§ 45-5-12 - Neglected burial grounds.
SECTION 45-5-12
§ 45-5-12 Neglected burial grounds. –(a) Town councils may also take possession of and hold ancient, neglected, orabandoned burial grounds including historic cemeteries as defined in §23-18-1(5), whenever they can take possession without opposition from thepersons interested in those grounds. The councils may take, hold, and manage intrust all funds given to the councils to keep these grounds in repair or forornamenting or improving these grounds, and may in their discretion appropriatefrom the treasury of their towns money for the purpose of keeping in repair,preserving the monuments in, and maintaining any neglected burial ground.
(b) Any person interested in caring for burial grounddescribed in subsection (a) which has not been maintained and the owner ofwhich is unknown or whose present address is unknown, may petition the towncouncil for permission to clean up and maintain that burial ground at theperson's own expense. Upon approval of this petition on any conditions thecouncil may deem appropriate, the council shall cause an advertisement to beplaced in a local newspaper providing notice that the burial ground is to beentered and cleaned up and thereafter maintained, and notifying persons with aproperty interest in this burial ground who have objections to come forward bya date certain.