Memorialization
Section 8.01 Work Permits Required
Work permits are required for the installation, removal, inscription, or maintenance of any structures on a cemetery lot.
It shall be the responsibility of the Monument Company or agent installing the structure to provide names, lot numbers, type, and sizes of structures for installations (See Article VII. Private Work Activities).
Section 8.02 Work Permit Fees
All work permits are subject to fees assessed at rates established by the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of Savannah.
All fees for work permits must be paid before the work commences (See Article V. Private Work Activities).
Section 8.03 Maintenance of Cemetery Structures
The Department of Cemeteries does not clean or repair damaged monuments, markers, coping, mausoleums, or vaults on private cemetery lots. Unless otherwise specified, such work is not included in the perpetual care agreements and is the responsibility of the lot owners or his or her heirs.
The department will attempt to notify lot owners if cemetery structures on their lots become hazardous or aesthetic blights. Hazardous conditions or blights on privately owned structures that have not been corrected in the period established by the notification may be corrected by the Department and the costs for the maintenance will be assessed against the lot.
Section 8.04 Responsibilities of Monument Company
Monument companies or stone installation agents shall be responsible for any stone and/or turf damage incurred during the process of stone installations.
Section 8.05 Offensive Objects
If any marker, effigy, structure, improvement of the object whatsoever, or any inscription be placed in or upon any lot which may be determined by the Director of Cemeteries to be offensive or injurious to the appearance of the surrounding lots or grounds, the Director or his authorized representatives shall have the right to enter upon such lot and to conceal such offensive object. The Department of Cemeteries will attempt to notify lot owners when an offensive object has been placed on their lot with or without their knowledge to provide them with the opportunity to correct the offensive condition. If lot owners have been notified of offensive conditions but fail to correct those conditions in the time specified by the notification, any charges for removal of offensive objects will be billed against the lot.
Section 8.06 Inspections
The erection, placement, and maintenance of monuments, headstones, vaults, columbaria, and mausoleums shall be subject to the supervision of the Department of Cemeteries.
Section 8.07 Structure Foundations
All foundations for monuments, headstones, and upright markers must be a minimum of four (4) inches thick and shall be inspected by the Department of Cemeteries.
Any noncompliant foundations must be removed within five (5) working days.
Section 8.08 Structure Restrictions General
No monument, headstone, vault, mausoleum, marker, or other similar structure that is offensive, unreasonably interferes with the maintenance and care of burial spaces, or detracts from the appearance and dignity of the cemetery shall be erected, placed, or maintained in a cemetery.
Monuments exceeding five (5) feet in height shall require approval by the Director of Cemeteries prior to installation.
Individual markers over thirty-six (36) inches in width shall be considered monuments.
Section 8.09 Cemetery Structure Installation Requirements by Section
Bonaventure Cemetery Sections S, T, and U (Excluding Section S – Blocks S, T, and U):
(1) One monument permitted per lot;
(2) Base of the monument not to exceed 80% the width of the lot;
(3) Base of the monument not to exceed 18” in depth;
(4) Monument must be installed at the top of the lot and aligned with existing monuments;
(5) *Section T – Front of the monument must be 3’ from the rear lot line as measured from the center of the rear lot markers;
(6) One marker or ledger allowed per space;
(7) Markers must be installed at the foot of the grave, aligned with existing markers, and flush with the ground. Maximum marker size allowed per space is 18” X 30”;
(8) Ledgers must be aligned with existing markers/ledgers and shall not exceed six inches (6”) above the ground;
(9) Vases are allowed if attached to the monument;
(10) No cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted;
(11) When installed, corner markers shall be flat with the ground and inside the existing cemetery markers.
Bonaventure Cemetery Section S (Blocks S, T, and U):
(1) Only flat markers installed flush with the ground are permitted in Section S (Blocks S, T, and U);
(2) Markers should be installed at the foot of the grave and aligned with existing markers;
(3) Markers not to exceed 18” X 30” in a single space;
(4) Double markers are allowed when adjacent lots are owned. Double markers not to exceed 18” X 60”;
(5) Vases are allowed if attached to the marker;
(6) No upright monuments, ledgers, cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted.
All Other Sections of Bonaventure Cemetery:
(1) When installing coping:
a) If coping exists on adjacent lots, coping shall be installed so that the lot dimensions are met when measured from the center of the coping to the center of the coping on the opposite side.
b) If coping does not exist on an adjacent lot, the coping shall be installed so that the lot dimensions are met when measured from the outside edge of the coping to the outside edge on the opposite side.
c) Exception – Coping is not permitted in Section N.
Greenwich Cemetery Section 1:
(1) Only one (1) upright monument permitted per lot;
(2) Monument must be installed at the top of the lot and aligned with existing monuments;
(3) Base of the monument not to exceed 80% the width of the lot;
(4) Base of the monument not to exceed 18” in depth
(5) Monument shall have a minimum height of twenty-two (22”) inches;
(6) The front of the base of the monument must be 8’6” from the center of the cemetery lot markers;
(7) Vases are allowed if attached to the monument;
(8) No foot markers, ledgers, cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted.
Greenwich Section 7:
(1) No more than one monument shall be permitted per lot;
(2) All structures must be parallel with the aisles;
(3) Monuments must be installed at the top of the lot with the front of the monument base measuring 2’6” from the rear lot line as measured from the center of the rear cemetery lot markers and aligned with existing monuments;
(4) Base of the monument shall not exceed 80% of the width of the lot;
(5) Base of the monument not to exceed 18” in depth;
(6) No more than one marker shall be permitted per grave space;
(7) Markers must be installed at the foot of the grave, 6” from the bottom lot line as measured from the center of the front lot markers, aligned with existing markers, and flush with the ground;
(8) Maximum marker size allowed per space is 18” X 30”;
(9) Vases are allowed if permanently affixed to the monument or top of the base;
(10) No bevel markers or ledger stones are allowed (all markers shall be flush with the ground);
(11) No cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted;
(12) When installed, corner markers shall be flat with the ground and inside the existing cemetery markers.
Greenwich Section 12:
(1) Only flat (grass) markers installed flush with the ground are permitted;
(2) Markers should be installed at the foot of the grave and aligned with existing markers;
(3) Markers shall not exceed 18” X 30” in a single space;
(4) Double markers are allowed when adjacent lots are owned by a single party. Double markers are not to exceed 18” X 60”;
(5) Vases are allowed if attached to the marker;
(6) No upright monuments, ledgers, cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted.
All Other Sections of Greenwich Cemetery:
(1) One monument permitted per lot;
(2) Monument must be installed at the top of the lot and aligned with existing monuments;
(3) Base of the monument not to exceed 80% the width of the lot;
(4) Base of the monument not to exceed 18” in depth;
(5) One marker or ledger is allowed per space;
(6) Markers must be installed at the foot of the grave, aligned with existing markers, and flush with the ground. Maximum marker size allowed per space is 18” X 30”;
(7) Ledgers must be aligned with existing markers/ledgers and shall not exceed six inches (6”) above the ground;
(8) Vases are allowed if attached to the monument;
(9) No cradles, boxing, tiling, or coping permitted;
(10) When installed, corner markers shall be installed flat with the ground and inside the existing cemetery markers.
Section 8.10 Monument Bases
Multiple monuments may be placed on a common base provided that the length of the base does not exceed the allowable dimensions.
Boxing or tiling placed at the back, front, or end of the base of the monument is considered a part of the base and will not be permitted unless it falls within the allowable dimensions.
Monument bases shall not exceed 80% the width of the lot to which it is installed and shall not exceed eighteen (18) inches in depth.
Section 8.11 Benches
Benches may be installed in lieu of a monument, where rules permit.
Benches must be installed on an appropriate foundation in the space reserved for the monument.
Benches will be considered a monument and will be subject to all rules applying to monuments.
Section 8.12 Mausoleum and Columbaria Memorialization
Private:
(1) No vault, mausoleum, or columbarium shall be erected or placed in the cemetery unless the plans and specifications thereof, the materials to be used in connection therewith, and the manner in which such vault or mausoleum is to be erected or placed in the cemetery have been approved by the Director of Cemeteries and a written permit is issued for the purpose.
(2) The Department of Cemeteries must be provided with means of access into the mausoleum or columbarium.
(3) The fee for a work permit to install a mausoleum will be based on the number of crypts, and the fee for a work permit to install a columbarium will be based on the number of niches.
City-owned:
(1) Memorialization is optional and shall consist of engraving on the front niche panel. Any memorialization will be performed under the direction of the Department of Cemeteries.
(2) Three lines of engraving memorialization will be available for each inurnment. The first line will be limited to the surname with a maximum of sixteen characters. The second line will be limited to the first and/or middle name, with a maximum of sixteen characters including blank spaces. The third line will record year of birth and year of death with four characters for each year separated by a hyphen.
(3) The niche panel will be divided in half equally with an engraved line approximately three inches in length, for the memorialization of up to two inurnments.
(4) The style of lettering will be Roman Condensed one inch in size.
(5) Pre-need engraving will not be permitted.