Care that lasts.
Property for chapels, mausoleums and monuments, grounds liability, professional liability for burial errors, equipment, vandalism coverage, D&O for boards and workers' comp for cemeteries and plot care services.
By Sam Alishahi · CA Insurance License #4348151 · Reviewed October 2026 · How this page is researched
Grounds, graves and families
A cemetery's most painful claims involve families, like a burial in the wrong plot or a disturbed grave. Those are usually handled under cemetery professional liability, not general liability. The grounds themselves bring visitor trips on uneven turf, falling headstones, vandalism and the heavy equipment used to open graves.
California's Cemetery and Funeral Bureau licenses many cemeteries and their managers and salespeople; religious and public cemeteries can follow different rules. I cover the buildings and monuments, the grounds crew and equipment, and the board, whether the cemetery is private, religious or run by a district.
- Professional liabilityBurial errors and mishandling claims.
- PropertyChapels, mausoleums and offices.
- General liabilityVisitor injuries on the grounds.
- EquipmentBackhoes, mowers and lowering devices.
What underwriters will ask
Having these ready means I can go to market on the first call. The quote form asks for the same things, and anything you don’t know yet can wait.
- Cemetery: acres, buildings and active versus closed sections.
- Ownership: private, religious, nonprofit or public district.
- Operations: burials and cremations each year.
- Equipment: backhoes, mowers and vehicles.
- Revenue and payroll: annual figures and grounds crew.
- History: current policies and claims.
Cemetery insurance, answered
Does general liability cover a burial in the wrong plot?
Usually not. Those claims fall under cemetery professional liability, which I add to the package.
Are vandalized headstones covered?
Monuments the cemetery owns can be covered for vandalism, subject to the policy. Family-owned markers may not be the cemetery's property, so I clarify it.
Does our board need its own coverage?
Directors and officers coverage protects board members from claims about their decisions, including endowment fund management.
We are a church cemetery. Can it go on our church policy?
Often, yes, with the right professional liability added. I check whether the church market writes it or a separate policy fits better.
Do you offer cemetery insurance outside California?
Yes. Clients across the country send the same quote form. Sam Alishahi is licensed in 48 states and Washington, DC and places policies there directly. In Florida and Washington, where Sam's licenses are still being issued, a partner agency in your state helps in the meantime. The shopping across carriers works the same way. Rules, minimums and markets differ by state — see insurance requirements by state.
Official sources
Insure your cemetery
Tell me about your grounds, your buildings and how the cemetery is run. I'll find markets that write cemeteries and explain the professional liability options.
Alishahi Insurance · Saman Alishahi, independent insurance broker, California License #4348151. General information, not a quote or a promise of coverage; coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.
Tell me how to reach you. I’ll take it from there.
Takes about 30 seconds. Your application link comes by email right away, and you get an update at every step until your quotes are ready.
(877) 711-4545Answered 24/7 · CA License #4348151
Get a reminder before your renewal.
Tell me when your policy renews and I’ll email you about six weeks before, when it’s worth comparing. One email, no calls.