How New Jersey Regulates and Organizes Cemetery Services

Cemeteries in New Jersey are not run by one central office. A burial ground might belong to a Catholic diocese, a synagogue, a nonprofit association, a private company, a township, or a veterans agency. Our database lists 376 cemeteries across 184 cities and all 21 counties. Ownership shapes almost everything: who you call, what paperwork you need, and what you pay.

At the state level, the main body to know is the New Jersey Cemetery Board, part of the Division of Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public Safety. It works under the state Cemetery Act (N.J.S.A. 45:27), which sets rules for cemetery companies, including the care and maintenance funds that pay for upkeep after burial. Religious cemeteries and some municipal grounds are treated differently under the law. Ask the cemetery office which category it falls into before you decide where a complaint would go.

Two other agencies touch nearly every burial. The State Board of Mortuary Science licenses funeral directors, who normally file the death certificate and obtain the burial permit. The Department of Health's Office of Vital Statistics and Registry oversees the local registrars. The registrar of vital statistics in the municipality where the death occurred is the person who issues the permit.

What a Cemetery Office Handles in New Jersey

The cemetery office sells and records burial rights, schedules each opening and closing, and keeps the maps and interment registers. Most offices handle the following:

Bring a photo ID, any deed or paperwork from earlier purchases, and the name and dates of the person you are looking for. Many cemeteries require a vault or grave liner, so ask before you buy one separately. Offices often keep weekday hours and charge more for weekend or late-day burials, so call early in the week. Fees differ from one cemetery to the next and change over time, so get current figures in writing.

Our listings show an address, county, and in most cases a phone number. A few entries, such as Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Monroe, have no phone in our database. For those, use the county or state veterans services office to reach the right person.

From Hudson County to the Shore: How New Jersey Cemeteries Differ by Region

The densest cluster sits in the northeast. Bergen County has 41 listings, the most of any county in our database, and Hudson County and Essex County add dozens more. Land here is scarce and expensive. Many cemeteries are old and nearly full, so they mainly sell remaining spaces, niches, or mausoleum crypts. Names can mislead. Hoboken Cemetery is on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, and Holy Name Cemetery is on West Side Avenue in Jersey City. Check the street address, not just the name.

Newark has ten listings, including Newark Woodland Cemetery at 10 South Street. East Orange Holy Sepulchre Cemetery on Central Avenue and Bloomfield Mt Olivet Cemetery on Cottage Place also serve Essex County families. In Bergen County, Lodi St Nicholas Cemetery on Terrace Avenue and North Arlington Catholic Cemeteries on Ridge Road are examples of church-run grounds. A phone call or office visit is usually the fastest way to confirm available space, because small offices may not post details online.

Suburban central New Jersey has more open acreage. Morris County has 32 listings, and Monmouth and Middlesex counties have 29 each. Morristown Evergreen Cemetery at 168 Ridgedale Avenue and East Hanover Gate of Heaven Cemetery at 225 Ridgedale Avenue share a road name but sit in different towns, so confirm the municipality. In Middlesex County you will find Drew Memorial Company Cemetery in Woodbridge and East Brunswick Beth Abraham Cemetery on Cranbury Road. In Monmouth County, the Marlboro cemetery listed on Highway 79 is one of the area's entries.

South Jersey looks different. Camden County has 23 listings, including Arlington & Bethel Cemetery on Cove Road in Pennsauken and Berlin Gate of Heaven Cemetery on the White Horse Pike. Atlantic County has 18, among them Egg Harbor Cemetery on London Avenue, Mays Landing Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery on Harding Highway in Hamilton, and Hammonton Sacred Heart Cemetery on Route 73 North. Farther south, Cumberland County entries such as Burdsalls West Side Memorials Cemetery in Bridgeton and Petland Cemetery & Crematory in Vineland are spread across farm towns. Plan for longer drives and confirm hours before you go.

In smaller townships, an old churchyard or township burying ground may have a volunteer sexton rather than a staffed office. The municipal clerk can often tell you who holds the records and who to call.

Faith-Based, Historic and Veterans Cemeteries in New Jersey

Many listings are tied to a faith community, and that affects who can be buried there. Jewish cemeteries such as the Jewish Cemetery Association on Allwood Road in Clifton, Beth David Memorial Park Cemetery in Kenilworth, and East Brunswick Beth Abraham Cemetery usually follow congregation or association rules on burial practices and markers. Catholic cemeteries are generally run through a diocese or parish. Examples include Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleum in Bernards, Hammonton Sacred Heart Cemetery, and the two Gate of Heaven cemeteries in East Hanover and Berlin. Ask each office about eligibility and memorial rules before you commit.

History-minded visitors should consider Princeton Cemetery on Greenview Avenue, where President Grover Cleveland and Aaron Burr are buried. Old cemeteries like this one often have uneven ground and worn stones, so wear sturdy shoes and ask the office for a map of notable sections.

