A cemetery is a place where dead bodies and cremated remains are buried.  It is a place or area set apart, either by governmental authority or private enterprise.  A public cemetery is open for use by the community at large while a private cemetery is used only by a small segment of a community or by a family.

Cemeteries in the Western world are the place where the final ceremonies of death are observed. These ceremonies or rites differ according to cultural practice and religious belief.  The establishment of a cemetery involves the process of formally designating a tract of land for use for the burial of the dead. It must be set apart, marked, and distinguished from adjoining ground as a graveyard.

A cemetery is not subject to the laws of ordinary property due to their inherently different nature.  Most states have established laws that specifically apply to cemeteries[i].  Private interests in the place of burial are subject to the control of public authorities, which have the right to require the disinterment of bodies if deemed necessary.

A columbarium is a building containing niches in which  urns containing the ashes of the deceased after cremation are placed.

[i] State ex rel. Stephan v. Lane, 228 Kan. 379 (Kan. 1980)

Inside Cemeteries