Important Criteria To Consider When You Look For A Local Cemetery

As you plan out your final arrangements, you have to look for a place in which to be buried. Depending on where you live, you may not be able to be buried on private property. You may instead need to be buried at a local cemetery.

As you look for a gravesite, however, you need to know what factors to look for in your choice of local and state cemetery plots. You can find a suitable place to be laid to rest by prioritizing what criteria may be most important to you and your survivors.

Access

If you want your family to be able to visit your gravesite often, you need to find a cemetery that allows for liberal access to the grounds. Some cemeteries are only open to visitors during the spring, summer, and early fall. They may close their gates during the winter to spare the groundskeepers from having to clear headstones and shovel the roadways and sidewalks.

However, when you want your loved ones to be able to leave flowers on your burial site throughout the year, you can choose a cemetery with year-round access. They can come and go regardless of the time of year without trespassing on the grounds.

Cost

Another factor that you may need to keep in mind involves the cost of the burial plot. If you are a veteran, you may be offered a free burial plot in a state cemetery. However, if you plan on being buried in a church-sponsored or municipal cemetery, you may need to pay several hundreds of dollars, if not more, for a grave spot. 

If you want to secure a free plot for veterans, you will need to meet with the cemetery manager and provide him or her a copy of your DD-214 from your military service. The manager of the cemetery can then show you the available plots and allow you to choose one that you can be laid to rest in after you pass away.

Finally, you may want to choose a cemetery that is affiliated with your religious faith. The Catholic and Jewish faiths, for example, often offer and maintain cemeteries for their followers. You may prefer to be buried in ground that is consecrated and reserved for people of your faith.

These factors are some to look for in a local cemetery. You can be buried in an affordable and accessible location.