Cemetery Information
The Cemetery Office is now located inside the Stow Service Center at 3840 Holly Tree Trail. Follow the access road from City Hall, past the "Road Closed" sign, to the Service Center.
Phone: (330) 689-2828
Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday
In the event of an emergency, please call the Stow Police Department
at (330) 689-5700
| Introduction | Disinterment |
| Ground Rules | Perpetual Care |
| Definitions | Indigent Burial |
| Interments | Fee Schedule |
| Monuments, Markers, Gravestones | |
| Plantings and Adornments | Map of Silver Springs Cemetery |
| Map of Maple Lawn Cemetery |
Introduction
Stow Cemetery Locations
Maple Lawn
Cemetery,
4915 Darrow Road
Stow Cemetery,
3162 Kent Road
Silver Springs Cemetery,
5080 Stow Road
In order to promote a safe and reverent environment for the families and friends of the deceased and for the mutual protection and benefit of the owners and/or purchasers of the Right of Interment and the City of Stow, the following Policies & Procedures and Rules & Regulations for Cemetery Interments have been adopted. All owners, purchasers and visitors on the property owned by the City of Stow shall be subject to these dictates. The reference to these Policies & Procedures, Rules and Regulations in the Certificate of Right of Interment shall have the same effect as if set forth in full therein. All determinations as to the interpretation of these dictates shall be at the sole and final discretion of the City of Stow Cemetery Board and the City of Stow Administration.
The Certificate of Right of Interment, these Policies & Procedures, Rules & Regulations and any amendment thereto shall be the sole agreement between the City of Stow and the Owner/Purchaser of the Right of Interment. Any oral or written statements of any person, unless in a notarized statement approved by the City of Stow, shall in no way bind the City of Stow. The City of Stow reserves the right to make modifications or amendments to these Policies and Procedures, Rules & Regulations without notice, and all owners, purchasers and visitors will be subject to the dictates of the City of Stow Cemeteries in place at the time.
The Certificate of Right of Interment conveys only the Right of Burial, and shall not be sold to another individual. This Right may only be transferred back to the City of Stow, and will be compensated in the amount of the original purchase price plus 25% of any increase between the rate in effect at the time of purchase and the rate in effect at the time of transfer back to the City of Stow.
All cemetery property is sacred ground devoted to the burial of loved ones. A respectful atmosphere shall be maintained at all times.
No person within a municipal cemetery shall:
- Be present on the cemetery grounds between dusk and dawn without reasonable cause or permission from the Cemetery Specialist
- Play, loiter or park any vehicle without having official business in the cemetery
- Pick any flowers, wild or cultivated, if not owned by such person
- Destroy, deface, remove, sit or stand on, or perform any other disrespectful act to any monument, tree, shrub, building, equipment or any other object connected to the cemetery or any object for the purpose of the memory of a person interred in the cemetery.
- Have pets of any kind on cemetery ground.
"Cemetery", The place or area set apart for interment of the dead by burial in the earth or entombment in a columbarium and all walks, drives and grounds set aside for meditation and other natural ornamentation.
"Cemetery Board", the persons duly appointed by the Mayor of the City of Stow for the purpose of general policy making, planning and administrative power over all municipal cemeteries, as defined in the Charter of the City of Stow and the Codified Ordinances of Stow.
"Certificate of Right of Burial", the document which is provided to the purchaser of the right of burial upon payment in full and shall denote any burial rights or restrictions.
"Disinterment", "The recovery of human remains by exhumation, disentombment or disinurnment. ‘Disinterment’ does not include…the repositioning of an outside outer burial container that encroaches an adjoining burial space." Ohio Rev. Code Ann. 517.23 (Anderson 2000).
"Grave", an excavation in the earth in which a deceased person is buried or is to be buried.
"Interment", the act or process of burying a deceased person in a grave or inurning the cremains of a deceased person in a niche or grave. The permanent disposition of the remains of a deceased person by burial or inurnment.
"Lot", A space within the cemetery used or intended to be used for earth burial and containing two or more graves.
"Marker", also referred to as a "flat marker," or memorial.
"Monument", a memorial made of granite that is placed on a grave or family plot. A monument stands above the ground in an upright position.
