Eternal Rights Of All Relatives To Visit A Grave On your Property

stillthelaw:

  When a burial ground, whether previously known or unknown, is on or surrounded completely by private property, the descendants of the interred will have visitation rights in perpetuity. The grave is to remain undisturbed by the property owner.

§8-187.  Abandoned cemetery on privately owned land - Visitation rights.

Any relative of the deceased who wishes to visit an abandoned cemetery which is completely surrounded by privately owned land, for which no public ingress or egress is available, shall have the right to reasonable ingress or egress for the purpose of visiting such cemetery.
  This right of access to such cemeteries extends only to visitation during reasonable hours and only for purposes usually associated with cemetery visits.  For the purposes of this section, “abandoned cemetery” means any place where human skeletal remains are buried and which no body has been interred for at least twenty-five (25) years and where such site is readily identifiable as a cemetery by an inspection of the property.  Any relative of the deceased who wishes to visit an abandoned cemetery shall make a good faith effort to notify the owners and tenants, if any, of said property prior to visiting the cemetery.  This section shall not be interpreted to allow the creation of an easement or claim of easement nor a right of ownership or claim of right of ownership to an abandoned cemetery.

Added by Laws 1992, c. 214, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1992.