How Oregon Regulates and Organizes Its Cemeteries

Oregon has 295 cemetery listings in our database, and they do not share a single owner. Some are private memorial parks run by companies. Others belong to churches, fraternal groups, cities or special districts, and a few are pioneer burial grounds kept up by volunteers. Knowing which type you are dealing with tells you who to call, who sets the prices and who keeps the records.

At the state level, the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board is the main regulator. It oversees funeral service practitioners, funeral establishments, crematories and cemetery authorities under the Oregon Revised Statutes, mainly chapters 97 and 692. If you cannot get a straight answer about a lot you own, or you suspect an unfair sales practice, the Board accepts complaints and can explain what the law expects of a cemetery authority.

Two other state bodies matter for specific problems. The Oregon Health Authority's Center for Health Statistics handles death certificates, which every burial or cremation depends on. The Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, supported through the State Historic Preservation Office, promotes the care of old and abandoned burial grounds. Neither one sells plots, so contact them for records or preservation advice rather than for a burial.

Many rural areas rely on cemetery maintenance districts, a type of local government created under ORS chapter 265. A district is funded partly by property taxes and run by a board. The Crook County Cemetery District at 1555 North Main Street in Prineville (541-447-4611) is one of these districts in our database. This model keeps burial grounds open where no private company would find the work profitable.

Oregon law also sets rules for endowment care, sometimes called perpetual care. Cemetery authorities that sell burial rights must set aside part of the proceeds in a fund for long-term upkeep. Ask any private cemetery how its fund is held and what it covers. In most cases it pays for mowing, roads and general grounds, not for repairing a family monument.

Portland Metro, the Willamette Valley and Rural Oregon Compared

Portland and the metro counties

Portland has 32 listings, the most of any Oregon city, and Multnomah County holds 39 in total. Portland Lincoln Memorial Cemetery at 11801 Southeast Mount Scott Boulevard (800-647-7031) is a large private ground. Pleasant Home Cemetery on Southeast Bluff Road in Gresham (503-797-1709) shows the older, community-scale side of the county. Metro cemeteries usually have staffed offices and printed price lists, so you can often settle arrangements in a single phone call.

West of Portland, Washington County lists 25 cemeteries. Fir Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery at 1070 West Main Street in Hillsboro (503-648-1732) is one example. Banks Saint Francis Cemetery on Wilkesboro-Mountaindale Road reflects the smaller farm-country grounds at the county's edge. Clackamas County adds K-R Maintenance Zion Memorial Cemetery in Canby (503-266-8480), George Cemetery near Estacada (503-630-3829) and St John The Apostle Cemetery (503-655-7148).

The Willamette Valley

Salem has eight listings, and Marion County has 22. Stipp Cemetery on Macleay Road Southeast (503-364-1300) and Silverton Cemetery on McClaine Street (503-873-3448) are both on our list. Eugene has 11 listings, including Eugene Mt Calvary Cemetery at 220 Crest Drive (541-686-8722), and Lane County has 17 overall.

Crystal Lake Cemetery on Southwest Avery Avenue in Corvallis (541-766-6871) is in Benton County. North Palestine Cemetery near Albany (541-928-0880) is in Linn County. Newberg, in Yamhill County, has six listings. One of them, Chehalem Pet Cemetery on Villa Road (503-538-7101), serves animals rather than people. The valley was settled early, so you find many old family and church grounds beside the newer memorial parks.

Southern, central, eastern and coastal Oregon

Southern Oregon is well covered. Jackson County has 20 listings, including Griffin Creek Cemetery at 1079 Barlynn Street in Medford (541-608-0360) and Ashland Cemetery on East Main Street (541-482-3826). In Douglas County, Roseburg Cleveland Cemetery on Melqua Road (541-672-6420) is listed. Grants Pass Hillcrest Memorial Park at 945 Northeast Hillcrest Drive (541-476-2310) serves Josephine County.

On the coast, Coos Bay Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery at 63060 Millington Frontage Road (541-267-7182) serves Coos County. In central Oregon, Bend Pilot Butte Cemetery at 575 Northeast 15th Street (541-317-3000) is the Deschutes County listing. Eastern Oregon has Ackles Cemetery on Mount Glen Road in La Grande (541-963-3712) and Enterprise Cemetery in Wallowa County (541-426-3319). Along the Columbia, Rainier has seven listings, including Kobel Cemetery on Whitney Road (503-556-9697), and Clatskanie Bryant Cemetery (503-728-3609) is nearby.

Rural offices work differently from metro ones. Many have part-time caretakers, volunteer boards or shared phone lines. Expect shorter hours and a voicemail box. Leave your name, the name of the person you are asking about and a number, then allow a day or two for a reply.

