Bear Valley Cemetery
                                                                  Aka  Brown Church Cemetery
                                                     Buena Vista Township, Richland County, Wisconsin  USA
                                      
                                                      
(Last Updated November 15, 2022)

    Bear Valley Cemetery Association Rules and Regulations Adopted June 12, 2022


                                          Contact Information: Phone: 608-356-8421   or  

                                                   BearValleyCemetery@gmail.com

                                                   Bear Valley Cemetery Association
                                                   PO Box 433
                                                    Lone Rock, Wl 53556


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       Bear Valley Cemetery Association Rules and Regulations Adopted June 12, 2022
The Bear Valley Cemetery is located at 29864 Brown Church Dr. in Richland County, Wisconsin. The cemetery is owned by the Bear Valley Cemetery Association and is registered in the State of Wisconsin in accordance with Wisconsin Law. The governance and maintenance of the cemetery is overseen by the cemetery association officers and trustees.

Rules are meant to preserve the integrity and beauty of the cemetery, help to minimize the time spent on lawn maintenance, and to ensure that lot owners do not  infringe on each other's grave site.

These rules and regulations apply to all graves sold within the cemetery and any amendments adopted to them in the future shall have the same force and effect to all graves.

                                                         DEFINITIONS:
Lot - space in the cemetery intended to be used for the interment of human remains. The term applies to one or more adjoining graves.

Grave - A space of ground 4' by 12' intended for the underground burial of human remains.

Entombment - Means placement of human remains in a vault.

Inurnment - Means placing cremated remains in an urn.

Interment - The disposition of human remains by burial of entombment, or cremation and inurnment.

                                                         OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES:
It is the responsibility of the lot holder, their heirs or assigns, to keep any monument and markers in a safe and proper state of repair.

In the event of the death of an owner of a cemetery lot, the lot ownership shall descend to the owner's surviving spouse or domestic partner. If there is no surviving spouse or domestic partner, ownership descends to the owner's children, including by adoption. If there are no surviving children, including by adoption, ownership descends to the owner's grandchildren, including by adoption. If there are no surviving grandchildren including by adoption, and attempts to contact all owners has been done, ownership descends back to the cemetery. Wisconsin State Statute  Sec. 157.10

Transfer of ownership must have the approval of the Sexton, so that all cemetery records are kept up to
date. No personal profit may be made on ownership transfer of any site.

The Bear Valley Cemetery Association has the first right to re-purchase the grave lot at the original
purchase price in the event the purchaser desires to sell the grave lot. Notification of such sale should be
given by the purchaser in writing to the Bear Valley Cemetery Association.

                                                                          LAWS:

Besides being subject to these cemetery rules, all  interments, disinterment, and removals, are subject to
the laws of the authorities of Richland County and the  State of Wisconsin.

                                                                            FEES:
•    Effective July 1, 2021, the cost of one grave is  $400
•    A winter fee of $100 will be charged by the cemetery for burials from November 1 - March 31.
•    Full burials - the cost (to be determined at the time of interment) of the fees for the Cemetery Sexton to mark out the grave and the Grave Digger for opening
      and closing of the grave is included in the
funeral parlor costs. The funeral parlor pays the Cemetery Sexton and the Grave Digger.
•    Cremation burials - at the time of interment the lot owner pays the service fees directly to the Cemetery Sexton and the Grave Digger.

                                                            CEMETERY CARE FUND:
Wisconsin State Statutes require that monies collected by cemeteries from the sale of grave lots be placed in a Care Fund for cemetery upkeep and kept segregated and invested following instructions in the state statutes. The cemetery may not withdraw the principal amount from the Care Fund. Income from the investments of the Care Fund may be used for cemetery care.

                                                                                   MONUMENTS:

1) Grave site(s) must be paid for in full before any monument can be placed.

2) Placement of a monument must be coordinated with the Cemetery Sexton.

3) Monuments should be constructed of natural stone. No artificial stone of any kind is permitted.

4) The monument foundation must be a minimum of 4" thick and extend a minimum of 6" beyond all sides of  the monument. The foundation must not extend beyond the width of the grave or the consecutive graves purchased.

5) Footings for any monument that exceeds 45" in height must have a concrete foundation no less than 4' feet in depth.

6) It is required to have a hole drilled in the foundation to hold veteran flag holders.

7) Damage Done to a gravestone by a monument company is their responsibility.

8) The Bear Valley Cemetery Association is not responsible for the care, upkeep and maintenance of any monument placed upon the grave site and is not
responsible for any damage to the marker or monument.

9) Mausoleums are not permitted.

                                                                  
                                                               RULES AND REGULATIONS:

1) The remains of only one human can be interred by full burial in one grave with exception of a maternal death of mother and infant who are buried at the same time.

2) There can be one full burial of human remains and one cremation interment on one grave or two cremation interments on one grave.

3) Per Wisconsin Statutes, no human remains may be buried in a cemetery lot except the human remains of an owner of the cemetery lot or a relative, or the spouse of an owner, or his or her relative, except by the consent of a majority of the owners of the cemetery lot. The cemetery shall be held harmless for any
decision made by a majority of the owners of a cemetery lot.

4) A casket should be entombed in an outer burial container made of concrete or a non-biodegradable
material.

5) Cremains require inurnment in a hard sided container. No scattering of ashes.

6) All burials must have an interment permit filled out by the person in charge of the funeral before any
burial is completed.

7) Casket floral sprays and wreaths may remain on a grave for three weeks after a burial.

8) Flower containers should be placed on Shepherd Hooks, or one pipe style stands and placed close to the foundation at the ends of monuments and in line with other monuments.

9) No glass containers or ornaments, cans, personal items, toys or oversized lawn ornaments may be placed on graves.

10) Per Wisconsin Statute, no person may plant, in the cemetery, trees or shrubs, nor erect wooden fences or offensive or dangerous structures or monuments.

11) No placement of benches is permitted without permission and coordination with the Cemetery Sexton.  Bench types are at the discretion of cemetery management.

12) April is cemetery clean-up time. All winter decorations and wreaths must be removed by the owner(s)
by April 15th or items will be removed by cemetery personnel.

13) The Cemetery Association has the discretion to remove and discard decorations and containers when they no longer beautify the cemetery or are deemed out of place.

                                       Contact Information: Phone: 608-356-8421   or  

                                                   BearValleyCemetery@gmail.com

                                                   Bear Valley Cemetery Association
                                                   PO Box 433
                                                    Lone Rock, Wl 53556

                                                          
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