Custom monuments and memorial care in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is well outside our cleaning routes, which run out of Davison through Genesee, Lapeer, and Sanilac counties. Monument work travels further than a cleaning van does, so a memorial for a Grand Rapids cemetery is still worth asking about. The city owns six cemeteries totalling more than 700 acres, and they are old — Fulton Street opened in 1838, Oakgrove in 1839, Fairplains in 1851, Oakhill and Greenwood in 1859. Nearly two centuries of West Michigan weather is exactly the kind of soiling that biological cleaning is for, and the city's rules leave the marker itself as almost the only thing a family is permitted to maintain.
Cemeteries we work in in Grand Rapids
Fulton Street Cemetery
801 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI — opened 1838
City-owned; Cemeteries office, 1500 Scribner Ave, 616-456-3696 option 2, weekdays 8AM–4PM.
Oakhill and Greenwood Cemeteries
647 Hall St SE and 1401 Leonard St NW, Grand Rapids, MI — both opened 1859
City-owned.
Fairplains, Oakgrove, and Woodlawn Cemeteries
2056 Diamond Ave NE, 1401 28th St SE, and 2530 Kalamazoo Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI
City-owned; Oakgrove is entered through the Mackay-Jaycees Park entrance off Kalamazoo Ave.
Not the cemetery you need? We work at cemeteries across Kent County — name yours when you book or ask, and we confirm the office's requirements with them directly.
What Grand Rapids requires, and how we meet it
The marker is nearly the only thing permitted on a lot
The city's rule is that no object except a grave marker and approved flower urns or baskets should be placed on lots, and unapproved objects may be removed without notice or compensation. Removed decorations are not stored or saved. That makes the condition of the stone itself most of what a visiting family actually sees.
Shepherd's hooks and anything that penetrates the ground are banned
Shepherd's hooks, ornament holders, and decorations that penetrate the ground are not allowed at any of the six cemeteries. The prohibited list also covers concrete, plastic, Styrofoam, ornaments, metal signs, bottles, jars, tin cans, shells, boxes, statues, glass vases, wood or metal cases, and vigil lights. Stones are allowed only when placed on the marker.
Containers are capped at twelve inches, one per grave
Approved urns and containers may be no more than twelve inches square or in diameter, one per grave, set to the side of the grave marker. All real and artificial floral items must sit in an approved urn or container or they will be taken away, and faded, disintegrated, or broken artificial flowers are removed.
Decorations follow a three-part calendar
From April 1 to October 1 decorations must be in an urn or basket. From October 15 to March 31 decorations are removed from burial spaces, though urn contents may stay. From November 15 to March 1 only winter wreaths are allowed. Booking a cleaning against those dates is the usual pattern here.
Marker foundations are $1 per square inch
The city charges one dollar per square inch for marker foundations. Planting is restricted to monument sites only and must come from the city's approved list of shrubs and evergreens; lawns may not be disturbed, and planting, landscaping, mowing, fertilizing, coping, curbing, hedging, and enclosures by families are all prohibited. Pets are not allowed at any time.
Rules as published by the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation cemetery rules and fees (see the current text). Cemetery requirements do change, so we confirm them with the office before we cut a base or set a stone.
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 Grand Rapids
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.
Questions from families in Grand Rapids
Which cemeteries does the City of Grand Rapids own?
Six, covering more than 700 acres: Fulton Street at 801 Fulton St E (1838), Oakgrove at 1401 28th St SE (1839), Fairplains at 2056 Diamond Ave NE (1851), Oakhill at 647 Hall St SE and Greenwood at 1401 Leonard St NW (both 1859), and Woodlawn at 2530 Kalamazoo Ave SE (1920s). The Cemeteries office is at 1500 Scribner Ave, 616-456-3696 option 2. We clean at all six and at the private, Catholic, and township cemeteries across Kent County.
Can I put a shepherd's hook or a solar light at a Grand Rapids city cemetery?
No. Shepherd's hooks, ornament holders, and anything else that penetrates the ground are not allowed. Neither are statues, glass vases, vigil lights, metal signs, bottles, jars, tin cans, shells, boxes, or wood and metal cases. What is permitted is the grave marker, an approved urn or basket no more than twelve inches across set to the side of it, and a veteran's flag and holder beside the marker.
What does Grand Rapids charge to set a marker foundation?
One dollar per square inch for marker foundations. When we cut and install a monument in Grand Rapids we handle the foundation order and the cemetery approval with the Cemeteries office, so the fee is quoted to you up front rather than arriving separately after the stone is delivered.
How long is the wait for a Grand Rapids cleaning, and does it cost more to come out there?
Grand Rapids is outside our regular cleaning area, so a cleaning here is arranged by a person rather than booked online — contact us and it may still be possible depending on routing and availability. Custom monuments and laser-etched artwork are statewide work — call 586-404-5869 and we will tell you what is possible.
Do you clean headstones in Grand Rapids?
Routine cleaning runs through Genesee, Lapeer, Sanilac, Huron counties, with selected northern Oakland and Macomb routes, so Grand Rapids is outside the routine schedule. Custom monuments, laser-etched artwork, and monument resetting are still quoted here. Call 586-404-5869 and a person will tell you plainly what we can do at that cemetery.
Do you set monuments in Grand Rapids?
Yes. Custom monuments are drawn, etched, and set for cemeteries in Grand Rapids. 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 Grand Rapids?
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.
Start the memorial
Tell us the cemetery, the kind of memorial you have in mind, and how to reach you. We draw it first, you approve the drawing, then we cut.