If you have sufficient land, it may be possible to have a green burial on your own property. The steps to approve a family burial ground are similar to the steps to approve any cemetery in Massachusetts.
All burials must follow Massachusetts General Laws regarding disposition of remains:
The following is a sample overview of the process that a homeowner must undertake. You should check with your local Board of Health for specific requirements for home burial.
- Commission site plan including property line setbacks and setbacks to all known wells/bodies of water in the immediate area (200 feet)
- Hire certified soil evaluator for minimum one test hole
- Hire engineer to create hydrogeology site plan
- Submit site plan and burial description to local Board of Health for a hearing
- If Board of Health approves, letter of approval is sent to Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection along with site plan and burial description
- If MassDEP approves, letter of approval, along with previous documents, are submitted to city or town government
- If municipal government approves, all documents are submitted to the Registry of Deeds
- Owner of the land would need to comply with requirements to establish a cemetery corporation