Rules & Regulations

Our Cemetery is private property, owned by, overseen by and subject to the canonical authority of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salt Lake City. Disposition rights may be purchased by Catholics, and members of their immediate family, for burial in a grave (interment), a crypt (entombment), or a niche (inurnment). Ownership of the real property to which the disposition rights are purchased is retained solely by the Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Should you need clarification on any matter, or if you have any issue or questions not specifically addressed below, please contact the Cemetery Office.

Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery is an extension of our church community. It is a sacred testament to our belief in the resurrection of the body, a holy place for prayer and consolation. Mt. Calvary serves our parishes in ministering corporal and spiritual works of mercy: burying our deceased brethren and their family members, comforting the sorrowful, and praying for the living and the dead with all attendant rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

Our office will be closed in observance of the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• President’s Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day o Pioneer Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving & Day After
• Christmas Eve (if weekday) & Christmas Day

A Memorial Mass is celebrated every Memorial Day at 9 a.m. and All Souls Day* at noon for all deceased interred in the cemetery. Patrons, families and friends are cordially invited.

*On the infrequent occasion when All Souls Day falls on Saturday or Sunday, there will be no mass.

Memorials must be either granite or bronze and are subject to cemetery specifications and requirements. All other types of materials (e.g. marble, limestone synthetic, concrete, wood, metal etc.) are not permitted. If a memorial is purchased from a source other than the cemetery, the purchaser or memorial dealer is charged with the responsibility to contact the cemetery in each instance, and in timely fashion beforehand, to ensure that the product meets our specifications and requirements. No memorial may be installed, removed or worked on without cemetery authorization. The burden of keeping the memorial in a safe and proper state of repair is the owner of the property right.

Arrangements for engraving crypt or niche fronts must be made through the cemetery office.

From earliest times in the Church's tradition, believers have decorated the places of interment of their loved ones with words and symbols reflecting their strong faith in the continuing presence of the Lord in life and death and their firm hope in the resurrection as the promise of everlasting life. Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum is a Sacred Place and as such must be maintained in a manner which is respectful of all those who have entrusted their loved ones to us. In order to maintain the condition of the cemetery and to be considerate of one another, it is necessary to limit the nature and type of decorations permitted. Any object other than a flush bouquet holder, marker or monument is considered a grave accessory or "decoration". It is important that all decorations placed in the Cemetery meet the standards and regulations that follow.

All items which are deemed by the Cemetery to be in violation of the Rules and Regulations will be removed and discarded.

The Cemetery is not responsible for any item which is discarded.

Flowers at the time of Interment: Immediately following an interment, the flowers from the funeral may be placed directly on the grave and will be removed and discarded after five days, or at such time as they become unsightly.

Growing Season: Only fresh flowers in approved bouquet holders are permitted from April 1 thru November 15, other than holidays as noted. Please contact the cemetery office for information regarding approved bouquet holders. Wilted flowers will be removed to allow the Cemetery staff to cut the grass with fewer obstacles. Potted plants are permitted three days before and one week after Easter, Mothers Day, Memorial Day, Fathers Day, and All Souls.

Any artificial flowers found at a place of interment between April 1 and November 15, will be removed and discarded.

Winter Season: From November 16 until April 1 artificial decorations and live winter decorations are permitted. Grave blankets, mounds, cones and other similar grave accessories are not permitted because they become a shelter for animals.

Seasonal Crosses: During those occasions when artificial decorations are permitted and from November 1 until April 1, families whose deceased loved ones are interred in a flat (flush) marker section may place a seasonal cross to better identify the place of interment. To protect the safety of all our visitors and our employees, and to assist in the reduction of incidents of equipment damage, all crosses with spikes or stakes which are not securely fastened to the cross are prohibited and will be removed immediately.

Ornaments and Flower Vases: Because of the danger they present to persons and property, the placement of boxes, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, vases, glass, plastic, concrete, crockery jars and containers, picture frames, wood or metal cases, wire or iron and steel bars, etc. are not permitted on any plot and will be immediately removed. Only approved bouquet holders may be used for decorations. Safety standards require us to make conditions as safe as possible for Cemetery visitors and employees.

Candles or Flame Decorations: Votive candles of any kind and any decorations which include a flame, either live or battery-operated, are prohibited on places of interment and will be removed.

"Natures Beauty Makes the Best Decorations": Plastic and Styrofoam grave decorations do not decompose nor are they good for the earth. Due to limited space, many landfills are no longer accepting such materials. The Cemetery recommends using only fresh flowers or other natural products to honor your loved ones.

