Burial ground charges
Our burial ground fees don't include undertaker related services or crematorium fees. The fees are higher for non residents as they don't pay Council Tax to Aberdeenshire Council. The non-resident fee is applied where the address on the death certificate for interments or the address on the lair certificate for lair purchase are out-with Aberdeenshire.
These fees only cover the purchase of the lair (grave), the preparation of the lair for the burial, the backfilling of the lair and laying out of flowers once the burial is over.
Buying a lair
You can buy a lair and book an interment without using an undertaker by calling the relevant burial ground. If you are using an undertaker, they can do this on your behalf and they will include these fees in their invoice.
Find out more about funeral arrangements.
Burial ground fees
View burial ground fees:
- Purchase of right of burial
- Full interment
- Headstones and memorial plaques
- Burials scheduled for after latest arrival time
- Burials on Sundays and public holidays
Purchase of right of burial
This entitles the lair holder the right of burial in the lair for themselves and their heirs. The lair holder can also transfer the right of burial. The lair will still belong to the council, but the lair holder has the right to be buried in it.
Where a lair is being purchased for the interment of a person under the age of 18, no purchase fee will be applied.
| Description of charge | Resident |
Non-resident |
| Full Interment Lair Fee for right of burial in full size coffin lair |
£1,297 | £2,267 |
| Casket Lair Fee for right of burial in a lair for ashes caskets only |
£797 | £1,396 |
| Transfer of Lair Rights Fee to transfer right of burial |
£128 | £1,099 |
| Search of Records (per hour or part thereof) Fee where lair or previous interment details are not known |
£35 | £35 |
| Duplicate Lair Certificate (plus cost of any necessary search) | £128 | £128 |
Full interment
These are the fees to open the lair for the burial of a coffin or casket of ashes, backfill the lair and relay flowers.
| Description of charge | Resident | Non-resident |
| Coffin interment for persons of 18 years and over Monday to Friday fee to bury the deceased |
£1,133 | £2,264 |
| Coffin interment for persons under 18 Monday to Friday fee to bury the deceased |
No charge | No charge |
| Coffin interment for persons of 18 years and over Saturday (latest arrival time 11:30am) fee to bury the deceased |
£1,700 | £3,398 |
| Coffin interment for persons under 18 Saturday (latest arrival time 11:30am) fee to bury the deceased |
No charge | No charge |
| Cremated remains (with or without casket) for persons over 18 Monday to Friday fee to bury ashes |
£333 | £662 |
| Cremated remains (with or without casket) for persons under 18 Monday to Friday fee to bury ashes |
No charge | No charge |
| Cremated remains (with or without casket) for persons over 18 Saturday (latest arrival time 11:30am) fee to bury the deceased |
£502 | £996 |
| Cremated remains (with or without casket) for persons under 18 Saturday (latest arrival time 11:30am) fee to bury the deceased |
No charge | No charge |
| Interment of additional caskets in the same lair in one interment Cost per additional casket |
£42 | £42 |
| Scattering of ashes Fee to lift granite chips or turf on lair, scatter ashes and relay them Monday to Friday |
£72 | £125 |
| Scattering of ashes Fee to lift granite chips or turf on lair, scatter ashes and relay them Saturday (latest arrival time 11:30am) |
£107 | £188 |
| Testing a Lair/Trial Dig Fee to establish remaining depth in pre purchased lair |
£249 | £435 |
| Assistance of Gravedigger to carry coffin from hearse to graveside Requested at time of booking |
£87 | £87 |
| Assistance of Gravedigger to carry coffin from hearse to graveside Not requested at time of booking |
£173 | £173 |
Headstones and memorial plaques
Fees associated with erecting of headstones and memorial plaques.
Where the application is being made following the interment of a person under the age of 18, no fee will be applied.
| Description of charge | Resident | Non-resident |
| Preparatory work for erection of headstone Fee to install foundation for headstone |
£235 | £409 |
| Preparatory work for commemorative plaque Fee to prepare memorial wall for plaque |
£61 | £109 |
| Granting permission where no foundation necessary Fee to process application for memorial which does not require preparatory work |
£52 | £91 |
Burials scheduled for after latest arrival time
All burials scheduled for after latest arrival time are charged at cost. There is also a surcharge for:
- Interment in private burial ground or location not managed by the council
- Exhumation of remains
Burials on weekends and public holidays
Please note that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, interments aren't permitted on:
- Saturdays after 11.30am
- Sundays
- 25th December and 1st and 2nd January
All applications for such should be made to the Director of Environment and Infrastructure Services or the nominated representative.
If approved there is a 100% surcharge for interments:
- after 11.30am on Saturdays
- Sundays
- Monday, 6th May 2024