboles shall be forbidden.
Definitions
INTERMENT DEFINED: “Interment” means the disposition of human remains or cremains or entombment.
LOT AND GRAVE DEFINED: “Lot” means space in the cemetery reserved for the interment of human remains. The term includes and applies to one or more than one adjoining grave. “Grave” means the place can hold the remains of not more than two human beings, either a full burial or two cremations.
MEMORIALS DEFINED: “Memorial” means an upright monument or flat marker. “Monument” means a two piece (Base & Die) of granite or other approved stone that extends above the surface of the lawn. “Marker” means a memorial of granite or other approved material that does not extend above the surface of the lawn. “Government Marker” means a marker issued to a Veteran, this marker may be placed flush in a marker row. No ornamental monument or bench / seat type will be allowed at the burial sites.
RULES AND REGULATION GOVERNING BLOCKS
BLOCKS 1 THROUGH 12 EAST
Monuments and flush markers only will be allowed. Monuments and markers shall be placed in accordance with rules and regulations governing each block. Monuments (above ground) must go in line with other monuments in the block. Markers (flush with ground) must go in line with other markers in the block. All monuments and markers shall comply with these lines or the majority of monuments or markers in each block.
BLOCKS 11 AND 12 EAST ADJOINING CEMETERY AVENUE
Lots 65 through 80 in block 11 and Lots 61 through 76 in block 12, graves 1 through 4 in these lots are not for sale.
BLOCKS 1 THROUGH 10 WEST
Upright memorials may be used if the purchaser owns burial rights on four graves connected to each other east and west or full lots.
BLOCK 11 WEST
Block 11 West is reserved for single graves and Baby Land. Upright memorials may be used on single graves. Upright memorials may also be used where burial rights have been purchased for two (2) or more graves.
BLOCK 13 WEST
All memorials in this section shall be upright memorials of granite or marble. All upright memorials East of the water shall be placed at the head of the graves with inscriptions facing east. Government issued Veterans markers may be placed flush in a marker at the foot of the grave, East of the water line. All upright memorials West of the water line shall be placed at the foot of the graves with inscriptions facing west. Government issued Veterans markers may be placed in the marker row at the head of the grave, West of the water line.
BLOCK 14 WEST
All memorials in this section shall be flush with the ground. Memorials may be of either granite or bronze. All memorials shall be placed at the head of the grave.
BLOCKS 15 AND 16 WEST
This is a new section that is not open for burials at this time.
GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR ALL BLOCKS
Workmen employed in placing or erecting monuments, or bringing in materials, shall, as to the caretaker, operate as independent contractors, but must do so only with the permission of the maintenance supervisor or cemetery board and must be done in accordance with the rules and regulations.
Persons engaged in erecting monuments are prohibited from attaching ropes to monuments, trees, shrubs, or from scattering their material over adjoining graves or from blocking avenues or pathways longer than is absolutely necessary. They must do as little injury to the grass, trees and shrubs as possible, and must remove all debris and restore the ground and sod to its original condition.
Damage done to lots, walks, drives, trees, shrubs or other property by dealers or contractors or their agents shall be repaired by the caretaker, and the cost of such repairs shall be charged to the dealer or contractor or to his principal. No material, machinery, or other things for construction of monuments or monuments themselves may be brought into the cemetery until required for immediate use; nor under any circumstances when a funeral is in progress nor between Saturday noon and Monday morning and no work shall be done during said time nor should material be used on lots adjoining the one on which said structure is to be erected without permission from the maintenance supervisor.
Work shall proceed promptly until the work of the memorial is completed. While a funeral or internment is being conducted all work of any description shall cease.
While the cemetery will exercise all possible care to protect raised lettering, carving, or ornaments on any memorial for other structure, on any lot. Bronze marker must be cast wet and have lettering as flush as possible with cement wash.
In case of a bronze marker on granite slab, the bronze marker shall be recessed so as to be flush with the granite. Bronze government markers are subject to be easily damaged through maintenance because of the soft material used in the raised lettering.
Flat markers containing a picture or emblem must be recessed so as to be flush with the granite, because of the delicate nature of the materials used in the picture and / or emblems. Because of this, the cemetery is not liable to damage to these markers.
Cemetery officials shall have the authority to reject any plan or design for any memorial, which on account of size, design, inscription, kind of quality of stone is in the opinion of the cemetery board deemed unacceptable or offensive to the human dignity. The cemetery reserves the right to stop all work of any nature whenever, in its opinion, proper preparation have not been made or when tools and machinery are insufficient or defective or when it is being excluded in such manners as to misrepresentation or when reasonable request on the part of the cemetery board is discarded or when work is not being executed according to specifications or when any person employed on the work violates any rules of the cemetery.
