PLANTING REGULATIONS
Annual plants may be planted in front of a monument within a space of 12 inches and corresponding in width to that of the monument. If there is no monument, the length of the planting should not exceed two-thirds of the width of the plot (i.e.: if plot is 3 feet wide, you may plant to a width of 2 feet). Plantings in the centers of graves (length-wise) or at the foot of graves are not permitted. Perennial plants such as ivy, privet, pachysandra or rose bushes are not permitted. No bushes of any kind may be planted.
All annual plants should be removed after the first frost and not later than November 15th. Christmas decorations should be removed from the cemetery no later than February 1st. Cut flowers in a suitable metal vase may be placed directly in front and center of the monument at any time. Any planting which is not kept within bounds or exceeds the height of the memorial work will be removed.
The use of artificial materials is prohibited.
Candles, glass or ceramic containers of any kind, statues not an integral part of the monument, toys, trinkets, balloons, etc., are NOT permitted. Outlining graves or memorials by removing strips of sod from graves is prohibited. Outlining graves or memorials with metal frames, fences, or crushed stone, etc., is prohibited.
In keeping with the cemetery’s mission to maintain, in a park-like atmosphere, a permanent and dignified resting place for the deceased, as well as a place of beauty and contemplation for the living, we reserve the right to remove any planting or grave decoration which it considers unsightly, upon due notification of the lot owner.
OFFICE AND GROUNDS
The cemetery office is generally open from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. It is closed on weekends and holidays. People wishing to see the manager should call for an appointment, as attendance at funerals, marking out graves locations, making burial arrangements with families, etc., will often make the manager unavailable to “walk-in” visitors.
We do NOT allow the interment of pets anywhere in the cemetery.
It is the responsibility of the plot owners or their heirs to provide the cemetery office with their current names and addresses. The deed grants to the plotowner and his or her heirs the right of interment, subject to the rules and regulations of the cemetery. The deed is required for an interment, disinterment, and for the erection of and inscriptions on memorials. In addition to those permissions required by the State Department's Division of Cemeteries, any person legally entitled to order the disinterment of any deceased person interred within the cemetery must also obtain a court order for said disinterment, if the deceased person was not originally interred within a concrete vault or liner.
The gates to the cemetery are open at all times to allow access by patrol cars of the White Plains Police Department. However, all visitors are asked to leave after sunset.
MONUMENT INFORMATION
All memorial and inscription work must comply with cemetery regulations. Homemade or non-professional monuments are not permitted. You must purchase a monument from an approved monument dealer. The Cemetery Association may reject any plan, design, or placement of a memorial which it feels is inappropriate.
You must bring your deed or your receipt proving ownership to the monument company. This will aid them in helping you to select an appropriate monument and give them the necessary lot information. The authorization of the deedholder or heirs must be submitted on the application for approval before proceeding with any memorial work. The construction of foundations is done by cemetery employees, between April 1st and November 1st. All orders for foundations must be submitted by October 1st, to ensure there is enough time to build the foundation before November 1st. Except for VA markers, the cemetery does not install monuments. The monument company is responsible for the proper setting of all monuments.
Only one standing memorial may be erected on any single grave. The monument may not exceed 50% of the width of the plot. The maximum size monument for a single 3’x10’ grave is 2’ x 1’ x 2’ high. One additional flush marker may be placed at the foot of a grave, with cemetery approval. Any permanent monument, marker, plaque, etc., that is placed on any grave/plot by the original owner may not be removed or replaced by subsequent heirs to the grave/plot. This does not impinge upon the right of heirs to place additional markers, monuments, plaques, etc., or additional inscriptions on existing monuments, to memorialize additional interments, in accordance with existing cemetery rules and regulations.
The cemetery assumes no responsibility for the disappearance of any temporary marker or for damage or vandalism to any permanent marker or monument. The funeral home may provide a temporary marker which is designed to identify the gravesite until a permanent marker is purchased. Under no circumstances should this marker be expected to permanently identify the grave. Permanent monuments are covered for damage under most homeowner policies.
BURIALS
All funeral corteges are under the direction of Cemetery personnel once they enter the gates. For safety and insurance reasons, burial attendees may not remain in the cemetery while the heavy equipment is used to fill in the graves after the committal service. They may return as soon as the machinery leaves the area.
COLUMBARIA
The maintenance of all columbaria erected on the Cemetery grounds will be performed by Cemetery personnel, the cost of which will be covered by funds deposited in the General, Bequest, and/or Permanent Maintenance accounts.
All inscriptions on the granite panels of each niche must conform to the style (font, size, etc.) established by the Cemetery for each columbarium, and will be done at the expense of each niche owner.
No decorations or ornamentations of any kind will be permitted to be attached, either temporarily or permanently, to the columbarium.
Cremains to be placed in any niche must be in a rigid container, such as hard plastic, metal, ceramic, granite, wood, etc. Only acceptable urns will be allowed inside the columbarium niches (no flowers, trinkets, etc.).
The White Plains Rural Cemetery reserves the right to amend these rules and regulations from year to year, as needed. A copy of these rules and regulations are approved by, and filed with, the Division of Cemeteries, Department of State, in Albany.
White Plains Rural Cemetery
167 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603
914-949-0072