GREENVILLE TOWNSHIP CEMETERIES RULES AND REGULATIONS

The rules and regulations contained herein have been adopted by the Greenville Township Trustees of Darke County. It is our intent to protect the collective interest of all property owners and to preserve the beauty of these cemeteries for future generations. All owners of interment rights, visitors and contractors working within the cemetery shall be subject to said rules and regulations and to any amendment thereof.

Article I
Modifications and Amendments

Section 1: Greenville Township Trustees expressly reserves the right at all times, with or without notice to the owners, to adopt new rules or regulations as it deems necessary.

Section 2: Greenville Township Trustees reserves the right to amend, alter or repeal such rules or regulation or any part thereof.

Section 3: Greenville Township Trustees reserves the right, with or without notice, to make exceptions, suspensions, or modifications in any rules when, in the Trustees judgment, the literal enforcement of a rule may impose unnecessary hardship. Such temporary exceptions, enforcement of a rule may impose unnecessary hardship. Such temporary exceptions, suspensions, or modifications shall in no way be construed as effecting the general application of such and shall not be considered as a waiver of the rules of the cemetery as set forth herein.

Article II
Definitions

Section 1: OWNER shall mean the owner of rights of interment at the cemetery.

Section 2: INTERMENT shall mean the disposition of the remains of a deceased person by burial, mausoleum entombment or cremation and interment.

Section 3: MEMORIAL shall mean any bronze marker placed upon or into any lot or niche for the purpose of identification or memorialization of the interred.

Section 4: CONTRACTOR shall mean any person, firm or corporation, other than cemetery employee, performing any work within the cemetery grounds or engaged in installing or repairing any memorial within the cemetery.

Article III
Ownership

Section 1: It is the policy of this Township to offer it facilities and services to all persons without regard to race, religion or national origin.

Article IV
Supervision of Cemetery

Section 1: The cemetery management reserves the right to enforce all rules and regulations as adopted by the Greenville Township Trustees.

Section 2: The cemetery management shall take reasonable precaution to protect the property rights of owners from loss or damage. The cemetery distinctly disclaims responsibility for loss or damage from causes beyond its control, i.e. damage from the elements, acts of God, common enemy, thieves, vandals, strikers, malicious mischief makers, explosions, unavoidable accidents, invasion, insurrection, riots or order of any military or civil authority whether the damage be direct or collateral.

Section 3: The cemetery management reserves the right to correct any errors which might occur in making interment, disinterment, transfers conveyance or inscription. The cemetery shall also have the right to make substitutions in lieu thereof of property or merchandise of equal value and similar location, or at the discretion of cemetery officials by refunding the amount of money paid on account of said purchase. In the event such error shall involve the interment of the remains of any person in such property, the cemetery reserves the right to remove and transfer such remains so interred to such property of equal value and similar location as may be substituted and conveyed in lieu thereof. The cemetery shall also have the right to correct any errors made by placing an improper inscription, including an incorrect name or date either on the memorial or on the container for cremated remains.

Section 4: The cemetery management shall have the right to enlarge, reduce, re-plat or change the boundaries or grading of a section or sections of the cemetery. This shall include the right to modify or change the location of any part thereof or remove or re-grade roads, dries or walls. It shall also include the right to lay, maintain, operate, or alter pipe lines or gutters for sprinkling systems, drainage, lakes, etc.

Section 5: The cemetery management shall have the right to use cemetery property not sold to individual owners for any necessary cemetery purpose, including the interring and preparation for interment of dead bodies.

Section 6: The cemetery management reserves to itself and to those lawfully entitled thereto a perpetual right of ingress and egress over lots for the purpose of passage to and from other lots.

Article V
Sale and Transfer of Interment Rights

Section 1: No interment rights or contracts for the purchase of interment rights may be sold, assigned, transferred pledged or hypothecated without the written approval of an officer of the cemetery.

Section 2: All terms and conditions for the purchase of interment rights must be recited in the purchase contract. Verbal agreements or representations will not be recognized.

Section 3: No conditional or partial transfer of burial rights and no sale of an individual interest will be permitted except to a person or persons who are already part owners. The reason for the above is that the cemetery cannot be responsible for carrying out the intent of the grantor.

