Bronze Plaques North Carolina

North Carolina has no law that tells a cemetery to accept a marker bought elsewhere or limits what it may charge to set one. The Cemetery Act regulates commercial cemeteries but leaves out those owned by governments and churches, and the 2025 change to the Act is about grounds care, not markers. In Charlotte and Raleigh the rules that matter are the city cemetery ordinances and each private park’s own rulebook. Charlotte builds every foundation and sets every marker in its city cemeteries, at square inch charges effective July 1, 2025, and Raleigh’s Mount Hope fixes one marker size for every lot. This page walks through both cities, the private parks, Salisbury National Cemetery and the questions to put to the office. We cast the bronze and ship it anywhere in North Carolina with shipping included; the base and the setting are arranged through the cemetery or a local monument dealer.

What North Carolina law says, and what it leaves out

The Cemetery Act (G.S. Chapter 65, Article 9) and the Cemetery Commission’s rules contain no provision found on outside markers or installation charges; the word “bronze” does not appear in the Commission’s rules. G.S. 65-47(a) excludes “cemeteries owned and operated by governmental agencies or churches”, so city and church cemeteries follow their own ordinances and policies. Regulated cemeteries must “file plans and specifications showing minimum quality standards of any vaults, crypts or markers sold” (21 NCAC 07C .0104).

S.L. 2025-68 (House Bill 210), effective July 7, 2025, is about grounds care: a “care and maintenance” definition, minimum care standards, a $50 civil penalty per violation with each day a separate violation, and annual care reports. No source describes any change on markers. There is no state right to an outside marker and no fee cap, so ask for the cemetery’s written rules before ordering.

Charlotte city cemeteries, where the city sets every marker

The City of Charlotte runs Evergreen, Elmwood, Oaklawn, Pinewood, North Pinewood, West Pinewood and Old Settlers. Section 7-12 of the City Code (ordinance of May 19, 1975) says markers must conform to the “Rules and Regulations of Municipal Cemeteries” and that “All foundations for markers and monuments will be constructed by City Forces and all markers will be set by City Forces.” A family may bring its own bronze, but the city pours the foundation and sets it. The rulebook with sizes is not online, so ask Cemeteries Administration (704-336-2123) for the size and base for your section before paying.

The fee schedule effective July 1, 2025 lists monument foundation construction at $1 per square inch, marker installation at $1 per square inch, a $75 setup fee, a $125 inspection fee and $120 for a flower vase installation. It does not say whether both square inch charges apply to one flat marker. If they do, a 20 by 10 inch plaque (200 square inches) would draw $600 in city charges and a 24 by 12 inch plaque about $776; that is our arithmetic, so confirm it with the office. Square inch pricing rewards a smaller plaque, and the city notes that perpetual care “does not mean the repair or replacement of any markers, vases or monuments.”

Private cemeteries in Charlotte

Sharon Memorial Park, founded in 1939 and now a Dignity Memorial property, says its graves were once marked with flat bronze on concrete and that “bronze markers are now installed on granite foundations”, which is exactly the format we cast for. Forest Lawn West on Freedom Drive, also Dignity Memorial and established in 1935, offers “flush granite and bronze memorials”. Forest Lawn East in Matthews is operated by Carriage Services. None of the three publishes marker sizes, outside marker rules or setting fees, so ask each office for its bronze size, its granite base size and its charge for setting a marker bought elsewhere. The Diocese of Charlotte mentions a cemetery policy but publishes no readable marker rules, and church cemeteries sit outside the Cemetery Act.

Raleigh and the Mount Hope size rule

The City of Raleigh’s cemeteries are Mount Hope, City Cemetery and O’Rorke, with regular burials at Mount Hope. The rules in the Mount Hope brochure are short and firm: “All grave markers and monuments must be set on foundations”, markers must sit level with the lawn so maintenance machines pass over them, “All markers installed after January 1, 1991, must be two feet by one and one-half feet by four inches”, “Only one marker will be permitted on each lot”, and markers may be installed only from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Fees are not posted; ask the Cemetery Office at 919-996-6548.

Two feet by one and one-half feet reads as the whole marker, 24 by 18 inches, so a bronze plaque of about 20 by 14 inches on a base of that size leaves a 2 inch border, while a 24 by 12 inch plaque would leave none at the ends. The brochure does not spell this out, so confirm the reading with the office first.

Private and nonprofit cemeteries around Raleigh

Historic Oakwood Cemetery works “closely with local monument companies” and asks families to call the office. Montlawn Memorial Park follows Everstory Partners’ rules effective September 2023: bronze “installed on a rectangular base made of granite approved by the Cemetery”, “a manufacturer affidavit” on request, foundations by “the Cemetery or a qualified Memorial Service Contractor”, and charges that are “reasonable, non-discriminatory and uniform”. Wake Memorial Park sets bronze on granite foundations and charges an unpublished installation fee on approved outside memorials. Raleigh Memorial Park (Dignity Memorial) publishes no memorial rules.

Salisbury National Cemetery and veterans

At Salisbury National Cemetery the cemetery orders the government marker and its staff set it, and items “May NOT be secured to the headstone”, so our plaques are not for graves there. In a private North Carolina cemetery a veteran can have the free VA 24 by 12 inch flat bronze marker, placed at the family’s expense, or a private bronze marker with a VA medallion fixed to it. A spouse’s matching marker is designed in our tool; see veteran bronze grave markers.

What we supply in North Carolina

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 16 by 8 inch cremation marker is $978.39 in the designer and the 24 by 12 inch adult marker is cast to order at $1,697.45, shipping included and separate from any cemetery charge.

The price of the bronze from us, shipped anywhere in North Carolina

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 North Carolina.

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 North Carolina law let me buy a grave marker from anyone?

No statute or Commission rule found gives that right or caps setting fees. Each cemetery’s written rules decide.

Who sets a bronze marker in a Charlotte city cemetery?

City Forces build every foundation and set every marker, at charges effective July 1, 2025 that include $1 per square inch for the foundation and a $125 inspection fee.

What size marker does Mount Hope in Raleigh allow?

Two feet by one and one-half feet by four inches, one per lot, set flush on a foundation. A plaque of about 20 by 14 inches leaves a 2 inch border; confirm with the office.

Did S.L. 2025-68 change the rules on markers?

No source says so. It adds care standards, a civil penalty and care reports.

Do you install the plaque or supply the granite base?

No. We cast and ship the bronze with studs fitted; the cemetery or a local monument dealer handles the base and setting.