"Niche", a space in a columbarium sufficient in size for the inurnment of the cremains of a deceased person.
"Niche Front", the granite cover that is fastened on the place of inurnment and upon which the memorialization is engraved.
"Owners" and "Purchasers", persons who have purchased a Right-of-Burial in a City of Stow Cemetery.
"Private Mausoleum", a granite structure designed and constructed for the interment of the family for whom the structure has been constructed or other persons as may be designated by the Owner of the Right of Interment.
"Resident", A person who has been a bona fide resident of the City of Stow for one day or more, or who was a bona fide resident of the City of Stow immediately prior to entering a nursing home.
"Right of Burial", An individual’s right to burial or inurnment arising out of the purchase of the right in accordance with City of Stow policies and procedures, rules and regulations.
Interments
Right
of Burial conveys only the right to be buried in a City of Stow cemetery;
ownership of said land remains in the name of the City of Stow. All burials
shall be conducted by City of Stow Cemetery employees and shall be in a vault or
grave liner made of either concrete or steel. Urns shall be made of marble,
metal or stone or may be in a vault of concrete, steel or fiberglass. Infant
burials shall be permitted in Styrofoam casket/vault combinations.
One vault burial per grave is permitted. One infant burial over an adult grave is permitted, provided the adult burial is of sufficient depth. One cremation is permitted over another burial. Two cremation burials will be permitted in a grave where there are no vault burials. There shall be no more than two (2) burials in any single grave.
A Columbarium is provided at Stow Cemetery for the inurnment of cremains. Two inurnments are permitted in each niche if space allows (11.25" h x 11.25" w x 9" deep.) Niche face plates shall be engraved with name, year of birth and year of death only, except two emblems shall be permitted in a location to be designated by the Stow Cemetery Board. All engraving shall be of a lettering selected by the Stow Cemetery Board and work shall be done through a City of Stow appointed source. Any emblems not of a standard design must be approved by the Stow Cemetery Board and may require additional fees. Prepayment of engraving fees shall be permitted, but actual engraving shall not take place until time of inurnment.
Prior to interment, payment in full shall be made and a burial permit provided. Pre-payment of burial fees is permitted, provided that any increase in those fees from that date of pre-payment to the date of burial shall be paid in full prior to burial.
Saturday and City Holiday burials are subject to an additional charge.
Monuments, Markers, Gravestones
The City of Stow Cemetery Board respects the individuality of families and their diverse selections of monuments, markers and gravestones. Your choice may be installed on your gravesites, but must not be larger than the area to which you are entitled. Foundations for monuments are installed by the Stow Cemetery Department. The foundation charge must be paid prior to the installation of the marker or monument.
At Silver Springs Cemetery diversity will also be permitted, with the exception of BabyLand located in Section C directly behind the Christmas Box Angel Statue. These 50 graves will be limited to a flat marker no larger than 24" by 14". If a monument is desired for a baby grave at Silver Springs Cemetery, an adult grave may be purchased. A new BabyLand has been created in Section I at Stow Cemetery where monuments are permitted.
Footstones will not be permitted except for flat markers of granite or bronze that will allow a mower to pass over. A concrete foundation is required under a flat bronze marker; a sand base is required under a flat granite marker. An additional fee will be charged for either installation. No charge will be made for laying the foundation for a bronze, flat veteran marker, as a gesture of appreciation by the City of Stow for the service of veterans.
The Cemetery Board requires that a granite base be installed under all monuments to reduce the chance of damage. The City of Stow will not be held responsible for damage to any monument caused by normal cemetery operation
In order to maintain a neat appearance throughout the cemeteries, certain rules and regulations have been established for the planting, care and removal of any plants and other adornments. Prior approval by the Stow Cemetery Board and/or the Cemetery Specialist shall be obtained prior to the planting of any flowers, shrubs or trees in City of Stow Cemeteries. The Cemetery Specialist or his designated representative may direct grounds crews to remove or mow over any flower beds or adornments that have become unsightly. In no way shall the City of Stow, the Cemetery Board, or cemetery personnel be responsible for any type of adornment.
