Town of Shaftsbury, Vermont
Shaftsbury Cemetery Committee Operating Procedures
Approved by the Shaftsbury Select Board on June 16, 2025
Effective June 16, 2025
Rules and Regulations
Center Cemetery
Waite Cemetery
Maple Hill Cemetery
Village Cemetery
Grandview Cemetery
The Shaftsbury Cemetery Committee has the authority to oversee the management of Shaftsbury cemeteries, to review and change these Rules and Regulations, and to develop and approve expenditures from the Shaftsbury Cemetery Capital Fund. All policies and procedures, and changes to such, must be recommended to and approved by the Shaftsbury Select Board before being implemented. Cemify, LLC is the repository of all of Shaftsbury cemeteries’ digital records. Included with these procedures is a list of Shaftsbury cemeteries (Attachment A) and a Burial Rate Sheet (Attachment B).
The following shall be the general rules for use of all Shaftsbury Cemeteries.
No person shall:
• Enter a cemetery except through an established gate or entranceway. All vehicles must stay on designated roadways. No unauthorized vehicular traffic is allowed on gravesites.
• Deposit rubbish, debris, or trash of any kind on cemetery grounds. Violators will be prosecuted.
• Use the cemeteries as picnic grounds
• Use any form of advertising on cemetery premises
• Discharge firearms in any cemetery. This prohibition shall not apply to authorized military displays.
• Deface, injure, or cause harm to any monument, stone, fence, or structure or other property within cemetery boundaries.
• Engage in the practice of "gravestone rubbing". Any form of vandalism will be reported to law enforcement authorities.
Specific Rules and Regulations
(The Shaftsbury Cemetery Committee reserves the right to change these rules as necessary.)
Cemetery Burials
• Sales of cemetery burial plots are limited to Shaftsbury residents or landowners and their direct descendants, except for Grandview, where residents and landowners of North Bennington may purchase. Any exception to this policy must be approved by the Cemetery Committee. A copy of these regulations will be included with any space purchase and issuance of deed.
• Up to one (l) traditional burial or three (3) cremation urns can be buried in one (l) space/plot. The Town allows for the internment of up to two (2) cremation urns along with a traditional burial as long as the traditional burial is already in place.
• Only (1) vertical monument per grave site (4.5’x 9’) is allowed. Any additional markers must be installed at ground level.
• There will be no removal or moving of remains of any kind without the written consent of the Cemetery Superintendent and in accordance with State Statute 18 V.S.A.§5212.
• Burial within Shaftsbury Cemeteries is limited to human remains.
• Cornerstones on all lots are mandatory and must be granite or marble.
• All burials are overseen by the Cemetery Superintendent, who coordinates with the funeral homes.
• A vault is required for all traditional, non-cremated burials.
• Unneeded/unused plots can only be sold back to the Town at the original purchase price minus any perpetual care, administrative, service, and corner marker fees.
• All burial equipment must remain out of sight of burial services in progress.
Cemetery Markers
• Placement of all cemetery memorials and headstones must be approved by the Cemetery Superintendent.
• Mausoleums are permitted, provided the Cemetery Superintendent is made aware at time of lot purchase, and is subject to approval by same.
• Monuments must be set on a foundation at the correct depth- three feet deep for a memorial up to three feet. Larger memorials/headstones require a deeper foundation.
• Benches are permissible if used as official grave markers on individual plots, but must be constructed of granite or marble and approved by the Cemetery Superintendent.
• Certain sections of Shaftsbury’s cemeteries are designated as historic. New memorials/headstones in an historic section must be in keeping with the color and general style of older markers in those sections and will need to be approved by the Cemetery Superintendent.
Cemetery Maintenance
• All artificial flowers and plants are strictly prohibited.
• Live annual plants are allowed on both removable shepherd hooks and individual pots, and must be placed close to headstones to avoid any interference with cemetery maintenance. All dead flowers will be removed by the town. All flowers and plants must be removed prior to semi-annual clean-up efforts, May 1st and November 1st, every year. The Town of Shaftsbury is not responsible for maintenance of flowers.
• Planting of trees and shrubs is strictly prohibited. Existing trees and shrubs may be removed by the town. Any plants and flowers permanently planted on cemetery grounds may be removed and disposed of by the Town.
• Figurines, stones, coins, balloons, pinwheels, personal items, religious artifacts, plates, plaques, written tributes, photographs or any other type of memento are prohibited, with the exception of veteran and emergency service personnel flag holders. All prohibited items will be removed and disposed of by the Town. The Town of Shaftsbury assumes no responsibility for their retrieval or safe keeping.
• Holiday wreaths and flowers must be removed by March 31st
• Fencing, hedging, curbing, or any type of enclosure on any individual lot or group of lots is not allowed and may be removed.
• One vigil light is permitted per plot. They must be appropriate to a cemetery setting, in good working order and placed as close as possible to the headstone.
• Leashed dogs are permitted on cemetery property as long as the owner respectfully cleans up after them.
• Winter burials during inclement weather or when the ground is frozen are at the discretion of the Cemetery Superintendent. Any additional expense for snow removal, clearing of driveways, walkways, or thawing of ground for a burial is the responsibility of the family of the deceased. The funeral home will receive an invoice from the Town.
• Town cemeteries are not maintained for winter visitation. Visitors who enter do so at their own risk.
ENFORCEMENT
• A continued violation of the rules and regulations shall be a civil matter enforced in accordance with the provisions of state law and the town of Shaftsbury.
These rules and regulations will be posted at all active cemeteries.
THESE OPERATING PROCEDURES, INCLUDING ATTACHMENT “A” LIST OF CEMETERIES AND "B" CEMETERY BURIAL RATES, 5/7/2025 ARE HEREBY APPROVED BY TOWN OF SHAFTSBURY SELECT BOARD: