The mission of the Maple Hill Cemetery Association is to provide a service to the community and to protect, enhance and ensure the sanctity and beauty of the Maple Hill Cemetery as a dignified and traditional resting place for individuals and families of various faiths.

These Rules and Regulations are hereby adopted by the Maple Hill Cemetery Association for the protection of Maple Hill Cemetery and its grave owners effective as of July 19, 2021, and supersede all previous Rules and Regulations.  All grave owners and visitors to the Cemetery are subject to these Rules and Regulations, and amendments thereof, as are adopted from time to time.  Grave owners who have questions about any of the following Rules and Regulations should contact Cemetery management.

The Cemetery reserves the right to control all activities within the Cemetery grounds including, but not limited to, burials, surveying (platting of gravesites), landscaping, plantings, and improvements.  The Cemetery further reserves the right to set standards for any and all activities related to the Cemetery.

The Cemetery reserves the right to enlarge, reduce, re-plat and change the boundaries or the grading of the Cemetery.  The Cemetery also has the right to modify, re-grade, change the location of, or eliminate roads, drives and walks.

The Cemetery reserves a perpetual easement over all the graves to permit travel of personnel, machinery and equipment to and from other gravesites.

The Cemetery reserves the right to regulate the activities of all visitors including, but not limited to, refusing admission to anyone who is not a grave owner, or a properly interested party, or any person whom the management deems to be objectionable.

The Cemetery has the right to set and modify prices as it deems appropriate.  No persons, other than employees of the Cemetery, are allowed to perform any work within the Cemetery without proper authorization from the Cemetery management.

If any monument, effigy, enclosure or any structure whatever, or any inscription be placed in or upon any lot which shall be determined by the Directors to be offensive, improper or injurious to the appearance of surrounding lots or grounds, the Directors shall have the right and it shall be their duty to enter upon such lot and remove said offensive or improper object or objects.

The Cemetery retains the right to refuse placement or move any monument, accessory or any other structure, without prior authorization, as required in the course of Cemetery operations.

The Cemetery reserves the right to lay flat or make stable any monument that it determines is dangerously tilted.

The Cemetery reserves the right to trim or remove any vegetation if it becomes dangerous, diseased, unsightly, when it does not conform to the Cemetery standards, or for any other reason, its removal is considered necessary.

The Cemetery reserves the right to remove plants, trees or any other landscaping placed by anyone other than Cemetery personnel.

Maple Hill Cemetery requires all visitors and employees to obey all Rules and Regulations adopted by the Cemetery.

The Cemetery requires that all persons within the grounds act so as to preserve the sanctity of the Cemetery.

All lots shall be held in pursuance of the Maple Hill Cemetery Association’s founding principles, and shall not be used for any other purpose than as a place of burial for the dead.

It shall be the duty of the Directors from time to time to lay out or alter such avenues or walks and make such rules and regulations for the government of the grounds as they may deem requisite and proper to secure and promote the general objectives of the association.

Visitors are permitted to enter or leave the Cemetery only by the public entrances and only during posted visiting hours.  Persons entering the Cemetery through non-public entrances, or at any time other than the posted visiting hours, without prior authorization by the Cemetery, will be considered trespassers.

All outside vendors and contractors must present a current Certificate of Insurance for General Liability (coverage not less than $1,000,000), Worker’s Compensation and auto insurance, in addition to a signed Hold Harmless agreement, prior to performing work on the premises.

• No littering.
• No unauthorized bicycles or motorcycles.
• No speeding.
• No children unaccompanied by an adult.
• No unleashed dogs or other domestic animals.
• No radio playing or loud talking within range of a funeral or unveiling.
• No picking of flowers, wild or cultivated.
• No injuring, breaking, or uprooting of any tree, shrub, or plant.
• No damaging or defacing any monument, structure or fence.
• No feeding of any animals.
• No disturbing of the wildlife without the consent of the General Manager.
• No unauthorized possession of firearms.
• The burning of candles is permitted outdoors and is also allowed indoors only with supervision.

A penalty may be imposed for violations of any Local, State or Federal Law or the Rules and Regulations of the Cemetery.  Full damages incurred will be corrected at the expense of the transgressor.

The maintenance of the common areas and infrastructure of the Cemetery includes mowing in common areas, care and maintenance of roads, buildings and equipment, record keeping, security, and other such activities.

According to Pennsylvania law, the Cemetery is to maintain a Preservation Trust Fund.  The income generated by this Fund is used for the maintenance of the common areas and infrastructure of the Cemetery and does not provide funds for such things as burials, landscaping services for individual graves, foundations, monument services, or hedge and shrub trimming.

State law requires the Cemetery to collect fees for deposit into the Preservation Trust Fund upon the sale or transfer of graves, niches or mausoleums.

Cremation is performed to prepare a deceased individual for memorialization.  All cremations are performed individually.  All bodies received for cremation must be in an approved casket or cremation container.

Upon delivery, a deceased individual is identified with a steel, numbered disc that is recorded in a numbered register book.  The register book is maintained in the cemetery office.

Paperwork on the deceased individual is typed and filed in a monthly log folder and a copy of the permit is sent to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Vital Statistics.  Paperwork consists of the state permit, the coroner’s certificate (if required) and a signed authorization form from the family or representative.

All funeral directors or their employees/representatives must remove from the deceased individual any combustible devices (such as pacemakers) that may cause severe damage to the crematory retorts.

Upon completion of the cremation process, cremated remains (cremains) are packed and placed in an approved container designated by the Funeral Director.  Cremains will be interred, picked up by the funeral home, released or mailed to an individual designated by the Funeral Director.

In the event that cremains are unwanted by the deceased individual’s family, the next-of-kin must provide the cemetery with a signed certificate stating this intent.

After being held for 120 days, unwanted cremains are buried in an unmarked grave on cemetery property.

Grave Ownership
Certificates of Interment (formerly Deeds) for cemetery plots or graves must be recorded in the Title Records of the Cemetery. Transfer of title is accomplished only with the written approval by the Cemetery.  Any Certificate of Interment (formerly Deed) or attempted transfer of title that is not recorded on the Title Records of the Cemetery will not be recognized.

State law provides that unless a Will specifically disposes of a deceased owner’s interest in a cemetery plot or grave, title passes to all the heirs-at-law of the deceased owner.  An Affidavit of Heirs does not transfer ownership, but only identifies the heirs for the purpose of determining the new owners.  A member of the family who has personal knowledge of the facts must execute an Affidavit of Heirs.  The Affidavit of Heirs must then be filed with the Cemetery.  The Cemetery is entitled to accept an Affidavit of Heirs at face value, and is not liable for incorrect information contained in the Affidavit.

The Cemetery will not act on behalf of any one or more owners with regard to any communication or dispute between or among owners.

Fees may be charged for the preparation of legal documents including, but not limited to, Certificates of Interment (formerly Deeds), Affidavits of Heirs, and Trust Indentures.

Burial Authorization
A Trust Indenture signed by all current owners of a plot is required to reserve a specific grave for the burial of a specific person.  To be valid, a Trust Indenture must be accepted by and prepared on a form satisfactory to the Cemetery, as well as recorded on the Title Record of the Cemetery.  A Trust Indenture may be changed only by the execution of a revocation document prepared by the Cemetery and signed by all current owners.

Burial Regulations
Upon entering the Cemetery, all burials, funerals and related activities are subject to the direction of an authorized representative of the Cemetery.  All funerals must be accompanied by a licensed Funeral Director.

Maple Hill Cemetery may refuse to make a burial without proper written authorization.  The Cemetery is not responsible for any error in a burial permit, or in the identity of the person to be buried.

Maple Hill Cemetery is not responsible for any mistake due to incorrect information, either written or verbal, regarding the location of a grave, the size of the grave opening, or the contents of the casket, urn, or appropriate container.

All Cemetery charges and fees for grave purchase, grave opening and closing, or other outstanding obligations to the Cemetery must be paid before a burial or disinterment will be made.

Once a casket containing a body is within the confines of the Cemetery, no Funeral Director, or his assistant, employee, or agent, is permitted to open the casket or to touch the body without the consent of the legal representatives of the deceased, or an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.  Maple Hill Cemetery staff will control all activities related to burials including, but not limited to, excavation, placement of soil at the grave, placement and lowering of the casket, and refilling the grave.

The scattering of ashes above ground at Maple Hill Cemetery is prohibited.

The burial of ashes, remains of any kind or any other items is strictly prohibited without proper burial permits, authorizations and approval of the Maple Hill Cemetery Association.

The remains of animals may not be buried or otherwise interred on Maple Hill Cemetery Association property. The Maple Hill Cemetery is a resting place for the remains of human beings only.

Only equipment owned and provided by the Cemetery, such as tents, artificial grass, and lowering devices, may be used for burials and disinterments.

In opening a grave, the Cemetery may temporarily move monuments, disturb plantings, or place soil on adjoining graves without prior consent of any interested party.  If this is necessary, the Cemetery will replace monuments, remove soil, and remedy damage to plantings.

The Cemetery retains the right to limit the size of a casket to fit the burial space available.  All caskets must be constructed of material of sufficient strength to support a body and must be specifically designed by the manufacturer for the burial of human remains.  Maple Hill Cemetery assumes no liability for damage to any body, casket, or outer burial receptacle in making a burial or disinterment.

Only one body or three containers of cremated remains may be buried in a single grave or vault, unless approved by the Maple Hill Cemetery Association.

Maple Hill Cemetery is not responsible for any delay, and may reschedule a burial, if the Rules and Regulations have been broken, a protest has been made against the burial, weather conditions are unsuitable, acts of organized labor are staged, or for any other reason the Cemetery deems necessary.  The Cemetery retains the right, in its sole discretion, to have the deceased returned to the funeral home if the burial cannot be completed by the end of a working day.

Proprietors shall not allow interment to be made in their lots for remuneration nor shall any transfer or assignment of any lot or of any interest therein be valid without the consent in writing of said association first held and endorsed upon such transfer or assignment.

No disinterment shall be allowed without permission obtained from Cemetery management, in accordance with the laws of the state of Pennsylvania.

All interments in lots shall be restricted to the members of the family and relatives of the proprietor thereof, unless special permission to the contrary is obtained in writing from Cemetery management.

All materials for constructing vaults, graves or enclosures and rubbish consequent thereon shall be conveyed to and removed from the ground at such cost to the proprietor of the lot on which such grave shall be dug or such vaults or enclosures erected and under the direction of the General Manager or a designated Maple Hill Cemetery employee.  All graves shall be dug by employees of the Cemetery.  The charge for digging a grave and for making up and sodding the same, must be paid to the Cemetery at the time of receiving the permit for interment.  No interment shall take place without a written permit from the state of Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, or the equivalent document from the state or country in which the death occurred.

The type of monument permitted on a grave depends on its specific location within the Cemetery, and as determined by the Maple Hill Cemetery Association.

Maple Hill Cemetery does not accept monuments or markers that have been obtained online, through the electronic marketplace or mass merchants as they do not meet required specifications.

All monuments and markers require prior authorization, must meet the specifications outlined by Maple Hill Cemetery, and must be obtained through and installed by a local, licensed monument dealer.

Any agreement regarding any aspect of manufacturing and setting of a monument is between the customer and the monument dealer.  The Cemetery’s responsibility is limited to the installation of the monument foundation.

NOTE: Monument dealers are not agents of the Cemetery.

A concrete foundation installed by the Cemetery is required prior to the setting of any monument or accessory.  Prior to the installation of a foundation, certain Cemetery charges must be paid in full.

The top surface of a foundation is poured in place approximately one (1) inch below grade and will not be made to custom heights.

Concrete foundations will be installed no sooner than nine (9) months from the date of burial and a minimum of four (4) weeks from approval of the application.  Foundation installation can be delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions or Cemetery work schedule.

In accordance with state law, the Maple Hill Cemetery Board mandates that monuments be kept reasonably level and plumb for ten (10) years after initial installation by the Cemetery.  If after 10 years the monument settles or becomes tilted, it can be remedied at the owner’s expense.  When a monument becomes dangerously tilted, as determined by the Cemetery in its sole discretion, it may be remedied by the owner or laid flat on the grave by the Cemetery.

No monument, accessory, or foundation may be removed from the Cemetery by anyone other than Cemetery employees without the prior written authorization of the Cemetery.

The Cemetery is not responsible for any damage to monuments or accessories including, but not limited to, damage resulting from maintenance, landscaping, or burial activities.

General Monument Specifications
All bottoms of bases, dies and footstones must be finished level, so that the monument will stand plumb.

Monument Design
The Cemetery has the right to regulate the type of symbol, decoration, inscription, size, shape, quality and material of all monuments, accessories, foundations, and any other structures placed in the Cemetery.

Approval of any decorative art on the monument is subject to the sole discretion of the Cemetery.

Maple Hill Cemetery does not accept monuments or markers that have been obtained online, through the electronic marketplace or mass merchants as they do not meet required specifications.

All monuments and markers require prior authorization, must meet the specifications outlined by Maple Hill Cemetery, and must be obtained through and installed by a local, licensed monument dealer.

Bases must be a natural rough finish (rock pitched) on the four sides.  The top of the base must be polished or a smooth unpolished surface (steeled).  The finish on a footstone must be polished or smooth top surface and a natural rough finish (rock pitched) on all four sides.  The upright monument (the die) front and back surfaces must be polished or steeled only.  The sides may be polished, steeled, or a natural rough finish (rock pitched).  The finish on a ledger must be polished or smooth top surface and a natural rough finish (rock pitched) on all four sides.

Any monument that does not fall within the standard guidelines for design requires the approval of Cemetery management and a signed release.  Duplication of the design of a non-standard monument may be considered in order to match an existing adjacent monument.

The proprietor of each lot shall have the right to erect any proper stone monument or sepulchral structure thereon except that no slab shall be set in any other than a horizontal position unless set upon masonry and of sufficient depth to be beyond reach of frost.  The proprietor of each lot shall also have the right to cultivate shrubs and plants in the same, but no tree growing within the lot or border shall be cut down or destroyed without the consent of the Cemetery management.

Monument Approval and Installation Process
The monument dealer must submit a completed Monument Installation Application to the Maple Hill Cemetery Association.  An authorized Maple Hill Cemetery employee must approve the application.  An application for any monument design that the Cemetery deems inappropriate will be rejected.

The application must specify:

• Type, quality and finish of the stone
• Name of the producer furnishing the stone
• Accurate measurements of all dimensions
• Inscription and size of the text
• Accurate drawing of any symbols and decorative art

The Cemetery has the right to remove any monument that has been installed without an approved application.

Doors, window grilles, and other fixtures must be made of bronze cast from an alloy containing not less than 85% copper, nor more than 5% lead.  All bronze products must be purchased from an approved dealer.

Suppliers must provide a certified content analysis.  No other metals are approved for such use unless they are substantially non-corrosive.

Mausoleums may only be placed in areas designated by the Cemetery.

Monument Setting and Inscription Hours
Access to the cemetery for the purposes of monument setting and inscription is negotiated by the cemetery and the contractor.

Maple Hill Cemetery Association provides Perpetual Care for all graves and mausoleums. Perpetual Care includes the following:

• Trimming of grass around the monument to prevent it from becoming overgrown
• Raking
• Mowing
• Debris removal
• Adding soil to the grave as needed
• Performing any applicable and requisite landscaping activities during the growing season

If a grave owner purchases one or more shrubs, trees or plantings and desires that the cemetery should handle the maintenance of said plantings, he or she will be charged a nominal fee to cover the expense of the landscaping service.

Plantings may be trimmed by a family member or outside contractor.

The Proprietors of lots or their hired contractors shall be allowed access to the grounds at all times observing the rules which are or may be adopted for the regulations of visitors.

The planting seasons are from mid-April through mid-June, and during September, weather permitting.

The Cemetery reserves the right to make exceptions, suspensions, or modifications to any of these Rules and Regulations without notice when, in its sole judgment, it appears advisable.  The temporary exception, suspension, or modification of these Rules and Regulations shall in no way be construed as affecting their general application.

The Cemetery has the right from time to time, with or without notice to owners, to adopt new Rules and Regulations, or to amend, alter, or repeal them at any time.  A copy of the current Rules and Regulations and any amendments thereto is posted in the Cemetery office.

The Cemetery is not responsible for damage or loss to any personal property within the Cemetery, as a result of Acts of God, vandalism, theft, or other circumstances beyond its control, or as a consequence of such actions.

The Cemetery cannot be held responsible, now or in the future, for the unsatisfactory condition of graves, monuments, plantings, or private walkways when damage is caused by disease, infestation, weather conditions, thieves, vandals, or any other causes beyond its control.

The Cemetery’s ability to provide any services to plot owners, family members, and visitors is subject to normal business hours of operation, the existence of normal operating circumstances, and the availability of all equipment and material.  As such, the Cemetery shall be relieved of its obligation to provide services, and reserves the right to forego, suspend, or modify services in the event of Acts of God, severe weather conditions, natural disasters, fire, floods, conditions of war or civil unrest, work stoppages, labor disputes, strikes, boycotts, or other circumstances beyond the Cemetery’s control.

Certain grave spaces may be unusable or inaccessible due to the natural growth of trees, the placement of family monuments and other accessories.  Cemetery management reserves the right to determine if a grave space may be made usable and to assess appropriate fees for services rendered.

Cemetery Grounds:
Monday – Sunday: dawn to dusk

Cemetery Office:
Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Legal Holidays: The Cemetery grounds are open, but the office is closed.
New Year’s Day
Good Friday at 12:00 p.m.
Memorial Day at 12:00 p.m.
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

Cemetery maps do not represent precise survey measurements.