Gardens of Peace Rules & Regulations

For the mutual protection of the families of those who have chosen Gardens of Peace as their final resting place and the cemetery as a whole, the following Rules and Regulations have been adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Gardens of Peace, Inc. (the “Cemetery”). All families; visitors; funeral directors and their agents, vendors, and outside contractors; employees; contractors; and agents of the Cemetery shall be subject to these Rules and Regulations, and, subject further, to such other rules and regulations, amendments, or alterations as shall be adopted by the Board from time to time as deemed necessary.

The Cemetery and the Superintendent are hereby empowered to enforce all Rules and Regulations and to exclude from the Cemetery any person violating the same. The Cemetery shall have charge of the grounds and buildings including the control of funerals, traffic, employees, vendors, outside contractors, and visitors and at all times shall have supervision and control of all persons in the cemetery.

The Cemetery, after adequate consultation with community members and scholars, maintains the right to prevent any actions, behavior, or rituals conducted on the cemetery grounds that are deemed to be in contradiction with the mainstream and fundamental Islamic tradition.

1. Gardens of Peace, Inc. shall own and maintain the Cemetery and individual interment lots.
2. The Cemetery shall establish fees for the various services outlined herein. A schedule of fees shall be available to the public. All fees are subject to change at the discretion of theCemetery.
3. The right of admittance to the grounds may be restricted.
4. The Cemetery shall be open to the public daily, weather permitting, from sunrise to sunset.
5. Visitors shall respect the solemnity of the grounds, conduct themselves with proper decorum, and strictly observe the rules which have been established for the purpose of securing quiet and good order at all times within the Cemetery. The following activities are strictly forbidden:
1. Loud or boisterous talking.
2. Music.
3. Peddling or soliciting the sale of any commodity.
4. Placing of signs, notices, or advertisements of any kind.
5. Loitering.
6. Display of firearms or other dangerous weapons, except by a military escort accompanying a veteran’s funeral or attending memorial services and those allowed to carry a firearm in the performance of their professional duties.
7. Skating, skiing, sledding, tobogganing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.
8. Alcoholic beverages and smoking.
9. Picnicking or participation in any sporting event or game activities.
10. Horseback riding, off-road motorcycle and motorbike riding.

The Superintendent or his agent may ask any person who violates any of these rules to leave the premises.

6. The Cemetery will take all reasonable precautions to protect lot and grave holders, and the rights of said holders, within the Cemetery, from loss or damage; but the Cemetery disclaims all responsibility for vandalism or theft of any gravestones, flowers, trees, shrubs, or other property.
7. Dogs or other pets must remain in vehicles and are not allowed to cause nuisance or distraction. Service dogs are permitted only when on duty.
8. No one under sixteen years of age is permitted on the grounds at any time, except during funerals, unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult who shall be responsible for their conduct.
9. Entering the grounds by any means other than through the regularly established entrances is not permitted.
10. Anyone visiting the Cemetery or attending a funeral is prohibited from removing any flowers, plants, or shrubs, whether cultivated or wild; breaking or injuring any tree or shrub; marring, defacing, breaking, or removing any gravestones, and defacing or injuring any property whatsoever.
11. It is prohibited to operate a motor vehicle within the Cemetery at a speed in excess of ten (10) miles per hour. All vehicles are restricted to the Cemetery access roads and they shall honor and grant a funeral procession the right of way at all times. Motor vehicles shall not be left with the engine running and shall not interfere with the movement of other vehicles.
12. Except for the purpose of performing work within the grounds, attending a funeral, or caring for or visiting a grave, parking anywhere within the limits of the Cemetery is strictly prohibited. The Superintendent reserves the right to have any vehicle found in violation of this rule removed at the owner’s expense. The Superintendent also reserves the right to exclude from the grounds any vehicle that, in his/her judgment, might in any way damage the roads or any other property within the Cemetery.
13. Persons who are not members of a funeral party shall not loiter or intrude upon a funeral service or open grave.
14. No one shall place, throw, discharge, or cause to be placed, thrown, discharged, any trash, bottles or cans, refuse, or debris waste anywhere within the Cemetery.
15. Special cases may arise in which the literal enforcement of any of these rules may impose unnecessary hardship. The Cemetery reserves the right to make exceptions, suspensions, or modifications or any of the rules and regulations when, in its judgment, the same appear advisable. Such temporary exceptions, suspensions, or modifications shall in no way be construed as affecting the general application of such rule.
16. The Superintendent may expel from the grounds any person violating any of these rules and regulations or disturbing the sanctity of the place by noisy or improper conduct.
17. The Cemetery may, and it hereby expressly reserves the right to, at any time, adopt new rules and regulations or amend, alter, or repeal any rule, regulation, article, section, or paragraph in these Rules and Regulations. It may also, from time to time, adopt additional temporary rules that may be needed to meet emergencies not addressed by these Rules and Regulations.

