Florida gives families the strongest marker rights in the country. State law lets you buy a monument from anyone, forbids a cemetery from tying a grave sale to its own markers, and bars an installation fee when a licensed outside firm supplies and sets the monument, in every cemetery including city and nonprofit ones. Each cemetery still sets the size and style. This page explains the law, the approval deadlines and the rules in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville. We cast the bronze and ship it with shipping included; a Florida licensed installer sets it. Allow six to eight weeks from payment to delivery. Casting, hand finishing and shipping from our foundry take most of that time, and we send a free written proof before anything is cast. If your cemetery sets markers only in certain months, order early enough for its next installation window.
Design a Florida bronze marker online
Enter the size your cemetery posts, add the inscription and emblem, choose lugs with studs, and see the US dollar price with shipping included.
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The right to buy anywhere and set without an installation fee
Section 497.278(1) of the Florida Statutes reads: “No cemetery company may charge a fee for the installation of a monument purchased or obtained from and to be installed by a person or firm other than the cemetery company or its agents.” Section 497.280 bans tying the purchase of grave space to the purchase of a monument, lets licensed firms outside the cemetery sell monuments and do foundation and installation work on cemetery property, and bars a setting or service fee on those third party installers. Section 497.260(2) applies both sections to all cemeteries in Florida, so they reach county, municipal and nonprofit cemeteries that are otherwise exempt from Chapter 497.
What a Florida cemetery may still require
The cemetery keeps real control. It must mark the place on the grave where the marker goes and inspect the finished installation. It may require proof of liability insurance and workers’ compensation from whoever delivers or installs, but under 497.278(3) it “may not set liability insurance coverage limits” and may not demand a bond, surety, deposit or other monetary guarantee as a condition of access. Under 497.280 it may adopt reasonable rules on monument style and size, provided they apply to all monuments, are enforced uniformly and are conspicuously posted. Charges other than an installation fee, such as perpetual care, permit and flagging fees, remain lawful; the City of Tampa’s $35 flagging fee (manual updated March 31, 2026) is one. And the marker must be set by a Florida licensed installer, not by the family.
Approval and scheduling deadlines under 69K-12.001
Florida Administrative Code rule 69K-12.001 sets the timetable. The cemetery must require proof that the seller or installer holds a valid license from the Department of Financial Services. It may ask for an application showing the foundation, design, size and material, possibly with a scaled sketch. If it sends no written notice of non-compliance within five working days, the application is deemed approved. The written approval of the burial rights owner is required, and installation must be scheduled within two working days of the requested date, with the cemetery flagging the spot. If the cemetery finds an installation improper it must send written notice postmarked within five working days, and the installer then has 15 days to correct it. The cemetery may not grant anyone exclusive installation rights, except inscriptions in community mausoleums. Our free proof, with the size and material stated, is ready to attach to that application.
Florida cities
Miami and Fort Lauderdale: the City of Fort Lauderdale publishes full bronze sizes and an alloy rule; most Miami cemeteries publish nothing. Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando: the City of Tampa requires bronze on a granite or marble base and City approved installers.
Orlando. Greenwood Cemetery, run by the City of Orlando, requires markers of “granite, marble, or bronze” installed “by a licensed memorial representative”, one marker per grave space, and a concrete foundation under every marker except in Blocks 11 and 12, where markers lie flush and are “no larger than 2’6″ by 1’1″ by 4″ (30″ x 13″)”. Foundation fees are established by the City and paid in advance, but no amount is published. Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha and Glen Haven in Winter Park are Dignity Memorial parks with no marker rules online.
Jacksonville. Evergreen Cemetery, a nonprofit association that also runs Woodlawn and St. Mary’s Catholic, says bronze “means solid bronze” and that coated or plated metal is not permitted. It accepts outside dealers who are registered, licensed and insured, requires “only bronze memorials attached to granite bases, with bronze vases” in some sections, keeps markers flush, and asks installers to book at least 48 hours ahead. Sizes are set by Evergreen and not published, St. Mary’s requires a Roman Catholic emblem, and niche and crypt name plaques are done only by Evergreen. Its rules say outside dealers’ service and installation charges are paid to Evergreen, so ask the office to put any charge in writing. Oaklawn and Riverside Memorial Park publish nothing.
Veterans and Florida’s national cemeteries
Bay Pines, Sarasota, South Florida, Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville national cemeteries all forbid attaching anything to a headstone or marker, and in each one VA orders and sets the government marker at no cost. A private bronze belongs in a private or municipal cemetery: a marker carrying a VA medallion, a spouse’s companion piece, or a family marker beside the government one where the cemetery allows it. See veteran bronze grave markers.