Veterans, Pioneer and Tribal Burial Grounds in Oregon

Oregon has three national cemeteries run by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs rather than by the state: Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Eagle Point National Cemetery in Jackson County and Roseburg National Cemetery in Douglas County. Eligible veterans receive a gravesite, the opening and closing of the grave, and a headstone or marker at no charge. Spouses and some dependents may also qualify. A funeral director usually submits the request, and you will need the veteran's discharge papers, often a DD-214.

Pioneer-era grounds are a different matter. Oregon's Trail and territorial history left hundreds of small cemeteries beside old farms, mills and churches. Some are still active, some accept only family members, and some have no regular caretaker. Tutuilla Presbyterian Indian Mission Cemetery on Tutuilla Church Road near Pendleton (541-276-6820) reflects the history of the Umatilla area in northeastern Oregon. Treat grounds like this with care and ask permission before you photograph or clean markers.

What to Bring and Ask Before You Contact an Oregon Cemetery

A short, prepared call saves time. Whether you want a plot, a grave location or a burial date, have these items ready:

Weather affects scheduling. West of the Cascades, saturated winter ground can slow work, and some cemeteries require a concrete vault or liner. East of the mountains, frozen soil can delay winter burials. Call early, confirm the date in writing, and ask what time crews need access to set up the site.

Government cemeteries in Oregon 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 128 cities across Oregon. They are spread across 33 counties.

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

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

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

Finding Cemetery Records and Plots by Oregon County

Oregon's cemetery records are scattered, so it helps to work from the county outward. Start with the city and county where the person died or lived, then look at nearby towns. Lane County and Union County are good examples of two very different settings. One centers on the Eugene and Springfield area, and the other on La Grande and the Grande Ronde Valley. Their cemeteries, caretakers and record-keeping habits are not alike.

Metro cemeteries often keep searchable records and can confirm a grave location over the phone. Small rural grounds may keep a paper ledger, a map in a caretaker's truck or a list held by a local historical society. Funeral homes, county clerks, church offices and local genealogy groups can fill gaps. If a cemetery has no phone number, a nearby city hall or county courthouse can often tell you who looks after it.

Plan for a visit when records are thin. Many small Oregon cemeteries have no signs and little paper. A caretaker, neighbor or board member may know where a family lot sits, so ask before you walk the grounds alone.

The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board is the main state regulator. It oversees funeral service practitioners, funeral establishments, crematories and cemetery authorities under the Oregon Revised Statutes, mainly chapters 97 and 692. It takes complaints about cemetery practices, such as missing records, disputed burial rights or sales problems. It does not run cemeteries or choose plots. For a local issue like mowing or a gate that is locked, contact the owner first, whether that is a company, church, city or cemetery district, before you go to the Board.

Begin with the death certificate or an obituary, which usually names the funeral home and the cemetery. If you only know the town, call the cemeteries listed for that city. Portland, Eugene and Salem have many choices, so the funeral home is often the fastest route. For older burials, county historical societies and genealogy groups keep transcriptions that cemeteries may not. Give the office the full name, approximate dates and any family surnames to narrow the search.

Oregon has three national cemeteries managed by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs: Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Eagle Point National Cemetery in Jackson County and Roseburg National Cemetery in Douglas County. Eligible veterans receive a gravesite, the opening and closing, and a headstone or marker at no cost. Gather the discharge papers, often a DD-214, and ask your funeral director to submit the request. Spouses and some dependents may also be eligible, so ask the VA to confirm before you buy a private plot.

State law does not treat private-land burial as automatically off limits, but local rules decide whether it is practical. Zoning, water sources, setbacks and property records vary by county. Before you plan anything, call the county planning department for the land and ask the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board what the state requires. A funeral director can also explain how the death certificate and burial paperwork must be handled. Tell any future buyer of the land about the burial, since it affects the property.

Many small grounds, such as Ackles Cemetery near La Grande or George Cemetery near Estacada, are run by part-time caretakers or volunteer boards. Call the number in the listing and leave a clear message. If nobody answers after a few days, try the nearest city hall, the county clerk or a local funeral home, which often knows who holds the records. A cemetery district, like the Crook County Cemetery District in Prineville, may have a board member who can answer. Ask before any digging begins.

Not necessarily. Chehalem Pet Cemetery on Villa Road in Newberg (503-538-7101) serves animals, and its services, contracts and fees are set by the operator. Do not assume the rules for human burial rights or endowment care apply in the same way. Ask for a written contract that covers the plot, the burial or cremation options, any ongoing care and what happens if the property changes hands. If you have a concern, call the operator first, then ask the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board whether it has any role.

If you cannot find the right cemetery, browse the county pages for Douglas County and its neighbors, or call a funeral home in the area. They handle Oregon burial paperwork every week and can point you to the correct office.