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Cemetery and Memorial Regulations

We have summarised our regulations for burials, grave ownership, and the installation and maintenance of memorials. These guidelines are in place to ensure safety, dignity, and consistency across all cemeteries, while helping families understand their rights and responsibilities.

We reserve the right to alter or make additions to the regulations when necessary. For a booklet containing our full regulations, please contact the burials team.

Regulations and Responsibilities of the Grave Owner

If you own a burial or cremation plot (i.e. you have the Exclusive Right of Burial), you have certain responsibilities:

  • Exclusive Right of Burial
    • Burial rights are leased for fifty years via a Deed of Grant.
    • The Deed is a legal document—keep it safe and notify us of any address changes.
    • Rights can be transferred by the owner or their successor. Contact the burials team for details.
  • Keep graves and memorials safe and maintained.
  • Do not attempt repairs yourself—use a NAMM-approved mason.
  • Flowers/wreaths are allowed but will be removed after a reasonable time.
  • Any flower holders must be non-breakable.
  • No glass or ceramic items to be placed on graves.
  • No glass beads, aggregate, edging, windmills, wind chimes, lanterns to be placed on any grave. We reserve the right to remove these.
  • Any plants should be restricted to the headstone border; suitable species only.
  • Any overgrown plants in borders will be cut back or removed for ease of maintenance.
  • No widening of borders is allowed.
  • Report any issues to the burials team.

Regulations for Funeral Directors and Memorial Masons

Burials

  • Requests for interments must be made at least 72 hours before burial.
  • Burials take place Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–2:30 pm.
  • No burials on weekends, Christmas Day, or Bank Holidays (except in special circumstances).
  • Grave spaces are allocated at the Council’s discretion.
  • Graves cannot be reopened without proof of ownership.
  • Walled graves/vaults are allowed only under special circumstances.
  • All burials follow the Law of Burial, Cremation and Exhumations and the Local Authorities’ Cemetery Order 1977.
  • Scattering of ashes is not permitted; ashes must be interred.

Memorials

  • All applications must be submitted to our burials team for approval.
  • No memorial may be erected without our approval.
  • We reserve the right to refuse unsuitable wording.
  • Memorials remain the owner’s responsibility.
  • The responsibilities for owning a memorial should be clearly explained to the purchaser.
  • Memorials are inspected every 5 years for safety.
  • Unsafe memorials may be laid flat for public safety or supported by wooden stakes.
  • Contractors must hold a public liability insurance covering at least £5 million.
  • Kerbs surrounds are only allowed in older parts of the cemeteries; they not permitted in new areas.
  • No work is conducted on Sundays or Bank Holidays.
  • We are not liable for damage caused except as a direct result of negligence of its employees.

Memorial Installation

  • All memorials must be installed in line with the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) Code of Working Practice and BS 8415, including the use of approved ground anchor fixing systems.
  • Only NAMM-tested and approved ground anchors are permitted.
  • Memorials must be positioned at the centre head of the grave and aligned with other memorials in the row, especially within headstone borders.
  • Headstone borders cannot be widened. Report any issues with borders to the Council immediately.
  • All bases within borders must be installed flush with ground level of the excavated border.
  • The number and section of the grave must be cut in 16mm letters on the rear bottom-right-corner of the memorial (except for a vase).
  • Remove all waste materials (e.g., broken concrete, spoil) from the site.
  • A memorial should be able to withstand 35kg of pressure when tested.
  • If a memorial is removed for any reason, it must be reinstalled following NAMM and BS 8415 standards, including the use of a ground anchor.
  • A Memorial Mason must notify the burials team at least 7 working days before installation, providing a timescale. Random inspections may occur.

Memorial Sizes

  • Headstone borders / traditional burial plots
    • Memorial: Maximum height 115 cm from the concrete base (including plinth).
    • Base: Maximum width 76 cm, depth 45 cm.
    • Headstone border: 60 cm wide.
  • Cremation graves
    • Headstone: Maximum height 75 cm from the concrete base (including plinth).
    • Concrete base: Maximum width 75 cm, depth 45 cm.
    • Headstone border: 60 cm wide.
  • Children’s Garden
    • Memorial: Maximum height 45 cm, base width 50 cm.
    • Headstone border: 60 cm wide.
  • Ashes Plots
    • Tablet or vase only: Maximum size 25 cm x 25 cm within a headstone border of 30 cm wide.
  • Tablets
    • Tablets in the Garden of Remembrance at Hamilton Road Cemetery, Deal, must be bronze and measure 15 cm x 10 cm.
    • Failure to comply with these regulations—after three warnings—may result in a memorial mason being prohibited from working in our cemeteries.