Cemetery registration and licences

Introduction

Unless otherwise specified, the Cemeteries Act applies to every cemetery, crematory, columbarium or mausoleum in the Province of Alberta no matter when it was established, laid out, or constructed.

• Cemetery means land that is set apart or used as a place for the burial of dead human bodies or other human remains, or in which dead human bodies or other human remains are buried.

To establish a cemetery the owner must be a religious organization, a religious auxiliary or a municipality.

Operation and maintenance

The Operation and Maintenance Guidelines have been prepared to provide for cemetery owners and operators guidance in relation to the Cemeteries Act and Cemeteries General Regulation to ensure that cemeteries are operated, maintained and cared for in a respectable and consistent manner, in accordance with requirements set out in legislation. It also provides options to deal with matters not established as minimum requirements.

The cemeteries listed in the Cemeteries Exemption Regulation are exempt from the provisions of the act and regulations under the act that require that title to land in a cemetery be registered in the name of the organization operating the cemetery.

Pre-need sales licensing

Under the Commercial Cemeteries Regulation, companies and salespersons offering pre-need sale of cemetery supplies and services require the following applicable licence(s):

• Pre-need contract business licence for cemeteries
• Pre-need contract salesperson licence
• Pre-need contract business licence for monument businesses
• Pre-need contract salesperson licence for monument businesses

Contact

Connect with the Consumer Contact Centre:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Phone: 780-427-4088
Toll free: 1-877-427-4088 (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]