THESE RULES AND
REGULATIONS CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE.
FRANKLIN CEMETERY RULES AND
REGULATIONSFRANKLIN CEMETERY
ASSOCIATION
• The Franklin Cemetery Association is a
Non‐Profit Corporation.
• The Cemetery, located in Franklin,
Michigan, is owned by the Franklin
Cemetery Association and is licensed by
the State of Michigan, Permanent I.D. No.
2202001051.
• The Franklin Cemetery has historic
significance on the national, state and
local levels. It was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places on February
10, 1969. It was listed on the Michigan
Register of Historic Sites on July15,
1999, (Site ID# P27274). It is part of
the Franklin District established in 1971.
Franklin Cemetery is located on a hill
overlooking the historic Village of Franklin,
Michigan, and serves th Village and
surrounding area. The cemetery began as
a 1-acre burial ground in 1827. Today the
Cemetery has grown to more than six acres.
It was founded by Elijah Bullock, one of the
founders of the Stoughton Bullock
Settlement, renamed Franklin in 1828. The
Cemetery contains the remains of some of
Franklin’s earliest settlers, as well as over
250 veterans who served in the War of
1812, the Civil War, the Spanish American
War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean
and Vietnam Wars. Franklin Cemetery is a
special place to remember loved ones,
reflect on community founders, appreciate
the service of our many veterans, and enjoy
walking the grounds.
It is still owned and cared for by the Franklin
Cemetery Association, comprised of
Cemetery burial right owners, and is
managed by a professional Cemetery
Director. The Board of Directors, governed
by the Cemetery’s By-Laws, is made up
of nine volunteers, all burial right owners
who take pride in their work for the
Cemetery.
The Franklin Cemetery Board has adopted
the following Rules and Regulations as
the Rules and Regulations of Franklin
Cemetery for the mutual protection of its
Members and the Cemetery as a whole. All
Members and visitors within the Cemetery
and all burial rights sold shall be subject
to said Rules and Regulations, and subject
further to such other rules and regulations,
amendments or alterations as shall be
adopted by the Cemetery Association’s
Board of Directors.
OWNERSHIP OF CEMETERY
The Franklin Cemetery Association is a
nonprofit 501(c) (13) corporation
consisting of persons who are burial right
owners and managed by a Cemetery Director
guided by a 9-member Board of Directors.
The Association retains to itself, for the
benefit to all burial right owners
(i.e.Members) full, complete and undisputed
supervision, control and management of
all the land, improvements, roads,
development, books and records, and the
full and complete authority, rights and
privileges to make changes, administer and
enforce all rules, regulations and restrictions
not inconsistent with the laws of the State
of Michigan. The Association also reserves
to its Board the right to adopt new policies
and / or revise these policies and
regulations when necessary, without notice.
As some of the Board Members are subject
to change at each Annual Meeting, their
names and addresses are not published in
this set of Rules and Regulations. However,
an annual list of Board Members’ addresses
and telephone numbers is published and
kept with these rules and Regulations, as
are the By‐Laws. A copy may be requested
from the Cemetery Director at the following
address:
Franklin Cemetery Association
P.O. Box 250638
Franklin, MI 48025‐0638
CEMETERY USE AND REGULATIONS
I. Daily Hours, Cemetery Grounds: The
grounds of the Cemetery are available for
visitation from dawn to dusk. No visitors
are permitted after dark.
II. Cemetery Use
A. It is the duty of the Cemetery Director to
see that the Rules and Regulations are
complied with, to see that order is
maintained, and to protect and promote
the best interests of the Cemetery.
Special cases for emergencies may arise
in which the literal enforcement of a rule
may impose unnecessary hardship. The
Cemetery, therefore, reserves the right to
make exceptions, suspensions or
modifications of any of these Rules and
Regulations when, in the judgment of the
Management, such action appears
necessary. Such temporary exception,
suspension or modification shall in no way
be construed as affecting the general
application of such Rules and
Regulations.
B. No pets of any kind shall be allowed
within the Cemetery grounds unless confined within a vehicle.
C. All motorize and non-motorized modes of
transportation shall travel on paved
roads, except those vehicles that are
being used in the maintenance of
cemetery or on official Cemetery
business.
D. Alcoholic beverages are prohibited.
E. The Franklin Cemetery Association shall
not be liable for any personal or property
damage caused by any person or vehicle
or “act of God.” Damages caused by
persons or vehicles within the Cemetery
shall be the responsibility of the person,
driver or owner of the vehicle and may be
subject to prosecution.
F. Any group use of the Cemetery, other than
the interment of the dead, must have the
approval of the Cemetery Director.
