Montgomery County recognizes the significance of cemetery and burial sites to the community. In 2017, the County Council passed two laws to help preserve and protect these unique and fragile resources. Ordinance 33A-17 requires the Planning Board to maintain an inventory of human burial sites in the county. Ordinance 18-31 requires these sites to be preserved and protected during the preliminary plan of subdivision review and approval process.
A burial site is defined in the ordinances as the “physical location where human remains were buried in the earth or entombed in mausoleum or columbarium. A burial site includes a cemetery, but does not include the sprinkling of ashes from cremated remains.” The Burial Site Inventory is the list of burial sites officially adopted by the Planning Board. It is maintained and updated as needed by the Planning Department’s Historic Preservation Office and consists of a GIS data layer and associated documentation. The inventory and preservation of these unique archaeological resources will further protect the cultural heritage of Montgomery County.
The Montgomery County Planning Board formally adopted the Burial Sites Inventory and Guidelines from the Montgomery County Planning Department on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