The completed work is subject to approval of the maintenance supervisor.
Should any memorial become unsightly, dilapidated, or a menace to visitors the cemetery shall have the right to either correct the condition or to remove the same at the expense of the grave owner.
No monument or marker shall be removed from the cemetery unless by order of the grave owner and the maintenance supervisor has knowledge of such removal.
MONUMENTS AND MARKER PLACEMENTS
Monuments and Markers shall be placed in accordance with the rules and regulations governing each block.
In blocks where monuments are permitted, the base of the monument shall be no wider than 14 inches in width and not over 60 % of width of the grave. The die (the vertical portion of the monument) shall be no higher than 4 feet. In the case where two (2) families or more own a lot, two (2) monuments may be set in one lot.
A single marker shall not exceed 60% of a single grave and shall have a 4” concrete collar. Marker and collar shall be flush with the ground. Where double markers are permitted, they shall not exceed 60% of the lot width at the marker line. They will have a 4”foundation.
MONUMENTS AND MARKER MATERIALS
All monuments and markers must be produced of first grade materials and executed in first grade workmanship. All memorials or markers shall be constructed of granite, marble or bronze material. All granite, marble monuments and markers shall have a 4” concrete collar.
All die stones shall be finished on front and back and shall be at least 6” thick.
All bases must have a finished top and a level bottom. All stone shall have the surface next to the foundation bedded off sufficiently true and level to allow every part to be in contact with the foundation. The Cemetery staff shall not be liable for damage to bases with finished edges.
Flat markers containing a picture or emblem must be recessed so as to be flush with the granite. Because of the delicate nature of the materials used in the pictures and/ or emblems, the Cemetery staff shall not be liable for damages done to these types of markers.
FOUNDATIONS
Foundations will be the width and length of the monument base, plus a 5” apron extending the width and length of the monument.
Pre-cast slabs may be used with at least four inches of gravel or rock under them.
All markers shall be set flush with a 4-inch cement wash and installed flush with the ground, with at least 4” of rock or gravel under them.
All duplicate markers being placed in the cemetery shall be set flush.
RIGHT RESERVED TO REQUIRE CONCRETE BOX OR VAULT
In order to maintain a high standard of care to eliminate sunken graves by collapse of wooden boxes the cemetery board reserves the right to require that all burials be made in outside containers constructed of natural stone, metal, or pre-stressed concrete for a full body burial and the cremation burials. Other materials may be acceptable for cremation burials such as a heavy plastic material; however, all outside containers must be pre-approved by the Cemetery Board.
ERRORS MAY BE CORRECTED
The Cemetery Board reserves and shall have the right to correct any errors that may be made by it either in making interments, disinterment or removals, or in the description, transfer or conveyance of any interment property, either by canceling such conveyance and substituting and conveying, in lieu thereof, other interment property of equal value and similar location as far as possible or as may be selected by the Cemetery Board, by refunding the amount of money paid on account of said purchase. In the event the error Shall involve the interment of the remains of any person in such property, the Cemetery Board reserves, and shall have, the right to remove and re-inter remains to such property of equal value and similar location as may be substituted and conveyed in lieu thereof.
PERMITS TO SET MONUMENTS OR MARKERS
A permit is required before any Monument or Marker can be placed on a grave. The monument company is responsible for this permit and is to coordinate with the Maintenance Supervisor before any monument or marker is installed. This is to make sure that all memorials are on the correct burial place. No memorial shall be larger than 60% of the grave.
CREMATION AND BABY BURIALS
One cremation burial may be place on an existing grave A flush marker only will be permitted to mark this burial.
Two cremations may be placed on a new gravesite. The monument or markers for the two cremations will be in the monument row. In the case of a stillborn baby or infant death, the infant burial will be allowed under the monument or marker of the grave.
URNS AND VASES
Small bronze vases are not permitted on monuments or markers except those that are attached to the top of the granite base of a monument. Cement flower boxes will not be allowed on markers or monuments. Pot stands at least 18 inches off the ground and a minimum of ten-inch cement wash will be allowed in all sections of the cemetery. In those sections where monuments are allowed, flower stands will be allowed in the monument row. The section where flush markers are allowed flower stands will only be allowed in the marker row.
The larger permanent type urn or planter may be used in place of a monument but these must be placed on conforming lines for monuments. They may also be used in conjunction with a monument. Must be so placed as not to hinder the normal pattern of cutting grass. They must have a four-inch thick foundation flush with the ground and extend six inches from the furthest point of the planter or urn.
