Greg’s Money Saving Tip Of The Day.

Did you know in Oregon you can legally bury a loved one on your property? With record high gas prices very few of us have the resources to take a nice long drive into the National Forest to bury someone anymore. With the average burial costs close to $8,000, keeping things close could save you quite a bit of money. Oregon Revised Statute 97.987 allows for the use of private property for family burial grounds if the following is true:
• You are the owner of the property, or you have consent of all the owners of the property.

My suggestion is to not dig the grave site, build a casket, and then ask the family member for permission. Trust me on this, when they are still healthy and far from the end this gets very awkward, especially if you have already made the headstone with dates on it.
• You have contacted the local planning commission and you have met their requirements.

In this situation it is best to not say “I may have someone in the future I am going to bury.” I found this can raise concerns from the nice folks at the planning commission, which in turn will lead to a visit from the Oregon State police.
• You agree to maintain accurate, permanent records of the burial.

I might suggest putting a note in the deceased pocket with their name and when they were buried. Ziploc freezer bags work very well for this and for extra security wrap the note in foil. This should keep it safe from bugs and worms getting into it. Perhaps making a copy would be a clever idea also. I am not sure retrieving the note later to prove you kept a permanent record would interest most people.  

• Keep the family member safe and secure.

For the most part this should not be a problem. Very rarely do I hear about someone digging up people, unless you live next to someone doing weird experiments like trying to bring back to life the recently departed.

The final thing you need to know which is an Oregon law. If you sell a home and you are the landowner, you agree to disclose the burial site when you sell the property. While it is uncommon that I find this situation, in my real estate career I have sold three homes with a person buried on the property.

Loved ones must be deceased.

I was also able to verify the person you are wishing to bury must be deceased at the time of burial. Just to be clear on this one point, that does not mean after they are buried. This money saving tip brought to you by Greg Rosen, follow me for more useless information that rarely benefits the average person in anyway.

Greg Rosen is a father, Husband, Realtor, and humorist writer for several major newspapers. Questions or comments can be sent to [email protected].