III. Cemetery Members’ Plantings And
Decorations
A. The Cemetery will not be liable for any
items left on a Cemetery plot
B. Low growing annual or perennial flowers
may be planted in front of markers and
monuments, provided the planting bed
extends no more than 10”.
i. Members should maintain their plantings
and should be mindful that the lawnmower
clearance is only a few inches. Equipment
and markers can easily be damaged. It is
essential, therefore, that plantings be
placed next to markers, when space
allows, to prevent such damage.
ii. No raised beds, fences, walls, boxes, bark,
brick or border edging materials of any
kinds are permitted.
C. Trees and shrubs may not be planted on
individual plots or lots. The planting of
trees and shrubs on other Cemetery
property must be authorized by the
Cemetery Board.
D. During the summer months, water from
the Cemetery’s well is supplied for the
Members’ use. Visitors should be mindful
that the well and pump cannot withstand
hard use, and therefore, the water is not
to be left on when a Member or visitor is
not present in the Cemetery.
E. Cut floral arrangements must be in a
durable container. Glass, china and other
fragile containers may not be used.
Members are to remove decayed flowers
and containers. The Cemetery Association
reserves the right to remove them, as well
as to remove funeral arrangements 3-5
days after a funeral.
F. Figurines should be placed next to the
marker so as not to interfere with
Cemetery maintenance equipment and
must be removed during the winter
months. Candles, toys and mementos are
not permitted.
G. All statuary, small pots, and personal
items that are loose on the plot or in a
flowerbed will be picked up and
discarded by Cemetery personnel on or
after October 1 of each year to allow for
leaf cleanup. Persons wishing to save
these items for future use must remove
them before October 1 and may place
them.
H. Grave blankets and wreaths made of
natural plant materials are permitted
from November 15th through March 31st,
at which time the lawn maintenance
company will remove them.
I. Receptacles for waste material are
located next to the Tool House near the
west entrance to the Cemetery. The
throwing of rubbish on the drive or, paths,
or any part of the grounds is prohibited.
IV. Cemetery Landscaping
A. The general care of the Cemetery is
assumed by the Management and
includes cutting the grass at reasonable
intervals, raking and cleaning of the
grounds, removing the snow from
roadways, and pruning the shrubs and
trees that are owned by the Cemetery.
B. The Cemetery Association will undertake
to maintain, as may be practical, the
planting or replacement of trees and
shrubs to preserve and maintain
landscape features, but does not
undertake to maintain individual
plantings, urns, or plants.
C. Trees and shrubs shall only be planted
with authorization of the Cemetery Board.
D. The Cemetery Association shall not be
responsible for plantings damaged by the
elements or by any other cause beyond
its control. The Cemetery Association
shall have the right to remove all
plantings of any kind from the Cemetery
as soon as in its judgment they become
unsightly, detrimental or diseased; or
when they do not conform to the
standard maintained or when they hinder
the use of other lots, pathways, or the
general operation of the Cemetery.
E. The Cemetery reserves the right to
prevent the removal or pruning of any
flowers, trees, shrubs plants or other
herbage unless the Cemetery Board give
consent.
BURIAL RIGHT PURCHASE,
TRANSFER AND USE
I. Purchase fees must be paid in advance of
interment. Full payment of all purchase
reservations must be made within 60 days
of the date reserved, at which time a
Certificate of Burial Rights will be issued.
A copy of the Association’s By-Laws and
Rules and Regulations will also be
provided to the new Member.
A. An Owner may assign ownership of a
plot’s burial rights to a qualified family
member by sending a Notarized written
request to the Cemetery Director stating
the family relationship and the desired
wording for titling the new Certificate of
Burial Rights. The request must include
the ORIGINAL Certificate of Burial Rights;
name, address and phone number of the
new Owner; and an Administrative fee of
$50.00 payable to the Franklin Cemetery
Association.
i Family membership is defined as spouse, child, mother, father, brother, sister, grandchild.
B. If an Owner wishes to relinquish a plot’s
burial rights, it must be sold back to the
Cemetery Association at the price paid by
the Owner, less a $50.00 Administrative
fee. The plot must be useable as a burial
site as determined by the Cemetery
Director. The original Certificate of Burial
Rights must be returned to the
Association.
C. The purchase of burial rights in a plot
confers only the right of burial. The plot
Ownership remains in the Cemetery
Association.
D. Sales will be made only to individuals,
families and Trusts.
E. Upon the death of an owner, the
ownership of burial rights of any plot in
the Cemetery passes to the heirs or
devisees of the original owner(s) as stated
in the Certificate of Burial Rights. The
heirs or devisees are likewise eligible for
a voting membership in the Cemetery
Association, subject to payment of annual
dues as set by the Board of Directors.
F. It is the responsibility of the burial rights
owner(s) to notify the Cemetery Director
of any changes in their postal address.
