Finding a cemetery in Nebraska starts with one practical question: who actually runs the grounds? Our directory lists 110 cemetery offices across 60 cities and 44 counties, from large memorial parks in Omaha to small parish and village burial grounds on the plains. The answer changes from town to town. It decides who you call, what you pay, and how quickly a burial can be arranged.

This page explains how Nebraska cemeteries are organised, where state law gets involved, and how the metro east differs from the rural west. Read it before you phone an office, so you know what to ask and which documents to have ready.

Who Runs Cemeteries in Nebraska: Cities, Associations, Parishes and the State

Nebraska has no single agency that operates every burial ground. Cemetery law sits mainly in Chapter 12 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes. It allows cities, villages, nonprofit associations, religious bodies and private companies to own and manage cemetery land. Our listings reflect that mix, and each type works a little differently.

Municipal cemeteries belong to a city or village and are often managed by a parks or public works department. Ridge Municipal Cemetery at 1761 West Linden Avenue in Fremont (402-727-2820) and Seward City Cemetery at 537 Main Street in Seward (402-643-3780) follow this model. Lot prices and burial rules are usually set locally, by ordinance or council vote.

Cemetery associations are nonprofit groups governed by a board, often elected from among the lot owners. Beatrice Cemetery Association, on North 33rd Street in Gage County, is a good example. The board sets prices, approves monument rules, and hires a sexton or caretaker for daily work such as opening graves and mowing.

Religious cemeteries belong to a parish or congregation. Wahoo St Francis Catholic Cemetery on County Road J, Chadron Calvary Cemetery on Maple Street, Hastings MT Sinai Cemetery on East 12th Street, and Battle Creek Saint Patricks Cemetery on North 3rd Street all fall into this group. Burial rights may be limited to members or to families with a long connection to the church. For these sites, the parish office is often the best first call.

Larger memorial parks typically have full-time staff, set office hours and a menu of lots, niches and markers. Graceland Park Cemetery at 4720 South 42nd Street in Omaha, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery at 6700 South 14th Street in Lincoln, Grand Island Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery on West Stolley Park Road, and McCook Memorial Park Cemetery on West M Street fit this pattern. Expect written price lists and formal paperwork at places like these.

Finally, the state itself runs the Nebraska Veterans Cemetery at 2610 County Road 57 near Alliance in Box Butte County. We cover it in more detail below.

Metro East Versus Rural Nebraska: What Changes When You Call

Nebraska's population is concentrated along the eastern edge, and the cemetery listings follow it. Omaha alone accounts for 19 listings, and Douglas County has 17. Lincoln has 9, and Lancaster County has 11. In these two metro areas you can compare several cemeteries within a short drive. You can also expect staff who handle burial records every day.

Between Omaha and Lincoln, the picture shifts to smaller towns. Saunders County lists five cemeteries, including Wahoo St Francis Catholic Cemetery and Cedar Bluffs Fleming Cemetery (402-666-5290). Many of these serve a village or a rural parish. They may be tended by a sexton who works part-time, so a first call can reach voicemail. Leave your name, the name of the person who died, and a call-back number.

Farther west, distances grow and offices get leaner. Dawes County in the northwest Panhandle has Chadron Calvary Cemetery (308-432-2626). Scottsbluff Fairview Cemetery at 4109 5th Avenue (308-630-6237) serves the Scotts Bluff County area. Both Chadron and Scottsbluff observe Mountain Time, so check the hour before you call from the Central Time side of the state.

Mid-sized hubs sit in between. Hastings, Grand Island, Norfolk, York, Holdrege, Aurora and McCook each have cemeteries with regular contact numbers. Their offices handle several burials a week rather than several a day. The practical difference for families is lead time. In a metro park you may secure a graveside slot within days. In a small town, the timing may depend on when the caretaker, the grave digger and the officiant are all available.

Nebraska Rules That Affect a Burial

State law touches a burial in a few specific places. Funeral directors and embalmers are licensed through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. The funeral director normally files the death certificate with the state's vital records system, and certified copies come from DHHS Vital Records in Lincoln. The cemetery will typically want to see proof of death and written authorization before it opens a grave.

Nebraska law sets a priority order for who may direct the disposition of remains. In general that means a person named in writing, then a spouse, then adult children and other close relatives. If relatives disagree, the cemetery may wait for written consent before it schedules anything. Settle this early, ideally before you call.

Many other rules come from the cemetery itself rather than the state. These include whether an outer burial container is required, what size and material a marker may be, and which days graves are opened. These rules are in the cemetery's regulations, and any office should give you a copy on request. If a rule seems unusual, ask where it comes from.

Pre-arranged plans deserve extra care. If you buy a lot, a niche or a pre-need package, get the contract in writing. It should say what is included, what the cemetery will charge later, and what happens if you move away from the area.

Veterans Burial in Nebraska

Eligible veterans have two main options. The Nebraska Veterans Cemetery near Alliance (308-763-2958) is the state-run choice, and the VA's Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell is the federal one. Both usually ask for the veteran's discharge papers, commonly the DD-214, to confirm eligibility. National cemeteries provide a gravesite, the opening and closing of the grave, and a headstone or marker for eligible veterans at no charge. The VA also offers a marker for eligible veterans buried in private cemeteries. Call first to confirm eligibility for spouses and dependents, because the rules differ by site.