All flower beds shall be kept within twelve inches (12") of the front of the grave monument. No edging or border is permitted. No large urns or potted flower containers may be permitted to block the path of the mowing equipment. If this occurs, the container shall be removed from the gravesite. Potted plants shall be removed when the blossoms are dead. Artificial flowers are permitted only during the non-mowing winter months and shall be removed by March 1. Cut flowers are permitted on each grave for a period of five (5) days and shall be removed as soon as they become unsightly. To avoid any embarrassment to you or cemetery personnel, promptly remove any containers you wish to keep.
In addition, at Silver Springs Cemetery, certain plantings will be permitted between the monuments and will be restricted to a list of plant material approved by the Urban Forester and the Stow Cemetery Board. The list of approved plant materials for Silver Springs Cemetery may be obtained from the Cemetery Office
Any plantings in violation of these rules shall be removed without notice. Please make proper arrangements with the Cemetery Specialist prior to purchasing or planting any flowers, shrubs or trees.
Silver Springs Cemetery, located at 5080 Stow Road, accepted its first burial in March, 2001, and should provide burial facilities for many years to come. Phase I includes Sections A, B, C, Babyland and the Christmas Box Angel Memorial Statue.
Per H.B. 328,
effective 11-24-1995
By John McGough, OFDA Legislative Consultant
Disinterment by Surviving Spouse
To request a disinterment, a surviving spouse shall apply to a cemetery and pay the reasonable costs and expense of the disinterment. The application must be in writing and shall state the following:
- That the applicant is the surviving spouse of the decedent
- That the applicant is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind
- The disease of which the decedent died
- The place at which the remains shall be reinterred
The application shall be subscribed and verified by oath (notarized.)
If the cemetery refuses to disinter or grant permission for disinterment after a surviving spouse makes application, the probate court of the county in which the decedent is buried shall issue a writ of mandamus requiring the cemetery to disinter the remains or to grant permission for their disinterment.
Disinterment by Those Other Than Surviving Spouse
A person who is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind and who is not the surviving spouse of the decedent, may obtain a court order for the disinterment of the remains of the decedent. The application to the probate court of the county in which the decedent is buried shall be in writing, subscribed and verified by oath, and include the following:
1. The relationship of the applicant to the decedent
2. A statement of the place at which the remains will be reinterred
3. The
name, the relationship to the decedent, and the address of the
decedent’s
surviving
spouse, of all persons
who would have been entitled to inherit from the decedent under
Chapter 2105 of
the Ohio Revised Code,
if the decedent had died without a will, and if the
decedent had a will, all
legatees and devisees
named in the decedent’s will
4. If applicable, a statement that the applicant assumed financial
responsibility for the funeral
and burial expenses of the decedent.
5.
If the applicant
did not assume financial responsibility for the funeral and burial expenses of
the decedent, a statement to that
effect
6. A statement that the applicant is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind
7. The relationship to the decedent
Upon giving the proper notice required by law, the probate court promptly shall conduct a hearing to determine whether to issue an order for disinterment of the remains of the decedent.
How to Challenge
a Surviving Spouse’s Application to Disinter
Any person who is 18 years of age or older and of sound mind may apply to the probate court of the county in which the decedent is buried for an order to prevent the decedent’s surviving spouse from having the remains of the decedent disinterred. The application to prevent disinterment shall be in writing, subscribed and verified by oath, and include the requirements numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the above paragraph and including:
5. A statement of the applicant’s reasons to oppose the disinterment of the remains of the decedent
Correction of Interment Errors
A cemetery may
disinter or grant permission to disinter and, if appropriate, may reinter or
grant permission to reinter any remains buried in the cemetery to correct an
interment error by complying with the internal rules of the cemetery pertaining
to disinterments at any time by providing notice of the disinterment
to the decedent’s last known next of kin. The cemetery may correct an interment
error without a court order or an application by a person.
The Perpetual Care Fund was established in 1977 for the care and maintenance of the City of Stow cemeteries. It is added to on a regular basis in the following manner:
- Twenty-five percent (25%) of all resident grave sales and opening and closing fees
- For non-resident grave sales, one hundred percent (100%) of the difference between non-resident and resident graves, plus twenty-five percent (25%) of the resident grave price
- Twenty-five percent (25%) of all niche sales and opening and closing fees
- All engraving fees for niche face plates shall be placed in this fund, and all engraving charges shall be paid from this fund.