It is recommended that all decorations be clearly marked with the name and grave identification. In the event of a burial near any place of interment, it may be necessary to move some or all decorations. Proper marking of the decoration will facilitate its return to the appropriate location. Should an item be removed from a place of interment by Cemetery staff, every reasonable effort will be made to return the decoration to its appropriate location as work loads permit. The Cemetery is not responsible for any items which are lost, stolen or misplaced.

Ground decorations including marble chips, stones, wood chips, shells, bricks, lucky stones, fences, curbing, edging, etc, are not permitted around the place of interment.

No planting of any kind may be made on an individual grave. However, plantings of bushes, shrubs or trees may be allowed as memorial donations to the cemetery. They must be a pre-approved type and size and placed in a location selected by the Cemetery Sexton and Director. In such cases a pre-approved plaque in memory of a loved one may be placed.

Trees and shrubs are for the beautification of the entire cemetery and for the benefit of all of the families, therefore, decorations placed on any trees; shrubs or cemetery structures will be removed.

Height and Width: Decorations in excess of 36 inches high or 34 inches wide are not permitted and will be removed. In the case of baby graves, the width of the decoration shall not exceed 22 inches.

Special Requirements: As crypt and niche fronts are a part of the building structure, only Cemetery approved and installed crypt front decorations are allowed. The use of adhesives or tape can cause damage to the granite crypt and niche fronts. Moreover, non-approved decorations, which may cause discoloration and other damage, can diminish the beauty of the entire building, affecting the rights of others. Items attached to the crypt and niche fronts will be removed and the cost of repair may be assessed to the owner of the place of interment or their surviving heirs.

Flowers: Fresh or artificial flowers, according to the season may be placed in approved vases mounted to the crypt fronts by cemetery staff. Contact the office for more information.

Flowers at the time of Entombment: Since space in the mausoleums and at the columbarium is limited, it is necessary to limit the number of bouquets placed in a mausoleum or near a columbarium after an entombment. In the case of a columbarium, due to the small area, not more than three bouquets may be left near the niche; in the case of an entombment in a mausoleum, not more than four bouquets may be left inside the mausoleum either near the crypt or at the entrance to the mausoleum. Flowers will be removed and discarded at the end of the fifth day or at such time as they become unsightly.

All Christmas decorations will be removed and discarded on January 31, with the exception of live wreaths and live crosses that have not browned. Live wreaths and live crosses will be removed when they have browned or on February 15. Seasonal crosses and artificial wreaths, artificial flowers, including poinsettia plants will not be removed prior to February 15th, unless damaged by weather or other conditions, otherwise become unsightly, or interfere with other interment sites.

Please respect the privacy of our patrons and the dignity of our deceased. Visitors who do not act in a respectful manner or exhibit unruly behavior or noise, may be asked to leave.

Visitors: Caution should be exercised while walking over the grounds, as circumstances beyond the control of the Cemetery may affect the conditions of the grounds. It should always be presumed that the ground is uneven and the granite markers are slippery.

Funerals in Progress: Please respect any service in progress by avoiding the area if at all possible. If it is necessary to drive in the area, please slow down and minimize any noise. If visiting a site in the immediate area, please wait at a distance until the Priest has concluded the Committal Service.

Music at grave sites should be liturgically appropriate, and is permitted only if it is not disruptive to other services or intrusive to the peace of visiting patrons nearby. Music should be reasonable in length.

Children under fifteen (15) years of age should be accompanied by an adult. Young children should be supervised at all times while on Cemetery grounds.

Animals: Pets are no longer permitted at the cemetery due to a change in Salt Lake City Ordinance 15.24.090 “It is unlawful for any person to take a dog into the city cemetery, or to allow or permit any dog in such person’s care or custody to remain within the limits of the city cemetery, whether loose, on a leash or in arms.”

No Littering: Trash containers are conveniently located at curbside throughout the cemetery.

Motor Vehicles: Automobiles, funeral cars and trucks must be kept under control at all times, and must observe posted speed limits. At no time should vehicles drive through the gates or within the cemetery at a speed in excess of 15 miles per hour. Automobiles may not park or come to a full stop before an open grave unless in attendance at a funeral. Loud vehicles should be parked outside the Cemetery grounds.

Soliciting or Distribution: No soliciting of goods or services of any kind is permitted. No distribution of materials is permitted without the written authorization or approval of cemetery management.