MT HB523

Public cemetery lots may be declared abandoned if unused for interment for 75 years or more and the cemetery administrator has had no contact with the owner or heirs for 75 years or more

Individuals may petition cemetery administrators to find a lot abandoned and request to purchase it, with petitions requiring documentation of diligent efforts to locate owners

Public notice must be published once weekly for 3 consecutive weeks in a local newspaper, allowing potential owners or heirs to come forward and claim the lot

Lots designated for veteran burials, lots containing buried human remains, and privately owned cemeteries are exempt from the abandonment process

Upon finding of abandonment with no valid ownership claims, the cemetery administrator sets a purchase price for the petitioner and files the conveyance with the county clerk and recorder