Here was my answer to the new burial issue: Ernie: So the big question is, can a person be buried in an old Pioneer Cemetery? Burials are the jurisdiction of the Board of Health. Check with your local Board of Health to see about this issue. Since his family has owned the land for 125 years, can he rename the cemetery and declare it as his final resting place? There is no official law on naming a cemetery. Unfortunately, people rename them to suit their needs. There are existing laws that a cemetery must be platted and must have a perpetual care fund before a person can be buried there? You are correct, but again, this falls under the Board of Health. What about "disposal of a body" laws? Department of Health Is the funeral home responsible for determining if the selected burial place is legal and proper? I am not sure of the answer to this question. Will digging a grave there violate the DNR and DHPA rule on needing a permit to disturb the earth within 100 feet of a cemetery? No, if the digging falls under the General Cemetery Act. Whose responsibility is it to enforce those laws? Mostly for what you describe, Department of Health. Let me know if I helped or only made matters worse. Jeannie Jeannie Regan-Dinius Special Projects Coordinator DNR-DHPA 402 W. Washington Street, W274 Indianapolis, IN 46204-2739 317/232-1646 317/232-0693 At 06:45 PM 04/06/2006, you wrote: >Hey Ernie, > >The Board of Health might not be a bad idea in this case. LA was >cleaning stones out there the other day and she allowed as how some >of the inscriptions provided cholera as the cause of death. I'm not >sure which diseases lie dormant in the grave and which don't, but I >suppose exposure to the remains could be a health hazard? > >Regards, > >Rich Green