Bronze Plaques Ohio

Ohio has no statute found that makes a cemetery accept a marker bought elsewhere, so in Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati the cemetery’s own rulebook decides whether bronze is allowed, how big it is, what it sits on and who sets it. Those rulebooks differ more than in most states. Green Lawn in Columbus prints bronze on granite minimums and admits registered outside installers; the Catholic Cemeteries Association in Cleveland is granite only except at Elmhurst Park; Gate of Heaven in Cincinnati publishes a full bronze specification. Below is what each major operator prints, with the year of every fee. We cast the bronze plaque and show its price in US dollars with shipping included; the granite base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery office or a local monument dealer.

Ohio law: bar guidance and a dispute commission, not a marker statute

Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4767 (last amended effective October 29, 2018) covers cemetery registration and complaints; no section on outside markers or setting fees was found. The Ohio State Bar Association says buyers can use independent monument companies and a cemetery may not require purchase only from it, though it can limit size and type. Complaints about a registered cemetery go to the Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission, which works by “mediation, conciliation, and persuasion”; the cemetery has 30 days to respond.

Smaller cemeteries add conditions: Hanover Township’s rules (February 2022) have township personnel pour all foundations, and Canton Cemetery’s 2015 rules say “All Bronze memorials must be cast by Association approved foundries”, so check that before ordering for a Canton grave.

Columbus: Green Lawn, Union and the Catholic cemeteries

Green Lawn (rules version 23 January 2025) is the most bronze friendly rulebook in the state: “All granite memorials or bronze on granite memorials shall be a minimum of 4 inches (4″) thick (flush mounted)”, “Minimum size single memorial is 24″ x 12″; minimum size base is 28″ x 16″”, and companions at least 36″ x 13″ on 40″ x 17″. Outside installers must be registered with the Ohio Secretary of State and post a compliance bond of at least $10,000. The application needs a manufacturer’s drawing and a form signed by the space owner and next of kin, three business days’ notice, and an inspection fee from the schedule on file, with no amount printed.

Union Cemetery posts “Our current foundation cost is $.95 per square inch” with no year printed; on a 24 by 12 inch footprint that is about $274, though the page does not say which dimensions it measures. The Catholic Cemeteries of Columbus let bonded, insured independent contractors place memorials under supervision, require a Christian symbol, issue sizes “under separate cover”, and discourage bronze designs on granite monuments; their price list effective January 1, 2026 shows no setting fee. Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens (Dignity Memorial) has no rules online.

Cleveland: the Catholic granite rule and Elmhurst Park

The Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Diocese of Cleveland (rules effective August 2026) says memorials “must be constructed of granite” and “Bronze memorials are permitted at Elmhurst Park Cemetery only.” Its flush sizes are “Baby Marker – 18″ x 10″ x 4″”, “Single Grave Marker – 24″ x 12″ x 4″” and “Double Grave Marker – 48″ x 12″ x 4″”. Charges effective January 1, 2026 are a $45.00 application fee and foundation and setting of $200.00 (baby), $725.00 (single), $925.00 (double) and $1,125.00 (full ledger). So a 24 by 12 inch bronze at Elmhurst Park carries $770.00 in cemetery charges (2026) before the plaque; in the other CCA cemeteries we do not offer a bronze grave marker.

City of Cleveland cemeteries and Lake View

The City’s cemeteries charge “$160 for infant stones (18″x10″x4″)”, “$260 for single stones (24″x12″x4″)” and “$350 for double stones (48″x12″x4″)”, with no year printed on the schedule; a sketch must be approved before work and “medallions and granite inserts are not permitted.” The schedule speaks of stones, so ask whether bronze on granite is accepted in your section.

Lake View restricts single headstones to “2 ft. in length by 1 ft. in width” and doubles to “4 ft. X 1 ft.”, offers a $162 temporary headstone credited toward one of its own (no year printed). It never mentions bronze, so ask before ordering for a Lake View grave.

Cincinnati: Gate of Heaven, Spring Grove and New St. Joseph

At Gate of Heaven (Rules and Regulations 2024), in traditional adult sections “a Marker must be 24″ in width and 12″ or 14″” deep; bronze “must be at least 1/4 of an inch in thickness, must have four corner lugs or bolts 1/4 of an inch in diameter”, may sit on “a finished granite base 28″ x 16″ x 4″”, carries lettering “raised three-sixteenths of an inch” and a religious emblem. Dealer markers need permission first, the foundation charge has no published amount, and staff or designated contractors set markers about 16 weeks after the service. Our 24 by 12 inch plaque fits the 24 by 12 option; 24 by 14 is quoted. Our studs are 3/8 inch, and the rules set thickness and relief minimums, so ask us for those figures and send the proof to the office before you apply.

Spring Grove requires monument committee approval and publishes no bronze rules. New St. Joseph (rules 2022) keeps specifications in the office and asks contractors for a $1,000 bond. The City’s Wesleyan Cemetery publishes no fees.

Ohio cemeteries at a glance

Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery and veterans

At Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman the cemetery orders and sets the government headstone or marker. A private bronze marker is not the route there. In a private cemetery that allows bronze, the family can order its own marker and request a VA medallion for it, with placement at private expense. See veteran bronze grave markers.

What we supply for an Ohio grave

The common Ohio envelope is a 24 by 12 inch bronze on a 28 by 16 inch granite base, which Green Lawn sets as a minimum and Gate of Heaven offers in its adult sections. We cast that size to order for $1,697.45, shipping included. The 18 by 10 inch baby size at Elmhurst Park is $1,264.58, and a 16 by 8 inch cremation plaque is $978.39. Companions are quoted.

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.

The price of the bronze from us, shipped anywhere in Ohio

To keep the two kinds of cost apart, this table shows only our price for the bronze, taken from the design tool on this site on 21 October 2026 for a standard rectangle with the default border and background. Prices are in US dollars and include shipping to Ohio.

Setting fees, permits, foundations and endowment care charges quoted on this page go to the cemetery, not to us, and sit on top of the plaque price. For any size not in the table, the design tool prices it the moment you type the width and height, and that price also includes shipping.

How to order

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Does Ohio law make a cemetery accept a marker I buy online?

No statute saying so was found. Ohio State Bar guidance says a cemetery may not require purchase only from it but may limit size and type.

Can I use a bronze marker at a Catholic cemetery in Cleveland?

Only at Elmhurst Park Cemetery. Elsewhere the CCA requires granite. The 2026 charges for a single are $45.00 plus $725.00.

What size bronze does Green Lawn in Columbus require?

The minimum single memorial is 24″ x 12″ on a base of at least 28″ x 16″, under rules dated 23 January 2025.

Who sets the marker at Gate of Heaven in Cincinnati?

Cemetery employees or cemetery designated contractors, after the cemetery approves the finished marker.

Can a private bronze marker go in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery?

No. In VA national cemeteries the cemetery orders and sets a government marker.