Rules and regulations are a very difficult area for cemeteries. We must weigh the desires and needs of the family and friends to express grief in their own way but we also have a need to mow, stringtrim, blow leaves and dig graves without having to move items left on the lot.
Our rules are under constant review as we try to balance our needs to care for the grounds efficiently with the families need to express their grief. Sometimes in our effort to hit a 'middle ground' we don't satisfy either side very well but we try. We don't make rules to be nasty but to best care for the entire cemetery.
While you may not agree with all of our rules we always welcome any constructive criticism and we hope that you will see that we have reasons for the rules we have implemented.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
For the mutual protection of lot owners and the Cemetery as a whole, the following rules and regulations have been adopted by the GREENWOOD CEMETERY BOARD as the rules and regulations of GREENWOOD CEMETERY and all lot owners and visitors within the Cemetery and all lots sold, shall be subject to said rules and regulations. And subject further, to such other rules and regulations, amendments or alterations as shall be adopted by the CEMETERY BOARD.
1) It is the duty of the Superintendent to see that the rules and regulations are complied with and it is his duty to see that the order is maintained and to protect and promote the best interests of the Cemetery. To that end, he is authorized to make temporary additional rules which may be needed, from time to time, to meet emergencies which are not covered by these Rules and Regulations.
2) Special cases may arise in which the literal enforcement of a rule may impose unnecessary hardship. The Cemetery, therefore, reserves the right to make exceptions, suspensions or modifications of any of these Rules and Regulations when in the judgment of the Management such action appears necessary; and such temporary exception, suspension or modification shall in no way be construed as affecting the general application of such Rules and Regulations.
3) The instrument of these Rules and Regulations and any amendments thereto constitute the sole agreement between the Cemetery and the lot owner. The statement of any employee or agent, unless confirmed in writing by the Management, shall in no way bind the Cemetery.
4) The Management is hereby empowered to enforce all Rules and Regulations and to exclude from the Cemetery any person violating the same. The Management shall have charge of the grounds and buildings, including the conduct of funerals, traffic, employees, lot owners and visitors and at all times shall have supervision and control of all persons in the Cemetery.
LOTS
5) The purchase of a lot does not transfer ownership of a parcel of property but is the transferring of the right of burial on the lot purchased from the Cemetery to the lot owner.
6) The ownership of burial rights to any lot in the Cemetery passes to the heirs or assigns of the original owner or owners as stated on the certificate of ownership.
7) The Cemetery does not allow the ownership of burial rights to be sold by any lot owner. The lot may be returned to the Cemetery and the pro-rated purchase price will be refunded for any unused portion of the lot. In some Sections of the Cemetery the entire lot must be returned, the Cemetery will not accept back a portion of the lot.
8) Before any burial is made in a lot, the lot must be paid for in full.
9) No lot shall be used for any other purpose than the burial of the human dead.
10) The management will take all reasonable precautions to protect lot owners, and the burial rights of lot owners, within the Cemetery from loss or damage: but the Cemetery disclaims all responsibility for loss or damage from causes beyond its reasonable control.
11) It is the duty of the lot owner to notify the Management of any change in their post office address.
CARE OF LOTS
12) Cemetery will not be liable for any items left on the Cemetery lot or grave other than that damaged by the crew.
13) Some sections of the Cemetery have special rules. It is incumbent upon the Lot Owner to make sure that plantings and other items on their lot are planted in the correct location.
14) The general care of the Cemetery is assumed by the Management and includes the cutting of the grass at reasonable intervals, the raking and cleaning of the grounds, and the pruning of shrubs and trees that are owned by the Cemetery.
15) The general care assumed by the Cemetery shall in no case mean the maintenance, repair or replacement of any memorial, tomb or mausoleum placed or erected upon lots; nor the doing of any special or unusual work in the Cemetery.
16) Receptacles for waste material are located at convenient places. Hence, the throwing of rubbish on the drives and paths, or any part of the grounds, or in the buildings, is prohibited.
PLANTINGS
17) The Cemetery will undertake to maintain, as may be practical, the planting of trees and shrubs, to preserve and maintain landscape features, but does not undertake to maintain individual plantings, urns or plants.
18) The Management shall not be responsible for any kinds of plantings damaged by the elements, thieves or by other causes beyond its control. The Manage¬ment shall have the further 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 Management, they become unsightly, dangerous, detrimental or diseased, or when they do not conform to the standard maintained.
19) The Cemetery reserves the right to prevent the removal of any flowers, floral designs, trees, shrubs, plants, or herbage of any kind unless the Management gives consent.
20) Items such as gravel, rocks, crushed stone, granite chips, marble chips, or similar items will not be allowed.
21) Flower beds shall be allowed on front and sides of markers only. They will not be allowed to extend to the back of the monument or marker unless special authorization from the Superintendent is received. Flowers must be in beds.
22) Beds of flowers will be limited to extend fourteen inches from the base of the monument or marker to the outside edge of the bed unless allowed by specific rules for specific sections.
23) Shrubs may be planted on the sides of the marker only. Special plantings require permission from the Superintendent.
24) Flower pots shall not be elevated nor be placed on wire frames and must be placed in line with marker.
25) Flower pots must be made of bronze, plastic, concrete, steel, clay, copper, marble or granite. Pots made of other materials will be removed along with their contents.
