Bronze Plaques New York

New York regulates its not-for-profit cemeteries more closely than most states, but it does it through prices and paperwork rather than a marker standard. Every foundation or setting charge at a regulated cemetery must be approved by the State Cemetery Board and posted in the office and online, and the law that bars these cemeteries from selling monuments expressly lets them sell flush bronze markers. Religious and municipal cemeteries sit outside the Division of Cemeteries altogether. This page explains those rules, the memorialization amendment that is still not adopted, and the Buffalo cemeteries in full, with Forest Lawn Group’s 2026 fees and the sizes its sections allow. New York City, Long Island and Westchester have their own page. We cast the bronze and ship it to any New York address with shipping included; the foundation and setting are arranged through the cemetery, which in New York usually builds the foundation itself.

Charges approved by the State Cemetery Board

Under Not-for-Profit Corporation Law (NPCL) 1509, a regulated cemetery’s directors must “fix and make reasonable charges” for the services a lot owner orders, and those charges take effect only once “approved by the cemetery board”. Later increases are filed with the Division of Cemeteries in the Department of State, and for a service that cannot be priced in advance the Board can order a refund of three times any excess. The Division names pouring a foundation among the most common service charges it reviews. There is no statewide foundation fee or formula, so each cemetery’s figure is its own; what the law guarantees is that the figure has been reviewed.

Posted rules and the flush bronze exception

NPCL 1510(a) requires rules, regulations, charges and prices to be posted in each cemetery office and on any website it keeps, with printed copies at no more than printing cost, so you can ask for the approved foundation price list and the memorial rules before you order. NPCL 1516(a) says “No cemetery corporation shall engage in the sale of monuments, not including flush bronze markers”, which is why many New York cemeteries run their own bronze programs. No statute guarantees a family the right to use an outside bronze maker, and none bars it; the cemetery’s approved rules decide, and in practice the cemetery usually builds the foundation or sets the marker for its approved charge.

Religious and municipal cemeteries

The Division regulates not-for-profit cemetery corporations only. Religious, municipal and family cemeteries are outside its investigation power, and a complaint about a church or diocesan cemetery goes to the sponsoring religious body. Their marker rules and fees are not Board approved. Buffalo Catholic Cemeteries is an example: “A Christian symbol will be the main feature on all memorials”, sizes are set by section and grave, and the full burial guidelines are kept at the cemetery offices.

The memorialization amendment that has not been adopted

In March 2025 the Department of State proposed retitling 19 NYCRR 201.15 “Right of memorialization” and giving that right to the person who controls disposition of the remains. As of the Cemetery Board meeting of August 11, 2026, it had not been adopted; counsel reported that “draft rule revisions continue to be in process”, and the codified section is still titled “Authorization to inter”. The clause that matters for a marker order exists in both versions: memorialization “may be restricted to the number, size, shape, material, color, inscription or reasonable placement of monuments” under the cemetery’s Board approved rules.

Forest Lawn Group fees and sizes in Buffalo

Forest Lawn Group publishes the most usable figures in the state. Its 2025 rules approve bronze for “markers or family Memorials to be set flush with the lawn”, memorial work is done by qualified monument dealers the cemetery approves, and the dealer signs the application with the lot owner. Its 2026 service fees, filed with the Division, are below; the sheet does not say when the right to erect fee applies, so ask which charges fall on your marker.

At St. Matthew’s Cemetery lawn level memorials “shall be first quality granite or bronze and be 4″ thick”, singles and a pair of cremation graves take 24″ x 12″, and single cremation and baby graves “a minimum size of 15″x10″ and a maximum size of 15″x12″”. At Lancaster Rural’s Memorial Section, bronze “may be centered on a four (4) inch thick granite base”, no marker may “exceed thirteen (13) inches in width”, and bronze is prohibited in its columbaria. Ask whether a bronze plaque on a 4 inch granite base satisfies St. Matthew’s thickness rule, and which side Lancaster Rural measures as width.

Other Buffalo area cemeteries and the winter

Mount Calvary in Cheektowaga publishes nothing online that we could find, and the Diocese of Buffalo’s cemeteries publish general rules only, so call either office for sizes and charges. Western New York National Cemetery in Corfu sets government markers, so a private plaque is not for a grave there; a veteran in a private cemetery can have a VA medallion fixed to a family bronze marker instead (see veteran bronze grave markers). No Buffalo rule names a winter stop date for markers, but Forest Lawn Group will not open graves “when frost and weather conditions warrant”, and the Division’s guidance for monument repair puts foundations at least 42 inches deep or 6 inches below the frost line, so order by late summer for a setting before the ground freezes.

New York City, Long Island and Westchester

The downstate cemeteries differ more than any others in the state: Woodlawn takes only 24 by 12 inch flush markers, Green-Wood uses granite flat markers, Pinelawn welcomes your own bronze maker and Mount Ararat forbids bronze plaques. Each is covered on bronze plaques New York City, with dated fees where they are posted.

What we supply in New York

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.

A 24 by 12 inch single for St. Matthew’s is cast to order at $1,697.45. If Lancaster Rural measures width as the longer side, a plaque such as 12 by 8 inches at $796.86 stays under its 13 inch limit. Both prices include shipping and are separate from the cemetery’s approved charges.

What the plaque itself costs, shipped to New York

The table below is our price for the cast bronze plaque itself, read from the design tool on this website on 21 October 2026 for a standard rectangle with the default border and background. Every figure is in US dollars and includes shipping to any address in New York.

Any cemetery charge quoted higher on this page, such as a setting fee, a permit, a foundation or an endowment care charge, is paid to the cemetery and is separate from our price. Add the two together for the full installed cost. Open the design tool, type in the size your cemetery allows, and the exact price for that size appears before you order.

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

Who approves cemetery fees in New York?

At not-for-profit cemeteries the State Cemetery Board approves the charges, including foundation charges, and the cemetery must post them in its office and online.

Can New York cemeteries sell their own bronze markers?

Yes. NPCL 1516 bars them from selling monuments but expressly excludes flush bronze markers.

Is there a right of memorialization in New York regulations?

Not yet. The proposed 19 NYCRR 201.15 amendment was still in process at the August 11, 2026 Board meeting.

What does Forest Lawn in Buffalo charge for a flat marker foundation?

Its 2026 filed fees are $282.00 for flat markers 2 feet and under in memorial guards and $550.00 for 3 feet and under, with a $284.00 right to erect fee listed separately.

Are Catholic cemeteries in New York regulated by the state?

No. Religious cemeteries are outside the Division of Cemeteries, so their own rules and fees apply.