Perpetual care
Also called: endowment care
A fund that pays for the ongoing upkeep of a cemetery — mowing, landscaping, repairs. Financed by setting aside a portion of every plot sale, and often charged as a separate fee.
When you buy a plot at a perpetual-care (or endowment-care) cemetery, a slice of the price goes into a trust whose earnings fund maintenance in perpetuity. It is why well-kept cemeteries stay that way long after their plots are sold out. Many states regulate these trusts.
Perpetual care usually covers general grounds upkeep, not the cleaning or repair of an individual headstone, which remains the family's responsibility. Watch for it as a separate line on a cemetery contract.
- Cemetery plot— The piece of ground you buy for a burial. Paid to the cemetery, entirely separate from funeral-home charges.
- Headstone— The stone that marks a grave and carries the inscription. Often dramatically cheaper bought from an independent monument dealer than from the cemetery or funeral home.
This definition is general consumer information, not legal, medical, or financial advice. Industry practices and regulations change occasionally; verify before relying on anything here for a specific decision.
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