Tennessee has 95 counties, three Grand Divisions, and no single office that runs every graveyard. Our directory holds 409 cemetery records, from neighborhoods along the Mississippi River in Memphis to mountain valleys near Johnson City. This page explains who is responsible for what, so you can reach the right office on the first call.

How Cemetery Care Is Divided Across East, Middle and West Tennessee

The Grand Divisions shape settlement patterns, and settlement shapes burial customs. West Tennessee centers on Memphis and the river counties. Middle Tennessee runs from Nashville through the Highland Rim and the Duck River valley. East Tennessee takes in Knoxville, Chattanooga, the Tri-Cities and the ridges of the Cumberland Plateau.

Each region has its own mix of cemetery types. Large commercial memorial parks cluster around Memphis, Knoxville and Chattanooga. City-owned cemeteries are common in county seats such as Shelbyville, Springfield and Fayetteville. Church and family burial grounds fill the countryside, often with no staffed office at all.

One quirk of our data is worth knowing. Records filed under Johnson are in Johnson City, home of Monte Vista Cemetery on East Oakland Avenue in Washington County. If a city search turns up nothing, try the county page instead.

Who Regulates Cemeteries in Tennessee

Title 46 of the Tennessee Code Annotated is the main body of cemetery law. It covers cemetery companies, burial rights and the care of neglected or abandoned grounds. The state does not keep a central register of every grave, so most day-to-day questions land with the cemetery owner or the local government.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance handles much of the business oversight, including consumer complaints about sales practices. Ask the department about current registration requirements for cemetery operators. Funeral directors are licensed separately by a state board, so a complaint about a funeral home goes to a different desk than one about a cemetery lot.

Death records run through the Tennessee Department of Health, Office of Vital Records. In practice a funeral director files the death certificate and arranges the permit paperwork. If your family handles a burial without a funeral home, ask the county health department and the cemetery what they will require before the day of service.

Local government fills in the rest:

The Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville is the best research stop for old cemetery surveys, church records and county histories.

Metro Cemeteries and Rural Burial Grounds in Tennessee

Buying a plot or arranging a burial feels very different in a big city than in a small county seat. Metro cemeteries tend to have sales staff, printed price lists and regular office hours. Rural ones may be run by a volunteer board that meets once a month.

Memphis and Shelby County

Shelby County has the most listings in the state. Catholic Cemeteries of Memphis, at 1663 Elvis Presley Boulevard, can be reached at 901-948-1529. Farther north, Millington West Union Cemetery sits at 9056 Bass Road (901-876-5042), serving the Millington area outside the city core.

Knoxville, Chattanooga and Their Neighbors

Knoxville National Cemetery at 939 Tyson Street, phone 865-637-9850, dates to the Civil War and is a federal veterans burial ground. The Knox County page lists the other grounds in the county. Nearby Maryville, in Blount County, lists Cedar Grove Cemetery at 421 Keeble Road (865-977-7614).

Chattanooga Confederate Cemetery, at 850 East 3rd Street, is one of the city's Civil War burial sites. Records for the surrounding area are on the Hamilton County page. Cleveland, in Bradley County, lists Fort Hill Cemetery on South Ocoee Street (423-472-6967).

Upper East Tennessee

Johnson City anchors the northeast corner of the state. Besides Monte Vista Cemetery, the area is known for Mountain Home National Cemetery, a federal veterans cemetery. The Washington County page lists local options, and Monte Vista's office number is 423-212-7180.

Middle Tennessee's Growth Corridor

Murfreesboro and Smyrna in Rutherford County are among the fastest-growing areas in the state. Lytle Cemetery at 270 Glenis Drive answers at 615-890-9411, and Smyrna's Cook Cemetery is listed at 300 StoneCrest Boulevard (615-220-5796). Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro holds burials from the battle fought there in the winter of 1862 and 1863.

Franklin Hill Cemetery on Cool Springs Boulevard (615-778-6834) is in Williamson County, where the 1864 Battle of Franklin left a lasting mark. Columbia's Pinecrest Memorial Gardens, at 2391 Nashville Highway (931-486-0777), serves Maury County. In Gallatin, Pet Rest Memorial Gardens on Scotty Parker Road handles pet burials for Sumner County.

Practical Steps for Reaching a Tennessee Cemetery Office

Start with the county, then narrow to the cemetery. Our county pages group listings so you can compare nearby options and see who owns each ground.

Check the address before you drive. A few records use a town office rather than the grounds. Shelbyville Owens Cemetery, for example, lists 101 Public Square South, a downtown address. Call 931-684-7188 to confirm where the grounds are and who holds the sales records.

Bring the right paperwork. For a burial, that usually means the deceased's full name, a death certificate or funeral home authorization, and the deed or certificate for the plot. For a headstone, expect to bring the family's written approval and the monument company's drawing. For a genealogy visit, bring dates, names of relatives and any church affiliation.

Call ahead for rural grounds. Crossville Turner Cemetery on Sparta Highway (931-484-4897) and Lafayette Enon Cemetery on Galen Road (615-887-3869) serve small communities on the Cumberland Plateau and the Highland Rim. One phone number there may reach a caretaker with another full-time job. Leave your name, number and the family name you are researching.