26) Permission must be obtained from the Management to plant shrubbery, set markers, remove sod or change the existing grade of the lot. Trees may be planted by the Cemetery only and shall be limited to the specie and location as chosen by the Superintendent. Special permission must be obtained to plant trees on an individual lot.
27) Hedges will not be allowed. (Hedges planted before October 3, 2001 will be allowed to remain but may not be allowed to be replaced.)
28) Artificial flowers are not allowed.
29) Only American flags will be allowed to be placed in the Cemetery and only on the graves of veterans. Exceptions are made for State, County or local police officers killed in the line of duty who then are entitled to a Michigan flag for the same duration as the veteran’s flags. The Cemetery reserves the right to remove the flags as it deems necessary.
30) The placing of chairs, settees and similar articles, upon lots will not be permitted and if so placed the Management reserves the right to remove them.
31) Urns not in use for one year will be removed by the Cemetery and if not claimed by the lot owner within one year will be discarded.
32) No 'Remembrance Lights' nor any other lights may be placed on individual lots.
33) Statuary must not exceed 6” in height or 6” in diameter and must be placed within a flowerbed. Only two items are permitted per lot. Birdbaths are considered statuary.
34) All statuary, small flower pots, wind chimes placed in the ground, personal items, trinkets, etc. that are loose on the lot or in a flower bed will be picked up and discarded by Cemetery personnel on or after October 1 of each year to allow for leaf cleanup. Persons wishing to save these items for future use must remove them before October 1 and items may not be placed back on the lot until after April 1 of the following year. The Cemetery will not save or store these items.
BURIALS
35) No interment of two or more bodies shall be made in one grave except in the case of mother and child or two infants buried in one casket. In the case of cremation the Cemetery will allow two cremations per grave space or the combination of one cremation urn and one interment of a human body.
36) When an interment is to be made in a lot, the lot owner should designate the location of such interment. Should the owner fail or neglect to make such designation, the Cemetery reserves the right to make the interment in a location designated by the Cemetery Management.
37) The Cemetery reserves, and shall have, the right to correct any errors that may be made either in making interments, disinterments or removals, or 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 Management, by refunding the amount of the money paid on account of said purchase. In the event such error shall involve the interment of the remains of any person in such property, the Cemetery reserves, and shall have the right to remove or transfer such remains so interred to other property of equal value and similar location as may be substituted and conveyed in lieu thereof.
38) In order to maintain a high standard of care and to eliminate sunken graves caused by the collapse of wooden boxes, it is required that all burials be made in outside containers made of natural stone or of metal, or of reinforced concrete. All such containers must be so made and installed as to meet specifications established by the Management.
39) The right is reserved by the Cemetery to insist upon at least twenty-four hours' notice prior to any interment and at least one weeks' notice prior to any disinterment or removal.
MONUMENTS / MARKERS
40) Memorials of cement, artificial stone, composition, wood, tin or iron will not be permitted. Only those markers, monuments, memorials, mausoleums or tombs constructed of granite, marble or bronze will be permitted. Native boulders or field stone will not be permitted to be placed in the Cemetery unless Management deems necessary.
41) If there is more than one marker on a single grave space at least one of the markers will be placed flush with the ground. No plantings of any kind will be allowed next to the flush marker. If the interred was a veteran and has a military flag holder the flag holder must be placed next to the upright marker or the marker that has the planting.
42) So that all memorials be in good taste adding to the beauty of the Cemetery, the Management retains the right to reject any memorial which, on account of size, design or inscription, is unsuitable to the lot on which it is to be placed. Inscriptions shall be limited to: Legal names or socially accepted nicknames; Significant personal dates; Emblems of organizations or institutions incorporated in or recognized by the federal or Michigan governments; Suitable quotations from any nationally distributed book of quotations, poetry, or religious text; Exceptions as approved in advance solely at the discretion of the board.
43) Should any monument, marker, mausoleum or tomb become unsightly, dilapidated, or safety hazard to visitors or Cemetery employees, the Cemetery retains the right at the expense of the lot owner to correct the condition or remove the same.
44) The Cemetery at its expense, may, without any liability, correct any error that may occur in the placing of a monument, marker, mausoleum, tomb or foundation. The Cemetery assumes no liability for monuments, markers, mausoleums, tombs or foundations placed by others.
45) Monuments or markers will not be allowed on the graves of welfare or social services cases unless the Cemetery is reimbursed for the standard charges in effect at the time of burial. The Cemetery will place a small temporary marker on the grave to identify the burial.
SPECIAL RULES
46) Columbarium Sections ~ No ornamentation on structure other than name plaque. A common flag pole for all veterans will be placed in a designated area. Space will not be provided for a veteran's marker supplied by the Federal Government. The Cemetery will buy back an unused niche or empty niche for the amount paid with a deduction for the cost of the bronze name plaque.
47) Baby Section (Block 165, Lot 12, 13) ~ Flush markers only are allowed. No shrubbery or trees allowed except when planted by Cemetery at its discretion. Cemetery will supply one temporary grave marker that remains the property of the Cemetery.
48) Planting Area. The sections designated below have special planting areas. The planting area is reserved for monument, markers, flower beds, veteran’s flagholders, and shrubbery. The width varies with the section (see below) and the length is the width of the lot. The area outside of the planting area is reserved for burials and flush markers.