Explain the concept of cemetery plot perpetual care.

• A. Perpetual care guarantees a family has exclusive rights to the plot forever.
• B. Perpetual care pays for the funeral service.
• C. Perpetual care ensures ongoing maintenance of a cemetery plot funded through a portion of the purchase price.
• D. Perpetual care is a one-time fee for a standard grave marker.

Answer: (C)

Perpetual care means funds are set aside when you buy a cemetery plot to cover maintenance of the grounds forever. Those funds are placed into an endowment or trust, and the income (and sometimes the principal) is used by the cemetery to pay for ongoing upkeep—mowing, landscaping, irrigation, repairs, and general care of the plot and surrounding areas—to keep the site in good condition for generations. It has nothing to do with guaranteeing exclusive rights, paying for the funeral service, or being a one-time fee for a marker. Because it is designed to fund long-term maintenance, perpetual care is described as ongoing upkeep financed from a portion of the purchase price.