Finding a cemetery in Virginia can mean dealing with a city sexton, a county parks department, a church trustee, a private memorial park, or a federal agency. Which one you call depends on who owns the ground. This page explains how those offices are organised across the Commonwealth, where our 337 listings sit, and what to prepare before you call. It is written for families arranging a burial, people tracing ancestors, and anyone who needs the right office quickly.

Who Oversees Cemeteries and Burials in Virginia

No single office runs every cemetery in the state. Ownership is mixed: cities and counties, churches, nonprofit associations, family trusts, for-profit memorial park companies, the Commonwealth, and the federal government. Oversight follows the same patchwork, so it helps to know which layer answers which question.

At the state level, the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) licenses funeral directors and embalmers through the Board for Funeral Directors and Embalmers. DPOR also administers the Virginia Cemetery Board, which deals with cemetery companies and their sales staff. If a private cemetery sold you a lot and you have a contract dispute, DPOR is the agency to ask about complaints. Check its website for current procedures before you file anything.

The Virginia Department of Health handles death records and related permits. A funeral director normally files the death certificate and arranges the burial paperwork for you. Moving remains after burial is a separate process. It generally requires a disinterment permit, the consent of the next of kin, and the cooperation of the cemetery that holds the grave.

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources keeps records on historic cemeteries and offers guidance on abandoned or neglected burial grounds. Local governments add another layer. Zoning decides where a new cemetery or a family plot on private land may go, and city and county staff run municipal cemeteries directly. State law also gives descendants a right of reasonable access to graves on private property, which matters for the many small family graveyards scattered across rural Virginia.

Independent Cities and Counties: Reading Virginia Cemetery Listings Correctly

Virginia has 95 counties and 38 independent cities. An independent city is legally separate from any county, so Richmond, Norfolk, Roanoke, Alexandria, Winchester and Petersburg each handle their own local government functions. That is why our database groups some listings under names such as City of Richmond County and Norfolk County, or Virginia Beach County. Those are browsing groups for independent cities, not counties in the legal sense.

Mailing addresses can mislead. Poplar Springs Cemetery on Charles City Road carries a Richmond address, yet our records place it in Henrico County, which has 12 listings of its own. Old Dominion Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums Cemetery on Cloverdale Road has a Roanoke address but falls in Botetourt County. The difference matters. The jurisdiction that contains the land decides zoning, property records, and which local office holds any burial registers.

Our largest clusters follow population. Richmond has more listings than any other city, and the Hampton Roads cities of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Suffolk add up quickly. In Northern Virginia, Fairfax County leads with 17 listings and Loudoun County follows with 10. Rural counties still show up strongly. Franklin, Washington, Tazewell and Wise counties each have between seven and eleven listings, which is a lot of burial grounds for areas with far fewer people.

Cemetery Services in Virginia, Region by Region

Richmond, Henrico and Petersburg

Central Virginia has the deepest mix of old and new burial grounds. Richmond's 26 listings range from historic cemeteries to modern memorial parks. Poplar Springs Cemetery, at 5270 Charles City Road (804-795-7722), serves the east side of the metro area. Petersburg's Blandford Cemetery, at 319 South Crater Road (804-733-2397), is as much a historic site as a cemetery, so ask about visiting rules before you bring a group.

Northern Virginia

Land is scarce and expensive here, so cemeteries tend to be smaller, older, or tucked into established neighbourhoods. Falls Church Oakwood Cemetery, at 401 Roosevelt Boulevard (703-237-0939), and the Fairfax Cemetery Department, at 10567 Main Street in Fairfax (703-385-7997), are examples of the locally anchored offices you will find in the inner suburbs. If you want an in-ground plot close to home, call early. Ask about cremation niches and garden sections as well, since they are often easier to arrange on short notice.

Hampton Roads

Norfolk's 13 listings include City of Norfolk Cemeteries, at 401 Monticello Avenue (757-441-1752), the municipal office for the city's burial grounds. Virginia Beach has Colonial Grove Memorial Park Cemetery at 3445 Princess Anne Road (757-427-6950). Chesapeake Memorial Gardens Cemetery sits at 524 Cedar Road (757-547-9511), and Suffolk lists Carver Memorial Cemetery at 101 Bunch Street (757-539-8277). Much of this region is low-lying, so ask each cemetery how it handles graves, vaults and mausoleum entombment.

Valley, Piedmont and Southwest Virginia

Winchester Mount Hebron Cemetery (540-662-4868), Harrisonburg Rest Haven Memorial Gardens Cemetery (540-434-8409), Monticello Memory Gardens in Charlottesville (434-296-5682) and Lynchburg Spring Hill Cemetery (434-846-0801) anchor the Interstate 81 and Piedmont corridors. Further southwest, Puckett Cemetery in Abingdon (276-739-8010) sits in Washington County, and Big Stone Gap Lane Cemetery (276-523-4697) is in Wise County. In Covington, the Cedar Hill Cemetery Sexton can be reached at 540-965-6383.

In the mountain counties, many burial grounds belong to churches or families and are looked after by volunteers. Expect voicemail, and leave a clear message with your name, number and the grave you are asking about. Offices often return calls in the evening.

