Today, some cemeteries rent out plots, which allows people to lease a space for up to 100 years before the grave is allowed to be recycled and reused. Many countries around the world have resorted to this process as their available land begins to fill.
Until it is used by the owner, that person owns the burial plot in perpetuity, and it can even be passed down to your next of kin. But as mentioned above, some cemeteries retain the right to reclaim the plot due to inactivity.
And yet, in America, this forever-grave thing is actually in most states' law. With the exception of religious cemeteries (which often do this anyways), the state regulates how cemeteries save to ensure, theoretically, that they can maintain a grave forever.
When you buy a grave you purchase the rights of burial in that grave for a set period of time. If the lease is not renewed, the burial rights will run out. No further internments may then be allowed in the grave.
In many cases it is against the law to deface or desecrate grave sites or human remains. These include removing gravestones, leaving trash, disturbing, or tampering with a gravesite. People are also not allowed to open any repository of human remains or cover over or destroy. In many cases these are felonies.
They can hold up for 50-80 years, depending on the soil conditions. Bronze and copper caskets are even more durable, potentially lasting over 100 years.
This is deep enough to prevent a casket in a grave from rising up to the surface during a flood. At the same time, it's also not so deep that a grave is going to cause a sinkhole to form on top of it. Most San Mateo, CA memorial park cemeteries have found that four feet deep is the sweet spot for graves.
Don't touch any monuments or gravestones.
This includes sitting on them, leaning against them, or even doing gravestone rubbings. It has long been proven that gravestone rubbings wear down the integrity of the stone—especially in older graves—which is why most cemeteries forbid it now.
Home burials are technically legal in every state except: California.
When you purchase a cemetery plot, that plot is yours forever unless you sell it or transfer it to another person via a will or a legal alternative to a will. However, the state in which the burial plot is located may take the plot away from the owner for specific reasons.
The person who buys the plot is the owner just like any other property bought. But, like an HOA there can be restrictions on what can be done, and placed on that property; especially if it is in a perpetual care cemetery.
If you've considered asking, “how long do you stay buried in a cemetery?” the answer is typically 100 years or more. Plots are sold for 50 to 100 years, but it's unusual to remove anyone from the burial grounds unless the need for space requires it.
After burial, a body's decomposition is affected by the soil condition and the air temperature above ground. The deeper a body is buried, the slower the rate of decomposition due to lack of oxygen and microbe community. That rate will be affected by the temperature which is specific to the depth.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR DISTURBING OR MISUSING GRAVE-SITES
Violators are subject to a mandatory $500 fine, up to $10,000, one to 10 years imprisonment, or both.
When this happens, the cemetery stops receiving new burials. The current burial sites within the cemetery continue to be maintained. In some cases, the management of the cemetery may opt to open up a new cemetery elsewhere. They will therefore be able to receive more burials at the new site.
Cemeteries provide a safe, serene place to express that sadness. You can always cry at a grave site. You can also sit in silent contemplation or prayer and let your heart be at peace for a bit. When you're feeling a whirlwind of emotions after a loss, having a place where you can be a mess can be a tremendous relief.
-Ask for permission for night-time visits
If you wander into a cemetery after dark, you need to get permission, or you risk getting into trouble. While visiting in the dark may seem the scariest, you still need to be respectful of the rules of the cemetery and get permission to be there at night.
Do their best to not walk over the graves. Common sense leads you to know the basic shape of a grave; walk in between the headstones, and don't stand on top of a burial place. Follow cemetery rules. Most have a sign near the entrance stating hours, rules about decorations, etc.
An ancient practice of burying dead people six feet underground may have helped mask the odor of decay from predators. Similarly, random disturbances, such as plowing, would be unable to reach a person buried six feet underneath. Preventing the Spread of Disease was another major reason.
10-50 Years. The decomposition timeline of wooden caskets varies significantly based on factors such as wood type, environmental conditions, and protective measures.
Footstones, which accompany headstones in many historic cemeteries, are smaller stones placed at the "foot" of the grave. They were originally used to mark the end of the grave, creating walking paths between rows of graves, and to denote the foot of the grave.
Water can infiltrate a burial site in several ways, and each type of casket, whether it's sealed, unsealed or inside a vault, can develop issues. For example: Wooden caskets can decompose and spring leaks. Air pockets trapped inside above-ground vaults make them more likely to float.
However, for some unfortunate souls, being buried isn't the last that will be seen of them, thanks to their caskets exploding out their contents. In her "Ask a Mortician" YouTube series, mortician Caitlin Doughty explains that it happens when bodies are sealed a little too well into their final resting place.
Are coffins sold back to the funeral director for re-use? No. The coffin and the body inside are cremated together. There are occasions where the deceased or the family of the deceased has opted for using a cardboard coffin in which their loved one will be cremated.