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St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Essex, Iowa
Cemetery Rules as of November 10, 2021

  • Burials on a space can be: 1 body, 1 cremation, 1 body and 1 cremation above the body, or 2 cremations. There is a minimum requirement for the outer burial container of two piece concrete. Cremations must be in a permanent container.

  • Fees of interment, disinterment, entombment, or internment of human remains will be through private contractors with administrative/marking fees of $25.00 going to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

  • Deed owners of burial spaces/niches may transfer ownership. An administrative fee of $25.00 plus any outside fees will be charged. It is the responsibility of the owner to obtain a legal deed transfer that is signed by a Notary Public.

  • Private burials are prohibited. Only Iowa licensed mortuaries may supervise or conduct interment or disinterment of human remains.

  • The Church Secretary shall use the Purchaser’s address for any official notices concerning the interment space or changes in the Cemetery Rules. The purchaser is to notify the Church Secretary of any change in their address.

  • The Cemetery Deed shall not be recorded in the Recorder’s Office of Page County unless the Purchaser/Transferee decides to do so and the Purchaser/Transferee so desires it shall be at the Purchaser’s/Transferee’s time and expense. St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church shall have no obligation to record in the County Recorder’s Office.

  • Scattering of cremated remains within the cemetery is prohibited. Placement of cremains must be buried or placed in the columbarium.

  • Burial of nonhuman remains is prohibited, unless placed in casket of deceased, at the time of the interment of the human deceased.

  • Interment in any part of the cemetery not designated as an interment space is prohibited.

  • There shall be no more than one headstone/monument per space. It has to be of a size to list all names buried in the space.

  • The use of space for any purpose inconsistent with the use of the property as a cemetery is prohibited.

  • The Cemetery will provide perpetual care of the cemetery grounds, which shall include mowing/trimming of all plots at reasonable intervals, seeding, filling in sunken graves to plot level and removing dead trees. Perpetual care does not include maintenance, upkeep, or repair of any monument, marker, flower vase, decoration, or adornment.

  • Monuments:

    • ​The bases for monuments shall be placed level with the ground

    • A monument base needs to be no less than 4 inches wider than monument on all four sides.

    • Base footing shall be three feet deep.

    • No foot stones, except government issued veterans at ground level (flat only)

    • Medallions or plaques are allowed on stone/monument.

    • No monuments shall be set in the middle of a lot/space.

    • Government markers and headstones may be above the ground in line with others in the row.

    • Licensed contractors are required to install a monument.

    • Only a monument is allowed on a grave site, no benches or other structures are allowed

  • Decorations:

    • ​Decorations and adornments are to be placed close to the monument.

    • Winter decorations are to be removed by March 15th.

    • Memorial Day decorations are to be removed by June 10th unless they are attached to the monument.

    • All decorations are to be removed no more than 2 weeks after any other holiday/funeral unless they are attached to the monument.

    • Decorations shall be removed if they still remain past the dates as listed above.

    • The St. John’s Cemetery is not responsible for artificial arrangements, containers, or temporary grave markers.

  • Plantings:

    • ​Perennials are to be placed on the sides of the monument, no plantings are to be on the grave site.

    • Shrubs are prohibited.

    • Trees are prohibited.

    • The St. John’s Cemetery is not responsible for any maintenance of plantings.

    • Only blue grass and rye grass is to be seeded on grave sites.

  • LIABILITY: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery Committee shall take reasonable precautions to protect space owners, and the property rights of space owners within the cemetery from injury, loss or damage, but it expressly shall not be liable for an Act of God, animals, thieves, vandals, cemetery maintenance, or other acts beyond their control, whether the damage be direct or consequential.

  • The Purchaser’s rights are limited by and subject to the Cemetery’s rules as now existing or as amended in the future.

  • The term and conditions described herein are binding upon the Purchaser’s heirs, successors and assigns and enforceable only by the Cemetery.

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