Before you call any cemetery office, gather the following:

Military and Historic Burial Grounds Across the Commonwealth

Virginia holds an unusual number of national and historic burial grounds because so much of the Civil War was fought here. Arlington National Cemetery (877-907-8585) is run by the Department of the Army, and its eligibility rules are stricter than those at most other national cemeteries. Do not assume a veteran qualifies. Check with the cemetery before you make plans or tell relatives. Leesburg's Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery (540-825-0027) is among the smallest national cemeteries in the country and marks the 1861 battle fought on the Potomac.

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services operates state veterans cemeteries, including the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk. Federal national cemeteries such as Culpeper and Quantico add more choices. Eligible veterans can also receive a government headstone or marker for a private cemetery, so a veteran does not have to be buried in a veterans cemetery to be honoured.

Civil War burial grounds are common across the listings. Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery sits on Washington Avenue, and Manassas Confederate Cemetery is on Center Street (703-257-8372). Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg is known for its Confederate burials and its old church. Winchester Mount Hebron Cemetery includes the Stonewall Confederate Cemetery section. At these sites, photograph markers but do not scrub them with wire brushes or bleach. Many historic cemeteries also restrict grave rubbings, so ask first.

Government cemeteries in Virginia 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 154 cities across Virginia. They are spread across 94 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Richmond, Norfolk, Falls Church, where established municipal cemeteries have served their communities for generations and maintain extensive historical burial records.

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

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

Practical Planning for Burials and Grave Visits in Virginia

Most families deal with three parties at once: the funeral home, the cemetery office, and sometimes a church. Start with the cemetery, because it controls the grave space, the opening and closing schedule, and the rules for markers. Ask for its written rules and price list before you sign anything. Cemeteries commonly require an outer burial container or vault, set limits on marker size and material, and charge separate fees for opening the grave, the marker foundation and weekend service.

Weather affects timing in Virginia. Summer thunderstorms and the occasional tropical storm can delay graveside services on the coast. Mountain counties in the southwest may see snow and ice that slow equipment from December through February. Call the office the day before to confirm the service is still on.

If you buy a lot before you need it, keep the deed or certificate in a safe place and tell relatives where it is. Ask whether the cemetery holds perpetual care money in trust, and who looks after the grounds if the owner stops operating. Churches and family cemeteries often have no endowment, which is why neglected graveyards are common in older parts of the state.

Cremation is widely available across the Commonwealth, and many cemeteries offer columbarium niches or scattering gardens. Ask how many urns a space can hold. Most cemeteries open at dawn and close at dusk, but hours vary, so confirm them before you travel for a visit.

No single regulator covers every grave. The Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation licenses funeral directors and embalmers, and it also administers the Virginia Cemetery Board, which covers cemetery companies and their sales staff. City and county governments run their own municipal cemeteries and control zoning for new ones. Churches and family associations manage their own grounds, and the federal government runs national cemeteries. If you have a contract dispute with a private cemetery, put it in writing to the owner first. Then ask DPOR whether the matter falls under its authority, and verify current procedures.

Arlington National Cemetery, listed in our directory at 214 McNair Road with the phone number 877-907-8585, is run by the Department of the Army. Eligibility there is narrower than at other national cemeteries, and cemetery staff decide each case. Other options include Culpeper and Quantico National Cemeteries and the state veterans cemeteries run by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, such as the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk. Keep a copy of the DD-214 discharge record ready, since every veterans cemetery will ask for it. Verify eligibility before you announce plans to family.

Mailing addresses follow post offices, not government boundaries. Poplar Springs Cemetery at 5270 Charles City Road has a Richmond address, but our records place it in Henrico County. Old Dominion Memorial Gardens & Mausoleums Cemetery on Cloverdale Road carries a Roanoke address while sitting in Botetourt County. For burials and lot sales, call the cemetery's own office first, using the phone number in the listing. For zoning questions, property records or an abandoned grave, contact the county or independent city that actually contains the land, usually through its planning department or circuit court clerk.

Family burial grounds exist all over the Commonwealth, especially in rural counties, but you cannot simply pick any spot. Local zoning rules, distances from wells and streams, and recordkeeping requirements all come into play, and they vary by locality. Call the county planning or zoning office before you dig, and talk with a funeral director about the paperwork. Ask an attorney how to note the plot in your property records, since a future buyer should know the graves are there. Descendants generally keep a right of reasonable access to family graves, even after the land is sold.

Start with the cemetery or church that holds the ground. In Franklin County, which has 11 listings, Rocky Mount Holland Cemetery on Booker T Washington Highway can be reached at 540-483-9879. If a cemetery has no office, check the circuit court clerk for deeds and wills, the Library of Virginia in Richmond for county records, and local historical societies. Ask older neighbours too. In Tazewell and Wise counties, church members often know where family plots lie. Photograph markers soon, because old stones weather quickly.

Yes. Pet cemeteries such as Staunton Heidi Memorial Pet Cemetery at 1921 Shutterlee Mill Road (540-885-5738) are typically private businesses that handle animals rather than people. Human cemeteries follow different rules, and many do not accept animal remains in family plots. If you hope to have a pet's ashes buried with you, ask the cemetery about its policy before you buy and get the answer in writing. For a pet cemetery, ask what the contract covers, whether there are annual charges, and what happens to the grounds if the owner sells.