Headstones and markers
Check the cemetery's rules before you buy anything. Each cemetery decides what size and kind of stone it allows, sometimes section by section, and who sets the foundation. Then you can buy from any monument company: Indiana law says a cemetery can't turn away a stone you bought elsewhere if it meets those rules.
What a headstone costs
Consumer Reports, citing the bereavement site Empathy, puts the average at $1,000 to $3,000. Then come the cemetery's own charges, which are separate from the stone:
- A foundation (the concrete base the stone sits on)
- Setting or installation
- A permit or approval fee at some cemeteries
Indiana requires cemeteries to keep a full schedule of these charges that you can look at and copy, and to charge the same installation fee no matter who sold you the stone.
Rules at cemeteries we've checked
| Cemetery | Marker rules | Foundations | Adding a final date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Grove (Notre Dame) | First-grade granite; one upright per grave; some sections flush or slant markers only, with size limits. Submit a Monument Authorization Form before you buy. | Cemetery staff only. $0.75 per square inch, $90 minimum. | $225 (four characters; $15 each extra) |
| Riverview, Highland, St. Joseph Valley Memorial Park, Chapel Hill | One memorial per grave. Upright stones may be limited to certain sections. Written approval of a sketch with size, material and wording first. | The cemetery or an approved contractor. Paid in advance. | Inscriptions can be done on site. Fee not published. |
Other cemeteries: ask the office for its marker rules and price list before you order a stone. All cemeteries
Adding a name to an existing headstone
When a spouse is buried in a grave that already has a shared stone, the death date can usually be engraved on the stone where it stands. It's done by a monument company the cemetery approves. Steps:
- Call the cemetery and ask which engravers it allows and whether it charges a fee.
- Ask the engraver for a proof of the lettering, matched to the existing style, before they cut.
Your rights when you buy
- Indiana law: a cemetery can set reasonable rules about a stone's type, material, design and finish. It can't refuse one you bought somewhere else that meets those rules, and its installation fee has to be the same for everyone.
- Ask for it in writing. Indiana cemeteries have to give you an itemized price range for their goods and services, with the date the prices took effect.
- Federal rules help less here. The FTC's Funeral Rule doesn't cover monument dealers, or cemeteries without a funeral home on site.
Veterans
The VA provides a headstone, flat marker, or medallion for an eligible veteran, even in a hometown cemetery (VA Form 40-1330). Veterans burial benefits
Markers for buried ashes
If ashes go into a family grave that already has a stone, ask the cemetery about adding the name to that stone instead of setting a new marker. What burying ashes costs
- Indiana Code 23-14-47-1 to -4 (cemetery rules for monuments and other commodities; equal installation fees; schedule of charges) and 23-14-46-9 (itemized price range), current as of Jan 1, 2026, via FindLaw. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Cedar Grove Cemetery, Rules and Regulations and fees (effective July 1, 2026), cemetery.nd.edu. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Everstory Partners, Cemetery Rules and Regulations (effective Sept 2023), covering Riverview, Highland, St. Joseph Valley Memorial Park and Chapel Hill, PDF. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- Consumer Reports, “The Last Goodbye: How to Plan a Funeral” (July 7, 2024), consumerreports.org.
- FTC, “The FTC Funeral Rule”, consumer.ftc.gov. Checked Oct 21, 2026.
- VA, headstones, markers and medallions, va.gov. Checked Oct 21, 2026.