Before beginning, browse the rest of the Cemlist resources for buying, selling, and transfer guidance.
Where the money goes
When a cemetery first sells a plot, part of the price goes into an endowment care fund. The cemetery spends the income from that fund on permanent upkeep of the grounds.
What buyers of resale plots should know
When you buy a resale plot, the endowment care arrangement comes with it - you do not pay into the fund again, and the seller does not take anything out of it. If a seller claims you owe them endowment care fees, check with the cemetery office.
Endowment care is separate from any transfer fee the cemetery charges to record the sale - one pays for permanent upkeep, the other pays for updating the deed.
How to verify your cemetery's specific policy
"Endowment care" is not a single standardized program - what it covers, how it is funded, and what it is called varies by cemetery, so don't assume your deed's terms match what a general article or a different cemetery's policy says. Before you buy, sell, or budget around it, ask the cemetery office directly:
- Does this plot have an endowment care fund attached, and is it fully funded?
- What specifically does it cover - grounds, roads, common areas - and what does it exclude?
- Is marker or monument maintenance included, or is that the owner's separate responsibility?
- Does the fund's coverage transfer automatically with a resale, or does the new owner need to do anything to activate it?
Get the answer in writing if you can. The name on your deed ("endowment care," "perpetual care," or another term) is a label, not a guarantee of what's covered - the cemetery's own written policy is the only source that actually tells you.