“No cemetery or place of burial in the town shall be established until the town council grants a permit therefore.”

That’s the sole language in my town’s ordinance regarding cemeteries. Anyone who wants to be buried on family property in town simply needs to ask the town council for permission — who knew!  

For years, I’ve thought about establishing a family plot on our farm. After all, right across the street from our house is a cemetery where the Paine family — the original owners of all the land at the top of Hill Road — are buried. It’s only fitting that the Rabideaus have the same opportunity to be interred on the land where we’ve lived for over 30 years.

When the idea first blossomed, I did some research, primarily reviewing the town zoning code. Cemeteries aren’t mentioned anywhere in the code’s regulations. I was initially optimistic — until I read the catchall language at the end of the section, which states: “Any use not specifically listed is prohibited.” Sadly, cemeteries weren’t listed anywhere. My conclusion was that there was no way to establish a family burial plot on the farm. 

I never thought to look further in the town’s code of ordinances. If I had, low and behold, there is an individual chapter that specifically addresses cemeteries. The sentence above is only requirement. Easy, right?

But wait! There’s more to this story.

The Clock Is Ticking…

At a meeting on March 11, 2026, the Burrillville Town Council debated and passed a revision to the chapter on cemeteries. The new language is succinct and clear: “No cemetery or place of burial shall be established in the town on private property.” With a single stroke of their legislative pen, the town council took away what is — in my estimation, anyway — a culturally significant right of farmers and other landowners.

When it comes to any new law, it always pays to read the fine print. It turns out that the ordinance goes into effect on July 1, 2026. Any request submitted to them before then is grandfathered under the old language. 

That doesn’t leave much time. I need to put together a package of information to present to the Council, including a survey plan of the property depicting the location and size of the cemetery.

As you might have already guessed, I’m up for the challenge. And if I’m successful? The effort will culminate with our farm having the last family cemetery in Burrillville.