Cemetery: A place dedicated to and used, or intended to be used, for the final disposition and memorialization of human remains.
Interment: Final disposition of a body by burial in the ground, entombment in a mausoleum or placement of cremated remains in a niche.
NOTE: Cremated remains may also be buried in the ground.
In-Ground Casket Interment
- Single depth interment: Single grave that can accommodate one full body interment.
- Double depth interment: Single grave that can accommodate two full body interments; one on top of the other.
Above-Ground Burial
- Mausoleum: A structure designed to accommodate full body or cremated remains burials in a either a crypt or niche. Typically, a mausoleum is a stand-alone structure much like a small house with a door for entry.
- Crypt: A chamber within a mausoleum designed to contain human remains in a casket.
- Niche: A small recess in a mausoleum or columbarium designed for placement of cremated human remains in a cremation urn.
- Sarcophagus: A structure designed to accommodate full body or cremated remains burial in a crypt or niche. Typically, a sarcophagus is a smaller structure than a mausoleum and there is no door for entry.
- Columbarium: A structure designed to accommodate cremated human remains in niches. A columbarium may be an outdoor stand-alone structure or an area within a mausoleum.
Containers for human remains
- Casket: A rigid container designed to encase human remains. Caskets are made from wood, metal or other materials.
- Cremation urn: A small container designed to encase cremated human remains.
- Vaults: An outer container that is lowered into the open grave. The casket is then lowered into the vault. Vaults are made of steel, concrete or plastic.
- NOTE: Contact the funeral home of your choice to arrange for a casket, urn or vault.
Memorials/Monuments
- Cenotaph: A memorial for a person(s) or group whose remains are elsewhere.
- Flush memorials: Memorials that are level with the surface of the ground. Typically, these memorials are made of bronze or granite.
- Upright monuments: Memorials that stand upright from the level of the ground. These memorials are variable in height, width and depth. The dimensions and material of the memorial are restricted by the cemetery’s rules and regulations.
- NOTE: Contact the monument dealer of your choice to arrange for the memorial/monument.
