Forest Hill Cemetery

Cemetery lots are sold with the understanding and agreement that:

1. Title, when transferred by deed from the City of Madison, vests in the grantees and his/her heirs the right to use the lot for human burial purposes only.
2. All lots are sold with maintenance and care.
3. Sale or transfer of title to a lot by the owner of record must be recorded with Cemetery management.
4. The burial rights in an unoccupied lot or part of a lot, and hence the title to a lot, is not a merchantable item and may only be sold or transferred by the owner of record in accordance with No. 3 above or to the City of Madison. If transferred to the City of Madison, the owner will receive the original purchase price of the lot or a proportionate share of the original purchase price if a portion of the lot is occupied or is being retained by the owner of record.
5. All lots must be paid for at the time of sale by the purchaser, or by the funeral home if sale is at time of need.
6. A deed will be issued for all lots sold in the Cemetery.
7. Additional grave space will not be sold for purposes of obtaining larger or additional memorials, or any other reason.
8. Service charges for all work performed by Cemetery staff are to be in accord with the schedule of charges and fees available at the Cemetery office and must be paid 2 days in advance. All over time charges will be charged to the funeral home. 

Burial lots in the Cemetery shall be used for the sole purpose of the interment of human remains. Approved memorials and plantings may be placed only as allowed under these rules and regulations and only in conjunction with the lot being used for the interment of human remains. Interments on any lot shall not exceed the original intent or design of the lot. The records of sections, lots, and graves as recorded in the Cemetery office shall be considered valid and graves so reported shall not be changed nor disturbed except by complying with disinterment procedures. Burial in the Cemetery is permitted only upon approval by Cemetery management of an application for interment. Application for interment shall include the following:

1. A permit for burial issued by a person authorized to issue burial permits, as provided in Section 2 69.18 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
2. The name and address of the person authorizing the interment.
3. The section number, the lot number, and the grave space in which interment is to be made.

The City of Madison is not responsible for any errors attributable to the transmission of orders by telephone or from the lack of precise or complete instructions. The City of Madison shall not be held liable for accepting an application for interment if the application includes erroneous or illegal information or authorization.

Cemetery management may refuse to honor an application if there is doubt as to the correctness and validity of the application. Cemetery management will determine and locate the grave space upon any lot. The selection and opening of a grave may be made at management's discretion when proper instructions as to location are not given, or when necessary in order that a funeral will not be delayed. The Cemetery requires a minimum of forty-eight (48) working hours to ensure a given grave will be ready for services at a given time.

Casket Grave Spaces

A casket grave space in the Cemetery shall be an area not less than three and one-half (3½) feet in width and nine (9) feet in length. Each casket grave space may be occupied by the remains of only one individual with the following exceptions:

1. Mother or father and infant using the same container (casket or vault)
2. Two infants in one grave space
3. Cremated remains

All interments in the Cemetery must be made in concrete, bronze, copper, or stainless steel vaults (cremated remains excepted). The design and specifications for vaults shall be subject to approval by Cemetery management before installation.

Cremation Lots

Cremation lots shall be four (4) feet square. Each lot may be occupied by up to four (4) standard-sized urns. The most common marble urn size is 10”x7”x8”. Larger urns could impact the number of urns permitted on an urn lot.

Due to the size and complexity of the Cemetery, all funeral processions will be escorted by Cemetery personnel. All graves will be closed by Cemetery personnel on the day of the services. 

All disinterments, along with necessary permits, must be arranged through a Wisconsin-licensed funeral director. 

All memorials shall be constructed of natural stone or bronze. All stone shall be of the highest quality, first-grade, clear stone finished with exceptionally high-quality workmanship.

Placement of all memorials and installation of all foundations on any given lot are subject to approval by Cemetery management. The design and specifications of each memorial shall be submitted to Cemetery management for approval by a monument contractor before construction of the memorial is started.

Grave markers, whether marking a single grave or a group of interred urns, shall be a minimum of 16 inches long, 8 inches wide and 4 inches thick, as measured from the pitch or cut line. Maximum – 24”x12”x30” Markers shall not exceed 50% of the lot width in length, 12 inches in width and 30 inches in height; any 3 memorials that exceed the marker limitations will be considered a monument. A monument shall not exceed 50% of the lot width in length, 14 inches in width and an overall height of 60 inches. Monuments measuring 60 inches in height must be pinned at the base according to monument manufacturer industry standards. Benches, if desired, shall take the place of the monument and are subject to monument specifications.

Only one marker is permitted per grave space or cremation lot. Shared markers are allowed, in adherence to the above dimensions, for two or more grave spaces. Monuments will be allowed on lots of three or more graves. If a monument is or will be placed on a lot, any markers on the lot shall be set flush to the ground except when duplicating existing markers.

Foundations will not be constructed for any memorial, nor will a memorial will be placed on a lot where no perpetual care fund has been established. In addition to the aforementioned rules and regulations, the following shall apply to each respective area:

• Section 35 and 41: All memorials in these sections shall duplicate and be of the same grade and quality of marble or granite as the existing memorials. Granite markers must be set flush to the ground.
• Section 39: All memorials in the first four rows from the Cemetery road shall be flush to the ground.
• Section 40: At no time will an upright memorial be placed in a flush row, but flush memorials may be placed in upright rows.
• Forest Rest in Sections 4 and 9: Only one marker per four-foot square lot will be allowed. All markers shall be made of granite or bronze, set flush to the ground, and shall not be more than 30 inches in length and 12 inches in width. 

