Augusta council approves ordinance tightening cemetery rules, adds columbarium fees

Augusta City Council on Tuesday approved Ordinance 22-50, a package of changes to Chapter 12, Article 5 of the Augusta City Code that updates rules for burial spaces, monuments, and columbarium niches.

Council members voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance after staff described the changes and answered questions about implementation and forms. The ordinance amends the code to specify how lots are transferred after an owner's death, clarifies when a deed holder may authorize an interment, increases allowed cremations per space in some locations, sets foundation and monument specifications, formalizes notice and scheduling requirements for burial services, and establishes fees and procedures for the city's newly ordered columbariums.

City staff said the changes largely document practices already in use and add provisions recommended by local funeral directors and cemetery staff. "We're already doing this, but it just wasn't indicated in the code," the presenting staff member said when introducing the transfer-of-lot language. The ordinance adds explicit language about…