1. The provisions of the resolution shall be held to be the minimum requirements adopted for the protection and operation of the public cemetery and the burial of the dead of the Township of Sunfield therein. Among other purposes such provisions are intended to authorize the Township to promulgate rules and regulations relative to the use of the public cemetery and burial practices therein subject to the approval of the Township Board.
2. The cemetery grounds are dedicated to the proper burial and repose of the human dead, and to that purpose only.
3. The holder of the cemetery deed or grave owner is intended to mean and shall be construed as meaning the owner of the burial rights.
4. Location of lots will be in accordance with the cemetery master plan which is kept on file at the Township Clerk s office. The corner of each lot will be laid out by the Township.
5. Every lot or grave space is sold subject to the rules and regulations now in force or hereinafter adopted. Burial space purchase is limited to 4 lots (spaces) per household. Consideration given for unusual circumstances.
6. A burial space shall be allowed to hold one coffin/vault and 1 cremation urns or 2 cremation urns.
7. The lot owner or his legal representative may at any time designate in writing to the Township whom he wishes or does not wish buried in his lot or grave.
8. The owner of a lot may at any time sell the right back to the Township but may not sell burial rites to another party. Transfers will be allowed between related family members wishing to free up purchased space so that it can be used by another family member. These transfers should be done through the Township Clerk. The purchase by the Township will be for the original purchase price as no speculative purpose will be also allowed.
9. Cemetery lots or burial spaces sold or unoccupied after the effective date of August 5, 2002 and remaining vacant forty (40) years from the date of their sale shall automatically revert to the Township upon occurrence of the following:

Notice shall be sent by the Township by registered mail to the last known address of the last owner of record informing them of the expiration of the forty (40) year period and that all rights with respect to said lots or spaces will be forfeited if they do not affirmatively indicate in writing to the Township within sixty (60) days from the date of mailing of said notice their desire to retain said burial rights.

No written response to said notice indicating a desire to retain the cemetery lots or burial spaces in question is received by the Township from the last owner of record of said lots or spaces or their heirs or legal representative within (60) days from the date of mailing of said notice.

