The steps, from start to fitting
- Choose the type of burial and the concession with the municipality’s cemetery service (grave, niche, urn cell; length and fee).
- Define the monument: shape, dimensions, materials, inscription, any photograph.
- Prepare the design. Lugano requires two copies with dimensions and materials; Locarno two copies at 1:50; Tenero and Contra two copies at 1:10.
- Obtain the approval, which carries an administrative fee (in Lugano from 30 to 200 francs).
- Make and fit the monument. Gravestones, kerbs and monuments must rest on adequate foundations (Lugano, art. 27).
Who does what: municipality, funeral home, stonemason
The municipality grants the place and approves the work. The funeral home can coordinate the paperwork with the family. The stonemason, or another specialised firm, prepares the design, makes the monument and fits it.
In Lugano the application for approval is submitted by specialised firms on behalf of the people concerned. In welfare cases, kerbs and plaque are supplied by the municipality at the request of the funeral home, to be submitted within 5 days of the funeral.
What limits apply?
Regulations set limits of shape and height. In Tenero and Contra, for example, the maximum height of monuments, gravestones and crosses in ordinary sections is 150 centimetres, fences do not exceed 50 centimetres and grave kerbs in common sections 15 centimetres above ground; on graves along the perimeter wall the maximum height is 10 centimetres less than the wall. The steles of ash graves measure 60 by 40 centimetres.
These are the limits of one municipality. Always ask the cemetery service for those of yours.
Who maintains the gravestone?
Graves, monuments, gravestones and any other funerary object must be kept in good condition, at the care and expense of the concession holders (Lugano, art. 28). Work beyond ordinary maintenance needs new approval, as does the removal of funerary works.
If maintenance is lacking, the municipality may step in at the expense of the people concerned.
What does the cost depend on?
There is no figure valid for everyone. The cost is made up of several parts: the concession of the grave or niche (the municipality’s fee), the approval fee, the monument or gravestone, the fitting, the inscription and, later, maintenance. Ask the stonemason for a written quote that keeps them separate.
And a plaque with a QR code?
If the family wants a plaque with a QR code that opens the memorial page, the step is the same: it must be included in the design and approved by the municipality. The stonemason is the right person to ask whether it is possible and how to include it. The guide on the QR code plaque explains what the regulations say.
Frequently asked questions
- What is cemetery construction?
- It is the work of building and maintaining graves, chapels, niches, monuments and gravestones in cemeteries. It is done with the municipality’s approval, usually through stonemasons and specialised firms.
- Is a permit needed to fit a gravestone?
- Yes. In the regulations of Lugano, Locarno and Tenero-Contra, fitting gravestones and monuments needs the municipality’s prior approval.
- How long does it take?
- It depends on the municipality and the design. Ask the cemetery service how long approval takes before ordering the monument.
- Who pays for maintaining the gravestone?
- The concession holders, that is, the family that holds the grave concession.
- Can I choose any material and shape?
- No: regulations set limits on shape, height and materials, and the municipality must approve the design.
Official sources
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