The purpose of the property is as a public cemetery, and as such it is meant to be a welcoming environment for all visitors and a place for solemnity, remembrance, and reflection. Moreover, the City of Madison has long sought to preserve the Cemetery's original style and design as an example of the rural cemetery movement. The City's Parks Division is tasked with the daily maintenance and care of the Cemetery and seeks to ensure that these interests are protected. However, the City does understand that some individual grave decoration is desired as a form of celebration of loved ones, even though such grave decorations may not reflect the City's viewpoint and may impair or hinder the City's ability to adequately care for and maintain the Cemetery. These rules and regulations relating to grave decorations will allow the City to protect and advance its interests at the Cemetery, while allowing for some individual grave decorations at the Cemetery. Grave decorations that are not allowed under this policy will be removed by staff, stored for one month and can be claimed by contacting the Forest Hill Cemetery Office. The City of Madison assumes no responsibility or liability for any decorations placed on Cemetery property.

General Rules

Bronze or stone vases are permitted when they are an original design element of a grave marker as follows:

• Vases that are permanently affixed must be within the footprint of the marker.
• Removable vases installed as an original element on a flush bronze grave marker must be turned upside-down after September 15
• Existing concrete planters may remain in place, but additional planters will not be permitted.

The following decorations are temporarily allowed following interment:

• Funeral floral arrangements may be left on graves at the conclusion of interment services. They will be removed after 2 weeks.
• Personal or decorative items placed on graves following interment services may remain in place for 2 weeks, unless they pose a health, safety, or maintenance hazard.
• Temporary grave markers furnished by the funeral home may be used to mark graves until stone or bronze grave markers can be installed.
  • Temporary markers will be removed after 60 days, except as approved by the City.
  • For winter burials, temporary markers will be allowed to remain until ground conditions allow for installation of concrete footings.

The following decorations are permitted between May 15 and September 15:

• Natural or artificial flowers are permitted only in vases that meet the above criteria.
• Flowers will be removed if they become wilted, soiled, weathered, or faded.
• Cut flowers may be placed on graves at any time and will be removed when they become withered.

The following decorations are permitted between November 1 and March 1:

• Natural and artificial wreaths and arrangements
  • Wreaths and arrangements may be propped against markers or installed on wire wreath stands, but may not be hung from shepherds hooks.
  • Glass ornaments or lights of any kind are not allowed. Planting Regulations
• Annual and perennial plantings are permitted around family monuments and individual grave markers as follows:
  • The planting area must not exceed the boundaries of the lot(s).
  • Plantings should be planted on the graveside of the memorial. Please ask cemetery staff to determine which side of the marker the grave is.
  • Annual and perennial plants will be cut to the ground in late summer or early fall to facilitate fall clean-up and leaf removal.
  • Dead or diseased or unkempt plant material may be removed by staff as needed.
  • Water faucets are available for public use. Hoses are not permitted.
• No new or replacement plantings of shrubs or trees will be permitted. Cemetery staff may remove dead, diseased, or overgrown shrubs or trees, or plantings that impede on other gravesites.
• Potted plants will be permitted on gravesites for a period of 7 days before and 7 days after Easter, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and Father's Day. They must be placed on the ground and may not be hung on a shepherd’s hook or other apparatus.

Gravesite Flags and Flagpoles

• Permissible Flags. The following flags are permissible for display at Forest Hill Cemetery:
  • The current flag of the United States of America;
  • Flags of the United States Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, or Navy);
  • The Wisconsin State Flag;
  • The City of Madison Flag; and,
  • Recognized flags of current United Nations members(link is external)
• Gravesite Flag Placement. Flags may be displayed on individual gravesites if they are a permissible flag listed above, are no larger than 8" x 12", and are placed at the front edge of the marker/monument , as close to the marker/monument as possible, either directly in the ground or placed in metal flag holders commemorating veterans, service branches, or wars.
• Gravesite Flag Maintenance. Gravesite flags should be maintained and well kept. Cemetery staff will remove and dispose of gravesite flags if they are not permissible flags, if the flags become broken, soiled, weathered, or faded, or if they are not placed in the correct location.
• Flagpoles.
  • The large flagpoles near the Cemetery office, in Section 35, and in the triangle to the north of Section 35 are the property of the City of Madison. The City of Madison determines which flags will be flown on these flagpoles. Acceptable flags are the current United States Flag, the Wisconsin State Flag, and the City of Madison Flag. Other permissible flags may be flown with the prior consent of the Board of Parks Commissioners.
  • The large flagpole and the flag in the Union Rest section are the property of Wood National Cemetery. Only the current flag of the United States may be flown on this flagpole. No other flagpoles will be permitted within the Cemetery.

Spring and Fall Cleanup

Forest Hill Cemetery is heavily wooded, and the spring and fall cleanup of leaves and branches requires considerable resources. To allow Forest Hill staff time to accomplish the maintenance required efficiently and thoroughly, all grave decorations should be removed from graves after March 1, and again after September 1. Decorations removed by staff will be stored and made available for pickup behind the mausoleum before May 1 and November 1, respectively. Unclaimed items will be discarded after these dates. These dates are an estimation and weather dependent. 

Crypts and Niches

1. Mausoleum sales will be completed with a Memorial Purchase Agreement.
2. All crypts and niches are sold with perpetual care.
3. All crypts and niches must be paid for at the time of sale by the purchaser.
4. Purchasers of crypts and niches located inside the building will be issued a key for access.
5. All mausoleum crypt and niche sales include use of chapel area for committal services held during regular business hours.
6. Marble front niches will be sold with a specific urn and niche plate.
7. Any substitute urn must be preapproved by Cemetery management; no credit will be applied to niche price for use of substitute urn.

Guidelines for Mausoleum

All human remains must be embalmed before entombment can take place. All caskets and urns must be approved by Cemetery management to meet size specifications of a given 6 crypt or niche.

No live flowers or plants are allowed inside the mausoleum, and any found in violation will be removed and discarded. The City of Madison accepts no responsibility to save or replace any such removed items.