Buying a grave
You can buy a grave space for yourself or for someone else in most of our cemeteries. Contact us to find out where grave spaces are available and how much they cost.
Not all cemeteries have grave spaces that are available to reserve.
We also have natural burial spaces at Kings Norton, Quinton and Sutton New Hall cemeteries.
Types of grave
We have individual traditional graves, lawn graves and lawn header graves available.
Traditional graves have a headstone and kerbs.
Lawn graves have memorial stones and a small plot of grass.
Lawn header graves have a pre-cast concrete base onto which a memorial can be fixed.
Not all types of graves are available at every cemetery.
Exclusive Right of Burial
The grave owner is usually someone who has the ‘Exclusive Right of Burial.’ If the person who has died was the owner of the grave, ownership will need to be transferred to someone else in accordance with the inheritance rights.
Find out more about inheritance laws
Owning the Exclusive Right of Burial means the owner can:
- bury ashes with permission from the council
- apply for a burial (a ‘Notice of Interment’)
- agree to changes to a grave such as exhuming a body
- transfer the Right of Burial
- apply to erect a memorial
Looking after a grave
It is the responsibility of the grave owner to look after the grave. Graves left unattended can become overgrown and unsafe. Cemeteries are also home to many types of wildlife and they can sometimes disturb the grave and surrounding area.
To report a sunken or damaged grave, or to find out more about graves and burial spaces, contact Bereavement Services.
Cemetery fees
Find out more about our cemetery fees (currently under review).
Page last updated: 6 March 2023
