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Committee discusses private family burials; no ordinance action taken
Summary
Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee discussed a proposed draft ordinance for private family burials on private property, expressing concerns about long-term maintenance, recordkeeping and potential coroner involvement. The committee took no action and tabled further work pending more stakeholder input.
Members of the Iroquois County Tax Planning and Zoning Committee discussed whether the County Board should consider rules for private family burials on May 6 but took no formal action.
The committee reviewed a proposed draft ordinance intended only as a starting point and debated whether the county should regulate family burials that occur on private property. Committee members said state law allows family burials but raised concerns about long-term care, recordkeeping and later discovery of remains by future landowners.
"There's no action needed today except we need to decide, does this committee think that the county board should get involved with any rules or regulations concerning private burials," the committee chair said when introducing the topic.
Members expressed practical worries. One committee member asked how the county would ensure long-term maintenance and what would happen if a later owner uncovered remains: "What ends up happening in 75 years or 50 years or 20 years even? I don't know how many years it would take for somebody to just abandon it and not maintain it and then have the situation that our coroner was saying ... second, third owner comes along. They dig. They find bones. You know, they got a homicide to investigate."
Participants also discussed technical details and options. County staff and the coroner had suggested possible requirements such as a permanent marker or an embedded vault bolt to aid future disinterment, and the committee noted existing cemetery law that imposes maintenance and taxing authorities on formal cemeteries. Several members said the county could place responsibilities on funeral directors to administer permits and paperwork if the committee moved forward.
The committee agreed to leave the matter as a discussion item for now; members said they would gather more information, including consulting the state’s attorney, funeral directors and the coroner, before proposing any ordinance language to the County Board.
No ordinance was drafted or voted on at the May 6 meeting; staff will return with options if the committee requests them.