All expenditures from the Perpetual Care fund shall be subject to the usual and customary fiscal control of the City of Stow, Department of Finance, based upon recommendation of the Stow Cemetery Board.
The City of Stow has an indigent burial program which shall be administered by the Service Department as follows:
(a) Interment of
persons meeting the requirements of Ohio R.C 5101.521 shall be done only
with
prior
authorization of the Director of Public Service and as provided for in this
section.
(b)
The Mayor and Director of Finance are hereby authorized to pay the following
sums for
professional
services rendered by funeral directors to prepare Ohio R.C. 5101.521 persons
for
burial in accordance
with the rules and regulations established by the Director of Public
Service.
Each adult person $700.00
Each child under 12 years of age $550.00
Each still birth $150.00
The
Mayor and Director of Finance are also hereby authorized to pay for a stone or
concrete
marker on which the
person’s name and age, if known, and date of death shall be inscribed.
(c)
Ohio R.C 5101.521 burials shall be scheduled to arrive at a municipal cemetery
before
11:00 a.m.,
weekdays.
(d)
Before any interments or payments are made pursuant to this section, the funeral
director
must submit
the following to the Director of Public Service:
(1) Three copies of a statement for the amount requested to be paid by the City pursuant to subsection (b) hereof;
(2) Two copies of the death certificate and one copy of the burial permit; and
(3) An original certificate of indigency form completed by the next of kin, or if not available, the most knowledgeable individual concerning the affairs of the deceased, for the purpose of determining whether the deceased qualifies to be buried at the City’s expense pursuant to the Ohio R.C. 5101.521. This certificate shall be in a form prescribed by the Director of Public Service and shall be completed, signed and witnessed in the offices at Stow Cemetery, or other location designated by the Director, prior to or on the day of the burial.
(e)
Should it be ascertained, after any payment by the City pursuant to subsection
(b) hereof,
that such
payment was made for a decedent whom the City did not have the responsibility to
bury pursuant to Ohio R.C. 5101.521, the City shall be entitled to any benefits payable on
behalf of
such decedent by any
person or agency who had the responsibility to pay burial
benefits pursuant to
Ohio R.C. 5101.521, up to
an amount totaling the payment made pursuant
to subsection (b) hereof plus the
fees for the grave space
and the opening and closing.
| Fee Description | Resident Fee | Non-Resident Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Grave | $425.00 | $550.00 |
| Burial | $425.00 | $425.00 |
| Saturday/City Holiday Burial | $775.00 | $775.00 |
| Burial of Urn | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Saturday/Holiday Burial of Urn | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Babyland Grave Includes interment fee; vault no larger than 43"x28", Saturday charge is $150.00 |
$75.00 | $75.00 |
| Burial of Baby Urn (in adult grave) |
$50.00 | $50.00 |
| Niche of Columbarium | $500.00 | $500.00 |
| Inurnment in Columbarium | $75.00 | $75.00 |
| Saturday/City Holiday Inurnment in Columbarium | $125.00 | $125.00 |
| Mausoleum Site | $3400.00 | $3400.00 |
| Entombment in Mausoleum | $250.00. | $250.00 |
| Saturday Entombment | $600.00 | $600.00. |
Miscellaneous Fees
| Fee Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Memorial Foundation | $50.00 |
| Flat Granite Foundation* | $35.00 |
| Engraving of Niche Plate Includes one name, year of birth and year of death. Emblems are $30.00, limited to two |
$150.00 |
| Disinterment** | $500.00 |
| Disinterment of Urn** | $100.00 |
| Disinterment from Babyland** | $50.00 |
| * Flat granite or bronze veteran markers are exempt from the fee, as a token of the City of Stow's appreciation for the service of our veterans. | |
| ** If reinterment is in a City of Stow cemetery, burial fees apply. | |
- Stow Cemetery
3162 Kent Road - Maple Lawn Cemetery
4915 Darrow Road - Silver Springs Cemetery
5080 Stow Road
