Headstone cleaning and monuments in Clarkston
Clarkston is our northern Oakland County anchor, about forty minutes south of the shop down M-15. Independence Township owns and runs all three cemeteries here — Lakeview on White Lake Road, Sashabaw Plains on Maybee Road, and Case on Dartmouth Road, the oldest and now inactive, open by appointment only. The township pours every foundation itself and will not pour in frost, which is the detail that decides whether a monument ordered in autumn is set this year or next. Cleaning is $80 per stone, non-taxable, and it does not depend on the weather the way stonework does.
Cemeteries we work in in Clarkston
Lakeview Cemetery
6150 White Lake Road, Clarkston, MI 48346
Township-owned; the cemetery office is in the DPW building at 6050 Flemings Lake Road, 248-625-4146.
Sashabaw Plains Cemetery
5331 Maybee Road, Clarkston, MI 48346
Township-owned; gates open dawn to dusk.
Case Cemetery
10415 Dartmouth Road, Clarkston, MI 48346
The township's oldest cemetery, now inactive and open by appointment only.
Not the cemetery you need? We work at cemeteries across Oakland County — name yours when you book or ask, and we confirm the office's requirements with them directly.
What Clarkston requires, and how we meet it
The township pours every foundation
Monument foundations are not less than 42 inches deep and the same size as the base of the monument. Marker foundations are poured 24 inches deep and the same size as the base of the marker, and government bronze markers get a four-inch precast foundation. All pouring is done by cemetery personnel and billed to the lot owner or the monument dealer.
No foundations in frost, no heavy trucking in wet weather
The township will not pour in frosty weather, does not permit heavy trucking when the ground is wet, and reserves the right to refuse stonework until the grounds and avenues have settled. We schedule a Clarkston set around that calendar instead of delivering a stone that then has to wait on site.
Marker sizes are set by the space
A single space allows a marker up to 24 inches long by 12 inches wide, a double allows 48 by 12, and it scales up from there. Additional cremains markers must sit flush at the base of the main marker and may not exceed 12 by 12 inches, or eight inches deep by sixteen inches wide. Foot markers are permitted only for veterans, must be flush, and may not exceed 24 inches by 12 inches.
The main marker sits on the west end of the head
Where a grave holds more than one burial, more than one marker is allowed, but the main marker always goes at the west end of the head, and monuments follow the contour of the land — the ground is never regraded to suit the stonework. A monument that becomes unsightly, dilapidated, or a safety hazard may be corrected or removed by the township board at the owner's expense, which is the practical argument for keeping a stone clean.
Winter decorations have a window
Wreaths, grave blankets, and artificial flowers are permitted from November 15 to April 1, and everything is cleared at the spring cleanup. Markers must be of stone or other equally durable composition, and nothing may be set on a space until it has been paid for in full.
Rules as published by the Independence Township monuments and grave markers (see the current text). Cemetery requirements do change, so we confirm them with the office before we cut a base or set a stone.
How cleaning works in Clarkston
Clarkston is a primary monument market, and northern Oakland cemeteries are cleaned on selected routes. We group your stone with other work nearby and confirm the date after you book, usually within one to three weeks. Usually 1 to 3 weeks.
- Professional biological cleaning using safe soft-brush methods — no bleach, no acids, no pressure washing, no wire brushes.
- Light trimming and edging around the base where appropriate.
- Before and after photographs sent to you when the stone is finished.
- Every paid cleaning honours a veteran through the One-for-One Veteran Memorial Program.
- The number of headstones is chosen on the booking form, and that quantity is what we clean.
Stones that have leaned, sunk, or come off their base
Monument and headstone resetting and levelling is quoted rather than priced from a list, because the work depends on the size of the stone, the base beneath it, and the ground it has settled into. Send photographs and the cemetery name and we will tell you what it involves.
Monuments drawn, etched, and set in Clarkston
Drawn first, then cut in-house
Flat markers from $400, bevels from $600, slants from $1,250, uprights from $1,500, benches from $2,750, and family or estate monuments from $6,500.
