Glossary
What is perpetual care?
Perpetual care, also called endowment care, is the ongoing upkeep of a cemetery — mowing, landscaping, and general maintenance. A portion of what you pay for a plot goes into a perpetual care fund whose earnings pay for that maintenance over the long term.
Many states require cemeteries to set aside a percentage of plot sales in a protected trust so the grounds can be maintained even after the cemetery stops selling plots.
Perpetual care generally covers the common grounds, not individual markers or private monuments, which usually remain the family's responsibility. Ask what a cemetery's care fee does and does not include.
Related terms
Burial plot
A burial plot is a specific space in a cemetery reserved for a burial. When you buy a plot you are purchasing the right to be interred there — the right of interment — not the land itself, and cemetery rules govern markers, vaults, and how many remains a plot may hold.
Interment
Interment is the act of placing a body or cremated remains in their final resting place, most often by burying a casket in the ground or entombing it in a crypt. The cemetery fee to open and close the grave is commonly called the interment charge.
Headstone
A headstone is the marker placed at a grave to identify the person buried there, usually inscribed with their name and dates. Also called a grave marker or monument, it can be a flat marker set level with the ground or an upright stone, and is bought and installed separately from the funeral.
Common questions about Perpetual care
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This definition is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. See our editorial standards.