A Helpful Guide to Key Terms
At-Need
Arrangements made at the time of death, often under urgent circumstances.
Pre-Need / Pre-Planning
Arrangements made in advance of a death, allowing for thoughtful decisions without time pressure.
Beneficiary
The person(s) designated to receive the benefits or rights of a pre-need contract upon the death of the owner.
Casket / Coffin
A casket is rectangular, while a coffin is tapered at the shoulder. Both are containers for the deceased.
Urn
A container designed to hold cremated remains. Urns come in a wide variety of materials, shapes, and sizes.
Headstone / Marker
A memorial placed at a grave. It can be a flat marker or an upright monument (headstone).
Cremains
A term for cremated remains; the bone fragments left after the cremation process has been completed.
Lot / Plot / Grave
Terms for a piece of ground in a cemetery designated for burial.
Double-Depth Plot
A single grave space that allows for two burials, one on top of the other, in separate containers.
Mausoleum
An above-ground building that contains crypts for casket entombment and/or niches for the inurnment of cremated remains.
Private Mausoleum
A custom, standalone mausoleum for an individual or family, offering the highest level of privacy.
Crypt
A space in a mausoleum or in the ground (lawn crypt) where a casket is placed.
Lawn Crypt
A pre-installed, underground concrete vault, often for two, providing a clean and dry burial space.
Columbarium
A structure or wall with niches designed for the permanent placement of urns containing cremated remains.
Niche
A space in a columbarium or mausoleum wall designed to permanently hold an urn.
Family Estate
A larger area, often walled or landscaped, designed to accommodate multiple members of a single family.
Scattering Garden
A designated area in a cemetery where cremated remains can be scattered in a dignified manner.
Grave Liner / Vault
A protective outer container for a casket, required by most cemeteries to prevent the ground from sinking.
Interment Rights
The right to be buried in a specific plot. You are buying the right, not the land itself.
Interment / Entombment
The burial of remains in the ground (interment) or placement in a mausoleum (entombment).
Disinterment
The removal of human remains from their place of burial, requiring legal permits and authorization.
Endowment / Perpetual Care
A one-time fee placed in a trust fund. The interest earned is used for the general maintenance of the cemetery.
Transfer Fee
A fee charged by the cemetery to legally transfer the ownership of interment rights from a seller to a buyer.
Opening and Closing Fees
Charges from the cemetery for the physical act of opening and closing a grave, crypt, or niche.
Urn Vault
A protective outer container for an urn when buried in the ground, preventing it from being crushed.
About Bayer Cemetery Brokers
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