DECORATION OF LOTS
Planting of ground flowers will be permitted only in sections where upright monuments are allowed. Planting of ground flowers will not be permitted by flush markers. All plantings must be made in the monument row. The planting by grave owners will be permitted in an area provided for the purpose on burial side of the upright monument limited to an oval radius not to exceed past the ends of the monument.
There shall be no planting on the north or south side of the monument. The maintenance supervisor shall have authority to remove all floral designs, flowers, weeds, trees, shrubs, plants, or herbage of any kind from the cemetery as soon as in the judgment of the cemetery officials they become unsightly, dangerous, detrimental or diseased or when they do not conform to the standards referenced above. The cemetery shall not be liable for floral pieces, baskets, or frames to which such floral pieces are attached. The cemetery shall not be liable for lost, misplaced, or broken flower vases. The cemetery shall not be responsible for plants, herbage, or plantings of any kind damaged by the elements, thieves, vandals, or by other causes beyond its control.
The ground planting of flowers will not be allowed in Block 14 West that part in which flush markers only are allowed. Flowers will only be allowed in elevated stands at least 18 inches off the ground with a minimum of a ten-inch concrete wash. Shepherds hooks are not allowed. Stands will be placed in the marker row; one stand per two graves. In the cases of single internment, one stand will be allowed on the north side of marker.
No coping, curbing, fencing, hedging, grave mounds, borders, or enclosures of any kind shall be allowed around any grave; and no walks of brick, cinders, tile, stone, marble, terra-cotta, sand, cement, gravel or wood shall be allowed on any grave. The maintenance Supervisor reserves the right to remove the same if so erected, or planted or placed.
Wreaths and bouquets when permitted shall be attached to a wooden stick at least 3 foot above the ground or the monument or approved holder. They may not be wired into the grass and steal stakes may not be used on the grave.
CERTAIN ORNAMENTS PROHIBITED
The placing of boxes, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, chairs, settees, glass, wood or iron cases, decorative rocks, shepherd’s hooks and similar articles upon the ground or grave shall not be permitted and if so placed, the maintenance supervisor may remove the same.
TREES AND SHRUBBERY
Flowering, fruit bearing, or leave trees, roses, or shrubs are not permitted on graves. Cemetery staff shall have the authority to maintain existing trees and shrubs.
REMOVAL OF FLORAL FRAMES, CASKETS SPRAYS AND CUT FLOWERS
Cemetery officials will remove floral frames, caskets sprays, and cut flowers placed on gravesites for funerals or special occasions that are not removed from the gravesite within 3 days lawfully entitled, by those.
GRAVE OWNERS MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBLITIES
Grave owners are responsible for the maintenance of the monument or markers. The foundations of the monument and/ or markers on the grave should be exposed and flush with the ground. All plantings and decorations should be properly maintained and so placed, as not to hinder the normal pattern of cutting grass.
Any tool, supplies, or other material needed for the maintenance of the grave are the responsibility of the owners and shall not be left in the cemetery. This includes tying water containers to water faucets. This also includes leaving water hoses or gardening tools under trees or shrubs.
TRANSFER OF BURIAL RIGHTS
When a transfer of burial rights from one person to another is requested the grave or graves will need to be checked out by the maintenance supervisor to make sure there is room on the gravesite.
At that time the caretaker may recommend to the new owners, a clean-up plan for the gravesite. This could include the fixing up of existing monuments and markers.
SPRING CLEAN-UP
All decorations placed on gravesites for the fall and winter holidays may be removed by cemetery officials on April 15 if not already done so.
DATES GRAVES MAY BE DECORATED
All persons wishing to decorate on the gravesites with flowers, artificial flowers, flags and standards, etc. may do so on 3 days before Mother’s Day. These decorations must then be removed within seven days after Memorial Day, with the exception of flags and standards, which must be removed 3 days after Flag Day. Grave owners may decorate for all other holidays such as Easter, Father’s Day, Labor Day, birthday’s anniversaries, etc. 3 days before and three days after.
FALL CLEAN-UP
In preparation for the winter months, beginning October 1, cemetery officials will remove all live flowers, pots, urns, and holder that are not removed from the gravesite. These items may be placed on the gravesites again November 1.
CEMETERY MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR
The cemetery caretaker is hereby empowered to enforce all rules and regulations and to exclude from the property of the cemetery any persons violating the same.
Caretaker shall have by the order of the cemetery board charge of grounds and buildings and all times shall have the supervision and control of all persons in the cemetery including the conduct of funerals, traffic, monument dealers, grave owners and visitors.
For more information contact our maintenance supervisor Larry Stark at 507-276-8296.