Expect prices to vary. The state does not set a price list for lots. Each cemetery sets its own fees for plots, opening and closing, and vaults, and rates differ between a Memphis memorial park and a rural church ground. Ask for a written price list, and ask about any perpetual care charge before you sign.

Time your visit. Spring and early summer are busy with grave cleaning, and many Appalachian and Middle Tennessee churches hold Decoration Day gatherings when families tidy graves and share a meal. Summer heat and winter ice can make hillside sections hard to walk, so wear sturdy shoes.

Finally, ask for the rules in writing. Many Tennessee cemeteries restrict monument size, flower types and vault requirements, and those rules differ from one operator to the next.

Government cemeteries in Tennessee 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 181 cities across Tennessee. They are spread across 88 counties.

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

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

Cemetery by Counties

A
B
C
D
F
G
H
J
K
L
M
O
P
R
S
T
U
W

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

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

Terrain, Seasons and Local Customs Behind Tennessee Cemeteries

Geography affects cemetery work more than most people expect. Along the Mississippi and its tributaries in West Tennessee, heavy spring rain can soften ground and delay openings. On the Cumberland Plateau and in the ridge-and-valley country of East Tennessee, shallow rock and steep slopes limit where graves can be dug. Older hillside grounds may have no vehicle access at all.

Rhea County shows the rural pattern well. Memory Garden Cemetery on Rhea County Highway in Dayton (423-775-2662) and King Memorial Seventh Day Adventist Cemetery at 1548 Cemetery Road in Spring City (423-365-5044) are both listed there. Faith-based cemeteries like these often reserve space for members first, so ask about eligibility before you plan a service.

Civil War history also matters. Salem Cemetery Battlefield in Jackson, off Cotton Grove Road in Madison County (731-424-1279), is tied to a December 1862 engagement. Old graves are protected by state law, so never move markers or clear brush on historic sites without permission from the owner.

Smaller towns across the state follow the city-owned model. Dyersburg Wright Cemetery on Saint John Avenue (731-285-6110), Fayetteville Riverview Cemetery on College Street West (931-433-4511), Goodlettsville Greenwood Cemetery on Dickerson Road (615-420-6207) and Rockwood Oak Grove Cemetery on West Rockwood Street (865-354-0834) are all listed. Call the number shown to confirm hours and ownership.

Cemetery Questions Tennessee Families Ask

No single agency runs every cemetery. The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance handles much of the consumer and business oversight, and Title 46 of the Tennessee Code Annotated sets the main cemetery rules. Funeral directors answer to a separate state licensing board. Death certificates go through the Tennessee Department of Health, while cities and counties manage their own municipal cemeteries and zoning. For a problem with a specific cemetery, start with its owner, then escalate to the department or your county officials. Keep copies of contracts, receipts and emails, because they speed up any complaint.

Tennessee has several national cemeteries, including Knoxville National Cemetery on Tyson Street, Mountain Home National Cemetery in Johnson City and Stones River National Cemetery in Murfreesboro. Eligible veterans receive a gravesite, opening and closing, and a government headstone or marker at no charge. Spouses and some dependents may be buried alongside them. A funeral director or family member submits the veteran's discharge papers, usually DD Form 214, to the VA's National Cemetery Administration. The state also operates veterans cemeteries in each Grand Division. Some older national cemeteries limit new burials, so call first. Knoxville's number is 865-637-9850.

Sometimes, but not everywhere. Tennessee law recognizes family cemeteries, yet counties and cities can restrict burials through zoning, health and land-use rules. Before planning a home burial, contact the county planning office and the local health department. Then talk with the Register of Deeds about recording the burial ground in the property records. Setbacks from wells, streams and property lines often apply. A funeral director can still help with the death certificate and permit paperwork. Written notes and a simple sketch showing the location and boundaries help future owners and heirs know the graves exist.

Start with the county where the person lived or died, then check that county's page on this site for nearby cemeteries. Next, call the cemetery office or the church that owned the ground. The Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville holds cemetery surveys, county records and family papers. Local libraries, genealogical societies and county Register of Deeds offices can fill gaps. Bring a death date, a spouse's name and the funeral home that handled the service, if you know it. Rural grounds may have only handwritten records, so an in-person visit with a relative who knows the area often works best.

Stop work and leave everything in place. Call local law enforcement or the county medical examiner so they can decide whether the remains are recent or historic. Remains that appear old are typically referred to the Division of Archaeology in the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, which deals with unmarked and Native American burials. Do not collect bones or artifacts, and do not post the exact location online. Landowners and builders should also tell their contractor and lender, because a discovery can pause construction while state and local officials review the site.

Yes. Pet Rest Memorial Gardens at 1618 Scotty Parker Road in Gallatin, Sumner County, is listed in our directory and can be reached at 615-452-3573. Most human cemeteries do not allow animal burials, so check a cemetery's written regulations before planning a joint burial. If you are considering burying a pet at home, ask your county planning office about local rules on burial depth, distance from water and property lines. Many veterinary clinics can also arrange cremation if burial is not practical, and some pet cemeteries accept cremated remains.