Custom shapes are a specialty
Hearts, crosses, angels and wings, open books, obelisks and columns, tree and rustic rock-pitch stones, children's shapes, and hobby silhouettes, quoted per project after a free consultation.
Laser etching from $400
Etched in-house on Jet Black granite. Other colors are sandblasted instead.
Cemetery requirements handled
We coordinate the cemetery's rules, permits, and foundation work as part of the project.
Other towns we serve in Oakland County
Also serving near Clarkston
The same route covers the county lines around Clarkston, so a family with graves in more than one place can have them handled on one visit.
Nearby counties in Metro Detroit and southeast Michigan
Questions from families in Clarkston
Which cemeteries does Independence Township own in Clarkston?
Three: Lakeview Cemetery at 6150 White Lake Road, Sashabaw Plains Cemetery at 5331 Maybee Road, and Case Cemetery at 10415 Dartmouth Road, which is the oldest, is inactive, and is open by appointment only. The cemetery office is in the DPW building at 6050 Flemings Lake Road, 248-625-4146. We clean at all three and at the private cemeteries around Clarkston.
How deep does a monument foundation have to be in Clarkston?
Monument foundations must be at least 42 inches deep and the same size as the base of the monument. Marker foundations are poured 24 inches deep at the size of the marker base, and government bronze markers get a four-inch precast foundation. Independence Township pours all of them itself and bills the lot owner or the monument dealer, so we build the base to those figures and order the pour through the township.
Why can't a monument be set in Clarkston in winter?
Independence Township does not pour foundations in frosty weather and does not allow heavy trucking when the ground is wet, and it can refuse stonework until the grounds and avenues are settled. That is a sound rule — a foundation poured into frost moves when it thaws. We plan the setting date around it, and cleaning is unaffected, so a stone can be cleaned while the monument work waits for the ground.
How soon can a stone in Clarkston be cleaned?
Northern Oakland cemeteries are cleaned on selected routes, so we group your stone with nearby work and confirm the date after you book. Cleaning is $80 per stone, non-taxable, with before and after photos emailed the same day. If a family has graves in both Oakland and Genesee, we book them on one visit.
Do you clean headstones in Clarkston?
Yes. Headstone and monument cleaning is $80 per stone in Clarkston. Clarkston is a primary monument market, and northern Oakland cemeteries are cleaned on selected routes. We group your stone with other work nearby and confirm the date after you book, usually within one to three weeks.
How soon can a stone in Clarkston be cleaned?
Usually 1 to 3 weeks. We confirm the date with you before we travel.
What does the $80 cleaning include?
Professional biological cleaning with safe soft-brush methods, light trimming and edging around the base where appropriate, before and after photographs sent to you, and participation in the One-for-One Veteran Memorial Program. No bleach, no acids, no pressure washing, and no wire brushes.
Is the $80 a deposit or the full price?
It is the full price of one completed cleaning, paid once. Each additional stone is the same $80. Choose the number of headstones on the booking form; it shows the total, and checkout charges exactly that.
How do I choose the number of headstones?
On the booking form. It asks where the stones are, how many, and how to reach you, shows the total, and the secure checkout that follows charges exactly that total.
Do you set monuments in Clarkston?
Yes. Custom monuments are drawn, etched, and set for cemeteries in Clarkston. We draw it first, you approve the drawing, then we cut, and nothing is ordered until you have seen it and know the price. Consultations are free, and we coordinate the cemetery's requirements with the office directly.
Can you reset a stone that has leaned or sunk in Clarkston?
Yes. Monument and headstone resetting and leveling is quoted rather than priced from a list, because what a stone needs depends on its size, its base, and the ground under it. Send photographs with a reset assessment request and we will tell you what the work involves.
Book the cleaning
The form asks where the stones are and how to reach you, and nothing else. You choose the number of headstones on the form, which shows the total, then pay that total on secure checkout.