An Act To Clarify the Law Governing the Maintenance of Veterans Grave Sites
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1662
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: JOHNSON, LONGSTAFF, CRAVEN, SAVIELLO, BEAVERS, GRAHAM, NADEAU
Amends: 13 MRSA §1101, 13 MRSA §1101-A

Legislative Document 
No. 1662 
S.P. 656 
In Senate, December 23, 2013 
An Act To Clarify the Law Governing the Maintenance of Veterans' 
Grave Sites 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 23, 2013.  Referred to the Committee 
on Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator JOHNSON of Lincoln. 
Cosponsored by Representative LONGSTAFF of Waterville and 
Senators: CRAVEN of Androscoggin, SAVIELLO of Franklin, Representatives: BEAVERS of 
South Berwick, GRAHAM of North Yarmouth, NADEAU of Winslow. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  13 MRSA §1101, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 421, §1, is 
amended to read: 
§1101.  Maintenance and repairs; municipality 
1.  Grave sites of veterans in ancient burying grounds.  In any ancient burying 
ground, as referenced in Title 30-A, section 5723, the municipality in which that burying 
ground is located, in collaboration with veterans' organizations, cemetery associations, 
civic and fraternal organizations and other interested persons, shall keep in good 
condition all graves, headstones, monuments and markers and, to of Revolutionary 
soldiers and sailors and veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States.  To the best of 
its ability given the location and accessibility of the ancient burying ground, the 
municipality shall keep the grass, weeds and brush suitably cut and trimmed on those 
graves from May 1st to September 30th of each year.  A municipality may designate a 
caretaker to whom it delegates for a specified period of time the municipality's 
responsibilities regarding an ancient burying ground. 
2.  Grave sites of veterans in public burying grounds.  In any public burying 
ground in which a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States is buried, the 
municipality in which that burying ground is located, in collaboration with veterans' 
organizations, cemetery associations, civic and fraternal organizations and other 
interested persons, shall keep the grave, headstone, monument or marker designating the 
burial place of any veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States in good condition 
and repair from May 1st to September 30th of each year, including:. 
A.  Regrading the grave site to make it level when the grave site has sunk 3 or more 
inches compared to the surrounding ground; 
B.  Maintaining the proper height and orientation, both vertical and horizontal, of the 
headstone, monument or marker; 
C.  Ensuring that inscriptions on the headstone, monument or marker are visible and 
legible; 
D.  Ensuring that the average height of grass at the grave site is between 1.5 to 2.5 
inches but no more than 3 inches; 
E.  Keeping a flat grave marker free of grass and debris; and 
F.  Keeping the burial place free of fallen trees, branches, vines and weeds. 
Each municipality in which a public burying ground is located shall adopt standards of 
good condition and repair to which grave sites of veterans of the Armed Forces of the 
United States must be kept. 
Sec. 2.  13 MRSA §1101-A, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4.  Public burying ground.  "Public burying ground" means a burying ground or 
cemetery that is municipally owned and operated. 
Sec. 3.  Adoption of standards.  By June 30, 2016, a municipality that is required 
to maintain and repair a veteran's grave site pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
13, section 1101, subsection 2 shall adopt standards of good condition and repair to which 
grave sites of veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States must be kept. 
SUMMARY 
This bill: 
1.  Clarifies that the municipality in which an ancient burying ground is located is 
responsible for keeping in good condition only the graves, headstones, monuments and 
markers of Revolutionary soldiers and sailors and veterans of the Armed Forces of the 
United States; 
2.  Specifies that municipalities may collaborate with veterans' organizations, 
cemetery associations, civic and fraternal organizations and other interested persons in 
maintaining the grave sites of veterans; and 
3.  Repeals specific statutory guidelines regarding the maintenance of veterans' grave 
sites in public burying grounds and instead provides that each municipality in which a 
public burying ground is located must adopt standards of good condition and repair to 
which grave sites of veterans must be kept.