Section 4: The right to use a burial space prior to the payment of the full purchase price shall be governed by the provisions of the contact of sale.

Section 5: The owner of interment right may dispose or same by will, subject to the previously stated rules concerning transfer of property. If the owner dies interstate, the ownership of the burial rights will pass in accord with the laws of descent and distribution governing the estate of the interstate.

Section 6: The sale or transfer of an interment right by any owner shall not be binding upon the cemetery unless same shall first be duly approved in writing by the properly authorized officer of the cemetery and then such interment right must be conveyed to the cemetery. The cemetery shall issue a Warranty Conveyance to the new owner. The same rule shall apply in all cases of assignment of purchase contract for interment rights. This procedure is required in order to maintain a complete and accurate record of all owners.

Section 7: All transfers of interment rights, whether by conveyance or assignment of purchase contract, are subject to all current rules and regulations of said cemetery.

Section 8: All transfers of ownership shall be subject to the current transfer fee which must be paid to the cemetery when the transfer is recorded.

Section 9: The cemetery may refuse consent for transfer or assignment as long as indebtedness to the cemetery remains.

Section 10: The subdivision of interment rights is not allowed without the consent of the cemetery. No one shall be buried in any lot not having an interest thereon except by written consent of the owner or authorized representative of said burial rights.

Section 11: The burial of more than one body in a grave will not be permitted except when both bodies are in the same casket or when the burial site is in a designated double interment area.

Article VI
Memorials

Section 1: To preserve uniform beauty throughout the cemetery, all memorials and markers must meet the following specifications.

1. The marker of each lot, grave or graves is restricted to flat bronze tablets set flush with the turf.
2. All bronze memorials must e approved by the cemetery management when purchased from any source other than a cemetery representative. This in necessary to insure that adequate materials and manufacturing methods are used to guarantee lasting beauty and durability.
3. Each memorial shall be east with integral bosses on the back in locations specified by the cemetery. These bosses shall be drilled and tapped to receive 3/8” diameter anchor lugs of brass or bronze. Lug separate 4” to 6” in a straight length, these anchor lugs to be supplies to the cemetery with the memorial.

Section 2: No memorial may beset to embrace two or more grave spaces except a companion or family memorial.

Section 3: Only bronze urns as selected through the cemetery office or approved by the cemetery shall be permitted. These vases shall be contained in their own receptacle when not in use, the base which shall be installed by the cemetery personnel.

Section 4: Authorization must be obtained in writing from a cemetery official for approval of design size, and size of lettering for any memorial purchase from sources outside the cemetery.

Section 5: The specifications as stated in Article VI, Section 1 shall not apply to memorial for Veterans supplied by the Federal and State Government.

Article VII
Installation of Memorials

Section 1: All markers or memorials shall be installed by the cemetery at the cost of the owner.

1. If the memorial is purchased through the cemetery, service and installation charge shall be itemized and included in the purchase contact.
2. If the memorial is purchase form an outside agent, the charge for service and installation shall be in the same amount as Article VII, Section 1-A. All such charges shall be paid to the cemetery in advance of installation.

Section 2: The cemetery shall assume responsibility for the proper installation of said marker or memorial; however, the cemetery shall not be liable for any defective material or defective workmanship beyond replacement or repair of such defective materials.

Section 3: All memorials shall be set on uniform lines to conform in the general plan of the cemetery.

Section 4: All memorials shall be installed on a base of the size and material specified by the cemetery.

Section 5: Any memorial, structure or inscription place on same which is determined by cemetery officials to be offensive or not in harmony with the overall plan for cemetery development shall be removed or corrected by employees of the cemetery.

Article VIII
Burial Regulations

Section 1: Notice of 24 working hours before the announced time of a funeral will be required in order to insure a properly prepared burial space.

Section 2: Grave spaces must be located by the family or its representative, and an interment card must be signed.

Section 3: After entering the cemetery gated, funerals shall be subject to the direction of the cemetery official in charge.

