8.32.190 Grave markers.
All headstones or grave markers in city cemeteries shall comply with the size, type, placement, and other requirements of this section. All grave markers shall be installed under the direction of the city sexton. Within ninety (90) days after the interment of any human remains in any lot, the owner of any burial rights or relatives of the interred person shall place or cause to be placed upon the grave a suitable grave marker with the name of the deceased person plainly inscribed thereon. If any person does not comply with this requirement, the city reserves the right to install a grave marker to identify the deceased and collect the cost of the purchase and installation of the grave marker from the persons otherwise responsible for the placement of such marker. Markers, monuments, or structures other than those explicitly provided for in this section shall not be placed upon any lot.
1. Size of Markers. All grave markers shall be securely set in a concrete foundation at least six inches (6") thick, or the grave marker shall consist of one (1) solid piece of granite six inches (6") thick. All grave markers shall also be surrounded by a six inch (6") wide border of concrete or granite that will act as a mowing strip. Markers shall have a maximum length of forty inches (40") for single burials, and eighty inches (80") for double burials, and shall have a maximum width of forty inches (40") for both single burials and double burials. Markers where infants or urns are buried shall not exceed forty inches (40") by twenty-five inches (25"). Maximum grave marker dimensions listed above include the six inch (6") concrete or granite border.
2. Type of Markers. All grave markers/headstones and their associated concrete/granite borders shall be placed flush with the ground. No upright headstones shall be allowed in the cemetery. Grave markers shall be made from long-lasting weather resistant materials such as stone, concrete, bronze, or other similar materials approved by the city sexton.
3. Placement of Markers. All grave markers shall be placed at the head of the grave. Exceptions to this rule shall apply only on lots where a veteran is buried, where one (1) additional grave marker, supplied by the Veteran’s Administration, may be placed at the foot of the grave. Markers in the cemetery face west; meaning viewers are facing east when reading the marker. Traditional side-by-side burials of couples normally have the husband on the right (or south) and the wife on the left (or north). Grave marker installation shall be inspected by the city to verify conformance to city standards.
4. Number of Markers. Except as otherwise permitted in this chapter, only one (1) grave marker per lot shall be permitted regardless of the number of human remains buried in the lot. (Ord. 2018-15 §1, amended, 2018; Ord. 2016-20 §1, amended, 2016; Ord. 2014-15, amended, 2014; Ord. 11-92, adopted, 1992)