What to Ask Before You Visit a Nebraska Cemetery Office

A short phone call saves a long drive, especially in rural counties. Have these questions ready:

If you are searching for an older family grave instead, bring names, approximate death years and the town where the family lived. Many small Nebraska cemeteries keep their records in a notebook or a binder rather than a searchable database. A specific question, such as the section or row, gets a faster answer than a general one.

Government cemeteries in Nebraska include facilities administered by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, state veterans cemeteries funded through state and federal partnerships, and local municipal and county cemeteries operated by city and county governments throughout the state.

Cemetery locations are available in 60 cities across Nebraska. They are spread across 44 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Omaha, Lincoln, Wahoo, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

Veterans in Nebraska may be eligible for burial in a state veterans cemetery at little or no cost. Contact the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs or Veterans Services to confirm eligibility requirements and available state-operated facilities.

Cemetery by Counties

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Families and genealogists in Nebraska can often request burial records from municipal cemetery offices or search online databases maintained by state archives and historical societies. Many Nebraska counties have digitized older cemetery records that are available through county clerk or public library genealogy collections.

Browse Cemetery by county across Nebraska to find the nearest location.

Visiting, Researching and Caring for Graves Across Nebraska

A Nebraska cemetery visit often involves more than one stop. Families may bury a relative in a county seat such as Aurora, where Aurora Cemetery sits at 1309 Nebraska 14, then place flowers at a village churchyard nearby. Offices in the same county can differ in hours and record-keeping. Plan to call each one separately.

For genealogy, begin with the cemetery office, then try the county clerk and local historical societies. History Nebraska, the state historical society in Lincoln, holds family and community records that sometimes fill gaps. Obituaries, church registers and funeral home files are also useful. Cemetery maps are not always current, so check against a headstone before you assume a plot number is right.

Seasons matter on the plains. Frozen ground in winter can slow burials, and spring storms and hail can damage markers and trees. Many Nebraska cemeteries ask visitors to remove winter decorations by early spring so crews can mow. Memorial Day weekend is the busiest time of year. Families travel long distances to decorate graves, so expect traffic on gravel roads near small rural cemeteries.

Eastern Nebraska has pockets of its own. Sarpy County has four listings, including Bellevue Cemetery on Franklin Street (402-293-3122). Norfolk Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery at 1105 West Norfolk Avenue (402-371-3214) and York Greenwood Cemetery at 1000 West 8th Street (402-362-4552) serve their regions. Holdrege Prairie Cemetery at 1421 13th Street (308-995-8140) does the same for Phelps County. Each is a good place to start for local questions.

Cemetery FAQs for Nebraska

No single agency oversees every cemetery in Nebraska. Chapter 12 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes sets the legal framework for cemetery associations, municipal cemeteries and related matters. Day-to-day control rests with the owner, whether that is a city council, an association board, a parish or a private company. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services licenses funeral directors and handles vital records, but it does not manage individual burial grounds. For a complaint or a dispute over a lot, start with the cemetery's board or owner, then ask the county attorney's office about next steps.

Call the cemetery that you think holds the burial. In Omaha, Graceland Park Cemetery at 4720 South 42nd Street can be reached at 402-731-0264. In Lincoln, Lincoln Memorial Cemetery at 6700 South 14th Street is at 402-417-0222. Give the full name, the approximate year of death and any family names tied to the plot. Staff can usually check burial records and tell you the section and lot. If the first cemetery has no record, ask which others were common for that family or church. Omaha and Lincoln both have many cemeteries, so a second or third call is normal.

Eligible veterans can be. The cemetery is at 2610 County Road 57 in Box Butte County, and the listed phone is 308-763-2958. Eligibility generally depends on military service and discharge status, so have the veteran's DD-214 ready when you call. Ask whether a spouse or dependent may be buried there too, and what fees, if any, apply to them. If the family prefers a federal option, Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell is run by the VA. Either way, start the conversation before the funeral so the paperwork is ready.

Use the listed number first. Wahoo St Francis Catholic Cemetery on County Road J is at 402-443-4235, and Chadron Calvary Cemetery on Maple Street is at 308-432-2626. Cedar Bluffs Fleming Cemetery is at 402-666-5290. Church-owned grounds are often handled through the parish office, and village cemeteries may be handled through the village clerk. Staff may work part-time, so leave a clear voicemail with your name, number and the reason for calling. If you do not hear back in a few days, try the parish or village office directly.

It can. Nebraska winters bring frozen ground, snow and ice, and these conditions can make grave opening slower or limit access on rural roads. Some cemeteries can still open graves in winter, while others may suggest a memorial service now and interment in spring. Ask about extra winter charges, whether a tent or heater is available, and who clears the path. Small cemeteries in the Panhandle and Sandhills may have fewer crews on call than metro parks in Omaha or Lincoln. Tell the funeral director early, since they can often coordinate timing with the cemetery.

Stop work and do not disturb the site. Nebraska has a law protecting unmarked human burial sites and skeletal remains. Contact local law enforcement, who can help determine whether the remains are recent or historic. History Nebraska, the state historical society in Lincoln, is involved when remains are historic or Native American. Do not move bones or markers, and avoid posting the exact location publicly. Landowners, farmers and construction crews who find a burial should document it with photographs from a distance and wait for guidance. Following this process protects both the remains and you.