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Council approves ordinance limiting headstone depth in Centerville cemetery to 16 inches
Summary
Centerville amended its municipal code to add a maximum 16-inch depth (front-to-back) and a minimum six-inch mow strip for cemetery markers to reduce operational safety risks and protect monuments; council approved the ordinance unanimously.
The Centerville City Council unanimously approved an ordinance March 18 adding a maximum depth provision for markers and monuments in the city cemetery, a change city staff said is necessary to protect monuments and allow safe cemetery operations.
Public-works staff told the council that recent gravestones installed with unusually deep profiles created “pinch points” for lawn equipment and grave-opening machinery and increased the risk of damage to monuments. Staff proposed limiting marker depth to 16 inches from front to back and requiring a six-inch flush mowing strip around the marker. The city already enforces width and height limits; the new rule fills a gap covering depth.
Council members discussed whether the change would unfairly affect people who had already ordered monuments. City staff and the cemetery sexton said the city had been contacted by monument companies asking whether very deep stones were permitted; the staff response had been that the city would not accept those into the cemetery and that municipal code needed to be clarified. Staff said they will notify local monument companies and other vendors about the new limit after adoption.
Council member remarks and vote Council discussed precedent and the need to avoid repeated, last-minute changes at the cemetery. The council then moved to approve ordinance number 2025-02, amending sections 8.03.240 and 8.03.250 of the municipal code to add the maximum depth provision. The motion passed unanimously.
Ending City staff said they will send notice of the new code language to monument providers and that cemetery staff will enforce the 16-inch depth limit going forward.