Section 4: A vault of concrete, steel, fiberglass or other material of sufficient strength to prevent collapse must be used as a grave liner. This vault shall be approved by a cemetery official prior to installation.

Article IX
Code for Personal Conduct

Section 1: No person shall be permitted to enter or leave the cemetery except during daylight hours. Any person found on the cemetery grounds after dark will be considered a trespasser.

Section 2: The speed limit within the cemetery shall be 15 mph.

Section 3: Driving any type of vehicle upon any place other than the designated roadway is prohibited.

Section 4: No pets shall be allowed in the cemetery.

Section 5: No recreational bicycle or motorcycle riding within the cemetery shall be permitted.

Section 6: Consuming alcoholic beverages within the cemetery is strictly forbidden.

Section 7: Picnicking on the cemetery property is forbidden.

Section 8: No person shall be permitted to neither use profane or boisterous language nor create a noise disturbance within the cemetery.

Section 9: Hunting and fishing within the cemetery is prohibited.

Section 10: No person shall be permitted to carry firearms within the cemetery. This shall exclude the Military Guard of Honor during a military service.

Section 11: All persons are strictly forbidden to bread or injure any tree, flower or shrub, or damage any landmark, marker or memorial or in any way deface the grounds of the cemetery.

Section 12: Persons within the cemetery grounds shall use only the avenues, walkways and roads.

Section 13: All provision and penalties of the law as provided by statute will be strictly enforced in all cases of wanton injury, disturbances and disregard of the rules.

Article X
Care and Maintenance of Cemetery

Section 1: The cemetery personnel shall be directly responsible for all improvements within the grounds and upon all lots and graves before as well as after interments have been therein.

Section 2: No person other than the employees of the cemetery shall be allowed to perform work on any grave or lot within the grounds.

Section 3: The cemetery personnel shall have charge of planting, sod ding, surveying and general care of the cemetery.

Section 4: No gratuities shall be paid to cemetery attendants at the cemetery entrance or on the grounds.

Article XI
Burial Space Restriction

Section 1: No enclosure of any type, i.e., fence, stone, coping hedge or ditch shall be permitted around any lots.

Section 2: Grave mounds shall not be permitted and no lot shall be raised above the established grade.

Section 3: No boxes, toys, statues, glassware, sprinkling cans or similar articles shall be permitted on any burial space.

Section 4: The cemetery disclaims responsibility for theft or damage to any item placed on burial spaces.

Section 5: No individual benches or chairs of any type shall be permitted on any burial space.

Section 6: No trellis shall be erected on any burial space.

Section 7: The cemetery personnel shall have the authority to remove any article placed on burial spaces which is contrary to cemetery regulations.

Section 8: The cemetery personnel shall have the right to remove any dead or damaged tree, shrub or vine from any lots.

Section 9: Flowers or other grave decorations will be removed as soon as they begin to wither or fade. The cemetery personnel have the right to remove any such items if not done by the owner.

Section 10: All grave decorations, floral or otherwise must be removed by March 1st of each year.

Section 11: Floral bouquets are permitted at all times, provided same are displayed in vases per Article VI, Section 3.

Section 12: Individual plantings on grave spaces are strictly prohibited.

Section 13: Placing potted flowers or plants, summer wreaths or baskets on graves shall be permitted only on Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Memorial Day and Christmas Day. Same shall be removed within seven (7) days following the holiday.

Section 14: The digging of holes for any purpose is prohibited.

Section 15: The cemetery personnel reserve the right to remove any cut flowers, wreaths or other decorations when they become faded or withered, the cemetery shall also have the right to remove such decorations after March 1st.

Article XII
Disinterment

Section 1: An interment card must be signed by the authorized representative.

Section 2: The disinterment fee shall be equivalent to the current opening and closing fee charged by the cemetery. This fee must be paid in advance.

Section 3: When the occupied burial space was provided at the cost to the interred, such burial space and all rights therein revert to the cemetery at the time of disinterment.

Section 4: If the burial receptacle is not in a removable condition, one must be provided by the applicant for removal.

Section 5: If the disinterred remains are to be reinterred in the cemetery, all rules and regulations currently in effect shall be applicable.