Veterans Burial Options in New Jersey

Veterans have several paths. The state-run Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery is in Burlington County and is operated by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Our database also lists Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 240 South Tuckahoe Road in Monroe, in Gloucester County. The federal VA runs national cemeteries in the state as well, including Beverly National Cemetery in Burlington County and Finn's Point National Cemetery in Salem County.

Eligibility generally turns on military service and an honorable discharge, and some sites extend burial rights to spouses. Have the veteran's DD-214 discharge paper ready, and confirm with each cemetery which types of burial it currently accepts. Rules differ between state, county, and federal sites, and your funeral director can often submit the request for you.

Government cemeteries in New Jersey 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 184 cities across New Jersey. They are spread across 21 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Newark, North Bergen, Clifton, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

Veterans in New Jersey may be eligible for burial in a state veterans cemetery at little or no cost. Contact the New Jersey 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 New Jersey can often request burial records from municipal cemetery offices or search online databases maintained by state archives and historical societies. Many New Jersey counties have digitized older cemetery records that are available through county clerk or public library genealogy collections.

Browse Cemetery by county across New Jersey to find the nearest location.

Practical Steps for Families and Visitors Across New Jersey

If you are arranging a burial, call the funeral director first. They coordinate with the cemetery, the local registrar, and the clergy or officiant. If you are visiting a grave, call the cemetery office ahead of time. Snow and ice can limit access to some sections in winter, and holiday weekends such as Memorial Day bring heavy traffic to the larger grounds. Many Jewish cemeteries do not hold burials on the Sabbath or major holidays, so schedule with that in mind.

New Jersey is compact, but the nearest cemetery may be across a county line. A family in Hoboken, for example, might use Hoboken Cemetery in North Bergen. Search by street address and county rather than by name alone. When you are researching family history, combine sources. Cemetery registers, municipal clerks, county historical societies, and the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton each hold different pieces of the record. Keep every receipt, deed, and email in one folder. Cemetery ownership changes over the decades, and your paperwork is the best proof of what was bought.

The New Jersey Cemetery Board, part of the Division of Consumer Affairs, administers the state Cemetery Act and handles complaints about regulated cemetery companies. Funeral directors are licensed separately by the State Board of Mortuary Science, and burial permits come from the local registrar of vital statistics. Religious and municipal cemeteries are treated differently under the law, so the first step is to ask the office who owns the ground. A church-run site like Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City answers to its parish or diocese, while a nonprofit association answers to its trustees. Keep written records of every payment and conversation.

Your funeral director normally handles most of it. The death certificate is filed with the local registrar of vital statistics, who issues the burial permit. The cemetery will then want the permit, the deed or proof of interment rights, and a signed authorization from the person with legal authority to arrange the burial. If you buy a grave directly, bring photo ID and the deceased's full legal name and dates. Cremation adds its own authorization steps, which the funeral home or crematory will explain. Requirements vary by cemetery, so ask the office for its checklist on the first call.

Start with the cemetery itself. Most offices keep interment registers and can look up a name if you give a death year and town. If you do not know where the burial took place, begin with the town where the person lived, then call the parish, congregation, or association offices there. Older records may be held by the New Jersey State Archives in Trenton or by county and local historical societies. In busy areas such as Bergen County, with 41 listings, expect several calls. Ask whether the office can email a section and lot number, and request a map so you can locate the stone.

Options include the state's Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Burlington County, operated by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 240 South Tuckahoe Road in Monroe, which appears in our listings. The VA also runs national cemeteries in the state, such as Beverly National Cemetery in Burlington County and Finn's Point National Cemetery in Salem County. Eligibility generally depends on service and an honorable discharge, and spouses may qualify. Have the DD-214 ready, and confirm availability, burial types, and scheduling directly with each site, because rules differ between state, county, and federal cemeteries.

Ask who owns the cemetery and whether it holds a care and maintenance fund. Request a written price list covering the grave or niche, opening and closing fees, and any vault or liner requirement. Find out whether the deed can be transferred, whether unused spaces can be resold, and what limits apply to memorial size or material. Ask about weekend burial charges and how the cemetery handles cremated remains. Visit in person, especially in crowded areas like Newark or North Bergen where space may be limited. Read the contract and the cemetery's rules and regulations before you sign anything.

Raise the problem first with the cemetery manager in writing, noting dates, names, and amounts. If the cemetery is a regulated company and the issue stays unresolved, you can contact the New Jersey Cemetery Board through the Division of Consumer Affairs. For religious cemeteries, the diocese, parish, or congregation's governing body is usually the next step. Municipal cemeteries answer to the township or city, so the clerk or governing body can help. Problems involving a funeral home, such as a prepaid contract, may fall to the State Board of Mortuary Science instead. Keep copies of contracts, receipts, and photos.