Florida cemeteries at a glance
| Cemetery | What it accepts | Charges (year) |
|---|---|---|
| City of Fort Lauderdale | Bronze only in two parks; 87% copper minimum (rules amended 2019) | Per square inch perpetual care and permit fee, amount not in the rules |
| City of Tampa | Bronze on granite or marble base; City approved installers | $35 flagging fee (March 31, 2026) |
| Greenwood, Orlando | Granite, marble or bronze on concrete foundation | Foundation fee not published |
| Evergreen, Jacksonville | Solid bronze; bronze on granite in some sections | Not published |
| Dignity Memorial and Catholic parks | No rules online | No installation fee for a licensed outside installer (497.278) |
What we supply in Florida
The plaque ships to you or straight to your licensed installer.
We supply the bronze. Every plaque is cast in solid LG2 statuary bronze (85 percent copper, 5 percent tin, 5 percent zinc, 5 percent lead) with raised polished lettering on a textured background, a hand applied color and a clear protective coating. Cemetery markers are cast with lugs and fitted with 3/8 inch brass all thread studs, nuts and washers for bolting to a granite or concrete base; columbarium plates use 1/4 inch fittings. We publish the alloy openly and can supply a certificate of authenticity stating it, so a cemetery that has its own alloy rule can check our figures against it before you order; a few cemeteries specify a higher copper or lower lead content than LG2, and where a page knows of one it says so. The granite or concrete base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer; we do not pour bases or install.
One Florida system, the City of Fort Lauderdale, prints a higher copper and lower lead requirement than LG2; the Miami page explains it. A 24 by 12 inch flat marker is $1,697.45 cast to order, a 20 by 12 inch marker is $1,550.78 and a 12 by 8 inch plaque for a bench or small grave is $796.86, shipping included. See also the USA overview.
Our bronze plaque prices for Florida, shipping included
Here is what the plaque costs from us. These are the design tool’s own prices on 21 October 2026 for a plain rectangle with the default border and background, in US dollars, and delivery anywhere in Florida is already included in each one.
| Size, inches | Typical use | Our price, shipping included |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 4 in | Small niche or urn plate, pet memorial | $382.98 |
| 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in | The VA niche marker size, private columbarium plates | $540.98 |
| 10 x 10 in | Niche plate or vase block size used by several cemeteries | $796.86 |
| 12 x 8 in | Small cremation marker, bench or wall plaque | $796.86 |
| 16 x 8 in | Infant and cremation markers (the minimum at many parks) | $978.39 |
| 18 x 10 in | Infant and cremation markers where 18 x 10 is the rule | $1,264.58 |
| 20 x 10 in | Cremation and urn garden markers, the 20 x 10 envelope | $1,407.68 |
| 20 x 12 in | Single flat marker inside a 20 x 12 envelope | $1,550.78 |
| 24 x 12 in | The standard single adult flat marker, cast to order at the 22 1/16 x 12 price | $1,697.45 |
The cemetery fees described above are paid to the cemetery office and are not part of these prices, so the full cost of a finished marker is our plaque price plus the cemetery’s setting, permit or foundation charges. Enter your cemetery’s size in the design tool and it shows the price for that exact size straight away.
How to order
- Ask the cemetery office for its written marker rules: the size it allows for your space, the base it requires, who may set the marker and the fee. Most offices email the sheet the same day, and several states require the cemetery to keep it in print for you.
- Open the free design tool, pick the shape and type the width and height in inches. The price in US dollars updates as you go, shipping to any address in the continental United States included.
- Add the names, dates and wording, choose a border and background, and add an emblem, motif or photo if you want one. Choose lugs with studs if the plaque will be bolted to a granite or concrete base, or a flat back for adhesive mounting on a wall or niche.
- Save the design and order it from My Account. We send a written proof you can forward to the cemetery for approval, and nothing is cast until you approve it. Need the full 24 by 12 inch marker size? Tell us when you order; it is cast to order at the same price as the 22 1/16 by 12 inch size in the tool.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Florida cemetery make me buy its marker?
No. Section 497.280 bars tying a grave sale to a monument purchase and lets licensed outside firms sell and install monuments, and 497.260(2) applies this to every Florida cemetery.
Can a Florida cemetery charge to install a marker I bought elsewhere?
Not an installation fee, when a licensed outside firm supplies and installs it (497.278). Other charges such as perpetual care, permits and flagging, like Tampa’s $35 fee (2026), are still allowed.
Can I set the marker myself in Florida?
No. The cemetery may require proof that the installer holds a valid state license, so use a Florida licensed monument installer.
How fast must the cemetery approve the marker?
Under rule 69K-12.001 an application is deemed approved if the cemetery sends no written objection within five working days, and installation must be scheduled within two working days of the requested date.
Can the cemetery demand a bond or set insurance limits?
No. It may ask for proof of insurance but may not set coverage limits or require a bond, surety or deposit as a condition of access (497.278(3)).
Florida law is on your side; size it right
Type the size your cemetery posts, add the names, dates and emblem, and see the price for solid cast bronze with shipping included. Free proof for the application.
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