Can I be buried on my own property?

According to the legal counsel of the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association, Pennsylvania does not have laws restricting one from being buried on their own property. The legality of being buried on private property rests in the ordinances of the local municipalities and townships. My experience is the more rural a township, the greater likelihood that interment on private property will be permitted. There are, however, certain issues that need to be considered before making the decision to buried on your own property. One must consider the implications if the property is ever to be sold. Without an easement or right-of-way written into the deed, new owners may prohibit persons from visiting the grave. New owners likely will not maintain the gravesite as well as when family members owned the property. The existence of a burial site on a property may even lower the value of a property or limit the number of interested parties. Finally, future development near the burial site may also destroy the setting that was originally intended.