Bill > HB1037

This bill establishes provisions for the creation of "family burial grounds" on privately owned land in Washington state. The key provisions are: 1. A natural person may designate an area of their privately owned land as a family burial ground, with certain restrictions on the size, location, and use of the burial ground. 2. The owner of the property is prohibited from selling plots or charging fees for burials in the family burial ground. 3. The owner must report each burial in the family burial ground to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and record it with the county auditor. 4. Cities and counties are authorized to enact ordinances regulating or prohibiting the establishment of family burial grounds. 5. Existing family burial grounds or plots established prior to the effective date of the bill are deemed to comply with the new law, but any new designations or extensions must meet the new requirements. 6. The bill also amends existing laws to exempt family burial grounds from certain cemetery regulations and property tax exemptions.