10. Joint ownership of burial rights is permitted but the Township advises joint ownership between husband and wife, since heirship to cemetery burial rights follows blood lines unless provided by will or legal transfer.
11. Should the owner die without having designated the persons to be buried on the balance of his or her lot, the Township will permit the burial of heirs if approval, together with a hold harmless statement, is provided in writing by family members of the closest living generation. Verification of such shall be the responsibility of the funeral home and copies kept by the Sexton as in many cases the Township Clerk is not involved in the burial process. The legal right to ownership of the burial privilege must be established. The descent of title to cemetery lots is governed by the laws of the State of Michigan (Public Act No. 280 of 1915 as amended) as relate to personal property.
12. The Township reserves the right to correct any errors that may be made by it, or its predecessor, in making interments, dis-interments, or removals, or in the description, transfer, or conveyance of any interment property, either by canceling the conveyance and substituting and conveying in lieu thereof, other interment property of equal value and similar location or by refunding the amount of money paid on account by the purchaser. In the event the error involves the interment of the remains of any person, the Township reserves and shall have the right to remove and transfer the remains to other property of equal value and similar location in the same cemetery.
13. Perpetual care shall include mowing of lots and graves, re-sodding, seeding, filling in sunken graves or sodding over the surface of graves to lot level.
14. Perpetual care shall not include the watering of lots, plants, urns, beds or annual plantings of flowers or cut flowers or the trimming of shrubs planted by the lot owner. Perpetual care does not include the maintenance, repair or replacement of any marker, memorial, urn, tomb or mausoleum placed or erected on the lot, unless caused by a direct act (not omission) of negligence by an employee of the Township.
15. Notice of funerals with exact location of grave, must be given to the Township at least forty eight (48) hours in advance of the burial. The Township will not assume responsibility for errors in opening graves when orders are given by telephone. Orders by funeral directors for the opening of graves will be construed as orders from the lot owners.
16. The Township reserves the right to remove, without notice, trees and shrubs and flowers planted in violation of these rules, and which become unsightly or overgrown. The Township reserves the right to trim, cut down and remove any plantings by a lot owner which are undesirable in their present condition.
17. No trees, shrubs, vines, bushes and/or permanent and artificial flowers shall be allowed on any lot or grave without permission of the Township and then only at locations approved by the Township. These items are generally discouraged as they increase the cost of maintenance. This section does not apply to plants in urns and pots and wreaths except that artificial flowers and wreaths cannot be placed anywhere from April 1^st to November 1^st because they interfere with power lawn mowing. Any artificial flowers, other than those in urns that are left on lots or graves after April 1^st will be removed.
18. Trimming, pruning, picking or removing any branch or bloom from any tree or shrub in the cemeteries is permitted under the supervision of the Sexton.
19. One pot of natural flowers not larger than 7 in diameter may be placed on any lot or grave with a grave marker. The pot must be removed by November 1^st or the Township will remove and dispose of it. If an urn is used, a pot may not be used. The pot must be situated on the gravesite within one (1) foot of the grave marker. Decorations or memorabilia determined to be excessive or offensive or creating difficulty in the mowing and maintenance of the grave area may be removed. Items should be limited to placement within the foundation surface. Use of landscaping materials around grave areas is discouraged and may be removed if not kept up. Items of value should not be left at the cemetery as they may be removed without notice. Decorative flag holders or shepherds hooks not placed in line with foundations and hindering mowing and trimming will be moved or removed.
20. The Township will not water urns as part of routine maintenance.
21. All urns must be situated on the gravesite within one (1) foot of the marker.
22. The Township assumes no liability for the maintenance or repair of urns.
23. Grave markers or monuments or tombstones shall be situated on the lot as specified by the Township. No grave marker shall be situated to interfere with the digging of another grave. All grave markers must have a foundation. The Township will place under every new grave marker or monument a foundation and the cost shall be borne by the lot owner at rates specified by the Township. The grave marker supplier may purchase the foundation in the name of the owner; specifications on foundation size provided to the Sexton.
24. The Township assumes no liability for the maintenance or repair of grave markers, monuments, or tombstones. The Township will serve written notice of broken or irreparable marker allowing sixty (60) days for reply. After sixty (60) day period has passed, the Township may bury the broken or irreparable marker.
25. Raised letters are not recommended on grave markers that are flush with the ground. Military markers are an exception. Military markers not affixed directly on headstones should be placed flush with the ground on permanent foundations preferably directly behind the headstone.
26. Any markers or monuments designating the location of an interment shall be removed at the time a disinterment is made.
27. All materials used in the construction of monuments, markers and permanent lot markers must be recognized durable granite or standard bronze. Marble may be permitted or certain durable grades and finishes, but the Township will assume no responsibility for damages in case of any stone being unintentionally chipped or marked in the regular course of lot care. All other grades of marble, sandstone, slate, artificial stone, field stone, terra cotta, wood, iron or glass in any form will not be permitted.
28. Services are to be scheduled between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. All other times would be exceptions and require approval by the Sexton and may be subject to additional charges.
29. All interments and funerals within the cemeteries must be under the direction of the Sexton.
30. No grave shall be placed in an irregular appearance with graves on the same adjoining lots. The Township reserves the right to determine the position of all graves on every lot.
31. All graves shall be opened and closed by individuals working under the direction of the Sexton.
32. While the Township will make all reasonable efforts to establish the identity of the person or persons claiming ownership of the lot or making arrangements for the interment, it will not be liable for misrepresentations or errors made by the person or persons purported to be the owners, legal representatives or agents.
33. When deemed necessary to assure a proper burial, the Township may establish and properly mark a zone in which only persons attending the funeral may enter.
34. Grave mounds shall not be allowed.
35. As soon as flowers, flags, memorabilia or emblems used at funerals and for the adornment of graves become unsightly, they will be removed and no responsibility for their return to the owners will be assumed.
36. The possession of firearms within the cemetery grounds is forbidden, except that military or other organizations may carry arms for the purposed of firing a salute over the grave at the burial of a member.
37. The defacement of monuments, markers, graves or cemetery appurtenances intentional or otherwise, the removal of flowers, urns, or any of the cemetery equipment without authority will be considered a misdemeanor and so treated. Persons entering the cemetery will be held responsible for any damage done to the cemetery properties by them.
38. The cemetery shall be open to the general public from the hours of daylight to dark. No person shall be permitted in the Township cemeteries at any time other than the foregoing hours, except upon permission of the Township or the Sexton of the cemetery.
39. The operator and owner of any vehicle will be held responsible for any damage done whether intentional or unintentional. The speed limit on cemetery roads is established at 15 miles per hour.
40. Profane or boisterous language will not be allowed and loiterers will not be tolerated in the cemetery.
41. Children must be accompanied by their parents or adults who will be responsible for their conduct in the cemetery. Animals should remain in the vehicle of visitors or be on leashes while on township property.
42. Lot owners are requested to report any error, neglect, carelessness or inactivity on the part of the employees of the cemetery to the Township at once. Alcoholic beverages in the cemetery are prohibited.
43. The cemeteries, although under Township jurisdiction, will not be considered as public land in the sense that it is common property and subject to the whims of the public, but is to be considered as holy ground dedicated to the peace and repose of the departed and subject to consideration and respect of all who visit or own lots in the cemetery. With such purpose in mind, the Township, or their representatives may establish temporary rules whenever in their judgment the best interest and safety of the cemetery demands it and may cause to be ejected or arrested any person or persons whom they may deem undesirable or dangerous to the peace and quiet of the cemetery and subject to change, without notice, by the Sunfield Township Board of Health.
44. The Rates are as follows:
    1. Bases for monuments, markers, etc will be charged at a rate set by the Sexton and approved by the Township. Arrangements are to be made with the Sexton and paid directly to him, as per our written contract. All bases are to extend at least 1 in all directions beyond the widest part of the monument.
    2. Cost of burial lots in any section of the Sunfield, Welch or Freemire cemeteries are as follows:
       • 1 burial lot Resident/Landowner $300.00
       • 1 burial lot Resident Renter & Board-approved Non-Resident $500.00
       • 1 burial lot Non-Resident $1,000.00

       In extreme hardship cases, the Township, at their discretion, can reduce the above costs on less desirable lots.

    3. Grave openings and closings on full body burials will be charged at a rate of $600.00 per opening. The charge for resident and non-resident cremain burials with graveside ceremony is $200.00. Cremains dropped off, with no ceremony, done on our own time schedule will be charged $200.00. The charge for infant burial (casket size under 4 ) will be $250.00. The Board reserves the right to adjust the cost of opening and closing in the event of extreme hardship. Discounted rate not be to lower than our cost. Proof of hardship should be obtained and verified with the funeral director.
45. Because Memorial Day is a National Holiday dedicated to the remembrance of the deceased, especially veterans, Rule No. 16 should be relaxed for six days immediately before and after Memorial Day. Any type of natural or artificial flower or any other grave decoration may be placed on a grave for the above period. After this period, the Township will remove and dispose of all such flowers and decorations which do not conform to all the other Cemetery Rules and Regulations.

These rules and regulations were adopted by the Sunfield Township Board on September 1, 2021 and supersede any rules and regulations that may exist.