1. Gardens of Peace reserves the right to refuse any request for burial without providing any reasons.
2. Lot owners are granted only the right of interment. The purchase of a lot is not a real estate transaction. All land and buildings located within the grounds will forever remain the property of the Cemetery. Once granted by the Cemetery, the right of interment cannot be sold, alienated, conveyed, or otherwise disposed of by the grantee or his/her heirs. The grantee must, at the Superintendent’s request, indicate his/her intentions regarding the need for the granted plot. In the event that the grantee no longer is interested in the assigned plot, such right of interment will be forfeited and the perpetual care fee will not be refunded. Lots in which interment rights have been forfeited shall be available for use by the Cemetery for other burial purposes as needed.
3. The Cemetery assumes the perpetual care of the cemetery, which includes mowing and trimming of grass at reasonable intervals, pruning of trees and shrubs, raking and cleaning of grounds, raising and grading sunken graves and flush markers, and removal of unsightly decorations, meaning and intending the general preservation of the lots and grounds, walks, roadways, boundaries, and structures, to the end that said grounds shall remain and be reasonable maintained as cemetery grounds forever.
4. The general care assumed by the Cemetery shall in no way mean the maintenance, cleaning, repair, reconstruction, or replacement of a gravestone, placed or erected upon a lot, due to damage caused by the elements, an act of God, thieves or vandals, especially in the case where heirs are still alive and are responsible for doing such work. However, the Cemetery reserves the right to maintain and repair any gravestone as it, in its discretion, deems appropriate.
5. The Cemetery is hereby empowered to prohibit, remove, or modify any object or adornment, including any planting, or work done in violation of the rules or which they judged objectionable or injurious to the lots, its environs, or any adjourning lot.
6. No fence, hedge, railing or coping will be allowed to enclose a lot, unless otherwise authorized by the Superintendent. All boundaries between lots shall be provided by the Cemetery.

1. Cut and artificial flowers shall be permitted when securely placed in a vase or container. They can also be placed in a cone-type plastic vase that sticks in the ground. Glass or metal containers, pieces of wire, or similar materials used to secure any kind of container are not permitted. In-ground planting of flowers or potted plants on a grave are permitted and can remain at the site for the entire growing season, but they may not be placed more than 12 inches from the face of the monument. Care for these plants or flowers is the responsibility of each responsibility of each family. After the plants or flowers have ceased to bloom or have become neglected, they must be removed.
2. The spreading of fertilizer, ashes, or other material on lots to stimulate the growth of grass is not allowed except by staff. Application of any chemical or compound to control the growth of undesirable grasses or other plants is prohibited, except by staff.
3. Devotional/vigil lights, balloons, wind chimes, decorative stones, or pebbles are not allowed.
4. The Cemetery reserves the right to remove any plantings, shrubs, flowers, or objects of adornment on any lot to secure access to an interment.

1. Only human remains may be interred in the Cemetery. All caskets must be enclosed in a concrete vault or other Cemetery approved permanent container. The interment of two or more bodies is not allowed except in the case of parent and child or two infants buried in one casket.
2. When an immediate burial is required by the laws of the State of Connecticut or under the rules and regulations of the Board of Health, interment may be made on a Sunday or holiday, for an additional fee (see schedule).
3. The Cemetery reserves the right to insist on at least twenty-four (24) hours’ notice for all interments and at least seven (7) days’ notice for a disinterment. The Cemetery reserves the right to charge an extra fee for burials that take place without twenty-four hours’ notice.
4. The Cemetery reserves the right to charge an extra fee for burials that take place after 2:00pm on a weekday, or anytime on a weekend.
5. When requesting that a site be prepared and a grave opened for a burial, the funeral director must submit to the Superintendent the necessary burial permit from the appropriate authorities. Payment for interment expenses as well as all fees, including perpetual care fees, must also be made at that time. All payments must be made to the funeral home which in turn will pay the Cemetery.
6. The Superintendent and/or his/her agents shall be in complete charge of funerals after they enter the Cemetery. Loud conversations, smoking, or improper conduct of any kind during funeral services will not be permitted. Funeral directors are expected to see that these rules are observed. The Superintendent and his/her agents shall have the right to expel from the Cemetery any individual or individuals who violate this rule.
7. The Cemetery shall in no way be liable for any delay in the interment of a body when a protest to the interment has been made, when the rules and regulations have not been complied with, or when difficulties arise in excavating a grave because of equipment breakdown or ground conditions. Further, the Cemetery reserves the right to delay or postpone any interment or disinterment when hazardous weather conditions are anticipated.
8. Funeral floral arrangements will be removed from the grave when they become unsightly. Families desiring to retain some should remove them within three (3) days from the interment.
9. Interments and disinterments shall be made only by the Superintendent or contracted agents who shall be under his supervision at all times. No disinterment will be allowed without permission of the next of kin, the Cemetery, and the proper authorities. A request for disinterment, issued by a court order or other appropriate authorities, shall be in writing and all charges for such service shall be paid in advance. When the coroner directs a disinterment for the purpose of holding an inquest and requests therelease of the body to himself/herself or his/her agents, the Superintendent reserves the right not to perform said disinterment. In such case, the disinterment must be made by the coroner or his/her agents. They will be responsible for leaving the site to the satisfaction of the Superintendent.
10. The Superintendent and/or his/her agents or assistants shall exercise the utmost care in making a disinterment, but the Cemetery assumes no liability for damage to any casket done in the process.

1. All graves shall be marked with a standardized stone marker, flush with the ground, engraved with the name and date of birth and death of the deceased. The Superintendent can provide the name of a company authorized to provide this marker.