pink flowers with green leaves on a dark background

Costs

What cemetery costs are not included?

When a family is quoted a price for a burial, it is natural to assume it covers everything. In most cases it does not. Cemetery charges are billed separately from funeral home charges, by a different organization entirely, and that is where the surprises usually are.

Below are the costs families are most often surprised by.

01

Cemetery opening and closing fees

This is the charge for physically opening the grave before the service and closing it afterward. It is paid to the cemetery, not the funeral home, and it is one of the most common surprises families encounter.

Cemetery grounds

What to ask about

Who bills this

Weekend rates

Holiday rates

Required or optional

Get it in writing

02

Grave preparation expenses

03

Cemetery transfer fees

04

Markers and memorial costs

05

Additional service charges

01

Cemetery opening and closing fees

This is the charge for physically opening the grave before the service and closing it afterward. It is paid to the cemetery, not the funeral home, and it is one of the most common surprises families encounter.

Cemetery grounds

What to ask about

Who bills this

Weekend rates

Holiday rates

Required or optional

Get it in writing

02

Grave preparation expenses

03

Cemetery transfer fees

04

Markers and memorial costs

05

Additional service charges

How to avoid paying more than you need to

Ask for the cemetery’s charges in writing, separately from the funeral home’s

Ask which items are required and which are optional

Confirm marker requirements before ordering anything

Ask what a weekend or holiday service adds

Talk to someone independent before you sign

A quiet woodland path lined with tall trees

Not sure what you are being charged for?

Send Stephanie the quote or call her before you commit. She will walk you through it, line by line, at no cost.

Call Stephanie

Call Stephanie

Pre-Planning

Discounted Cemetery Plots

Frequently Asked Questions