Cemetery Insurance Coverage Checklist
The coverages a cemetery business may carry — core, prevalent, and situational — why each matters, and the gap most often missed.
Pull out your current policy and check the box next to any coverage you can confirm is already in place — anything unchecked is worth a quick conversation with your advisor. Coverage checklist for cemeteries, memorial parks, mausoleums, and columbaria. Priorities reflect typical exposure for this class; confirm against the cemetery's actual operations, trust funds, and any crematory or funeral home.
Tick each coverage you can confirm you carry — anything left unticked is a good question for your next policy review.
| Have it? | Coverage | Why this business needs it | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cemetery Professional Liability | Covers claims of interment in the wrong plot, mishandled remains, and emotional distress or loss of sepulcher — GL usually excludes these. | Core | |
| Commercial General Liability | Covers visitor injuries from falling monuments, trees, uneven ground, and roads. | Core | |
| Commercial Property | Covers mausoleums, chapels, offices, and maintenance buildings; confirm mausoleum values are current. | Core | |
| Directors & Officers / Fiduciary Liability | Covers board members and managers for decisions about perpetual care and preneed trust funds. | Prevalent | |
| Crime / Fidelity Bond | Covers theft of cash or trust deposits by employees; many states require a bond. | Core | |
| Workers' Compensation | Required in most states with employees; grave excavation and heavy equipment are serious hazards. | Core | |
| Contractors Equipment / Inland Marine | Covers backhoes, mowers, and lowering devices, which property policies often exclude. | Prevalent | |
| Commercial Auto | Covers owned trucks and vehicles used on and off the grounds. | Situational | |
| Umbrella / Excess Liability | Adds limits above GL and auto for serious visitor injuries or mass-tort claims. | Prevalent | |
| Crematory / Funeral Home Coverage | Needed if either operates on the grounds — each carries its own professional and property exposures. | Situational |
The coverage gap most often missed
The most commonly missed coverage for this class is cemetery professional liability. Many cemeteries carry only general liability, which responds to bodily injury and property damage but usually not to the claims cemeteries most often face: a burial in the wrong plot, a space sold twice, or remains disturbed or mishandled. Those are emotional-distress and loss-of-sepulcher claims, and one records problem can reach every family in a section. The second gap is fiduciary: board members and managers who oversee perpetual care and preneed trust funds can be held personally responsible for shortfalls, which D&O or fiduciary coverage is designed to address.
Send us the checklist and we'll review your cemetery coverage line by line, then market it across multiple carriers that compete for your account.
Related: Cemetery Insurance · Cemetery Supplemental (apply) · All coverage checklists
Frequently asked questions
What insurance does a cemetery business need?
The core coverages for a cemetery business are Cemetery Professional Liability, Commercial General Liability, Commercial Property, Crime / Fidelity Bond, Workers' Compensation. This checklist also lists the prevalent and situational coverages worth considering, with a plain-English note on why each matters.
Is this checklist insurance advice?
No. It is a free educational tool to help you have a more informed conversation with a licensed professional. It affords no coverage and is not insurance, legal, or financial advice — only your actual policy language governs what is and isn't covered.
Can Cory Washington & Co. review my cemetery coverage?
Yes. Share your checklist and we'll review your program line by line, market your account across multiple carriers, and explain the trade-offs in plain English. Cory Washington & Co. LLC is licensed in all 50 states.
This checklist is a free educational tool from Cory Washington & Co. to help you review your own coverage and have a more informed conversation with a licensed insurance professional. It is general information only — not insurance, legal, or financial advice, and not a recommendation to buy, change, or cancel any policy. Coverage terms, availability, limits, and requirements vary by policy, carrier, and state, and only the language in your actual policy governs what is and isn’t covered. Checking or leaving blank any item above does not indicate that you are adequately insured or under-insured. Using this checklist does not create a client, agency, or fiduciary relationship. Always consult a licensed professional about your specific situation.