Notices of Annual Meetings, which include
the amount due for Annual Dues, will be
sent to the last address of record.
II. Burials
A. The Cemetery Sexton shall perform the
opening and closing of all graves, both
for full burials and for interment of
cremains. Interment of cremains by any
other means is prohibited. Only human
remains may be interred in the Cemetery.
Fees for this service shall be paid in
advance. Legal authorization for final
disposition, i.e. Burial-Transit Permit,
must be presented to the Sexton and/or
the Cemetery Director at time of
interment; the Cemetery Director and
Sexton maintain burial records
accordingly.
B. In order to maintain a high standard of
care and to eliminate sunken graves
caused by the collapse of wooden boxes,
it is required that all burials be made in
outside containers of natural stone, or of
metal, or of reinforced concrete, except
for cremations. Cremations shall be
placed in a container of a non-
disintegrating material. All such
containers must be so made and installed
as to meet any specifications established
by the Cemetery Association. Scattering
of cremains is strictly prohibited.
C. No plot shall contain more than one (1) vault and one (1) cremains or three (3) cremains.
D. The right is reserved by the Cemetery to
insists upon at least 48-hours’ notice
prior to any interment and at least one
weeks’ notice prior to any disinterment or
removal.
E. The Cemetery reserves, and shall have,
the right to correct any errors that may be
made in making interment or removals, or
in the description, transfer or conveyance
of burial rights in any interment property,
either by canceling such conveyance and
by substituting and transferring in lieu
thereof burial rights in other interment
property of comparable value and similar
location as far as possible, or as may be
selected by the Management, or 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 a person in such property,
the Cemetery reserves, and shall have the
right, to remove and transfer such remains
so interred to other property of
comparable value and similar location
as may be substituted and transferred in
lieu thereof.
MONUMENTS, MARKERS AND BENCHES
I. All monuments, markers and benches shall
be approved by and purchased through the Franklin Cemetery Association. No monuments, markers or benches will be installed until payments due to the Association for plots, monuments, markers and/or benches have
been paid in full.
A. Monuments, markers and benches should
be designed to complement the historic
quality of the Cemetery, which is commonly referred to as a “country cemetery”. Careful attention should be paid to the size, color,
scale and material being used. Bulky
monuments, bold colors, sharp contrast
lettering, porcelain and breakable materials
are not to be used. Any photographs or
digital images are not to exceed 3 inches
in size and are to be 1-dimensional.
B. No material except granite, marble or
other standard quarried stone or bronze shall
be used for monuments, markers or benches. Engraving shall be done in the stone itself
and shall not be painted or otherwise coated.
C. Monuments, markers and benches shall
be installed even with the natural level of
the ground with foundations below. The
Cemetery Sexton shall pour all foundations.
Cost for this work shall be paid directly
to the Sexton in advance of installation
of said monument, marker or bench.
II. Sizes
A. Flat markers:
1. Single markers- maximum size 24” wide x
12” deep (14” for slant markers) x 4” high
per single plot. There shall be no more
than one (1) flat marker per plot with the
exception of a veteran’s marker. Veterans
may have an additional military marker at
the foot of the grave, it shall be flush with
the ground and not be a raised marker.
2. Double markers- maximum size 48” wide x
12” deep (14” for slant markers) x 4” high
per double plot. Marker is to be centered
on the two plots.
B. Raised Markers and Monuments:
maximum size for a family lot (more than
one plot) is dependent on the size and
configuration of the lot and should be
proportionate to it. Maximum size is 60”
wide x 12” deep x 48” high. Veterans may
have an additional military marker at the
foot of the grave; it should be flush with
the ground and not be a raised marker.
C. Benches: maximum size for a single plot
is 24” wide x 12” deep; for a family lot
(more than one plot/grave) maximum
size is 36” wide x 12” deep. A single plot
may have either a marker or a bench, but
not both, except for a flat veteran’s
marker. Veterans may have an additional
military marker at the foot of the grave; it
shall be flush with the ground and not be
a raised marker.
III. Cemetery Board Approval of Monuments,
Markers and Benches
A. A drawing to scale and specifications for
any monument, marker or bench must be
submitted to the Cemetery Board for
written approval prior to installation.
B. The Board of Directors reserves the right
to reject any monument, marker or bench
that, because of its size, material, design,
color, inscription, quality or method of
construction, is deemed inappropriate for
the Cemetery of the plot on which it is to
be placed.
The Cemetery Association assumes NO responsibility for damage to any monument, marker, bench, memorial, urn, and shrub or planting, during the regular course of
Cemetery maintenance or by vandalism,
theft or subsequent burials.
The Board of Directors reserves the right to amend these rules in part or in their entirety
at any time without notice.
Amended June 1, 2016
STEPHEN BANCROFT
CEMETERY ADMINISTRATOR