NY Gen Mun L § 164 (2021)
2021 New York Laws GMU - General Municipal Article 8 - Cemeteries 164 - Abandonment of Cemeteries in Cities of Less Than One Million.

§  164.  Abandonment of cemeteries in cities of less than one million.   Upon a verified petition presented to a judge of a court  of  record  by   the  common  council  of any city of less than one million, the judge to   whom said verified petition was presented shall make an  order  to  show   cause,  returnable  before  him at a time and place within the county in   not less than  twenty  days  from  the  date  of  presentation  of  said   petition,  why  the  remains  of  any  deceased person buried in potters   field, or in any neglected or abandoned cemeteries in which no  deceased   person  shall  have  been  interred  within  twenty years, should not be   removed to and reinterred in a properly kept  incorporated  cemetery  in   the  same  city  or  in  a  town or city adjoining the city in which the   remains of each deceased person or persons are buried, or in lands owned   by said city for cemetery purposes, and to fix the  amount  of  expenses   for  such  removal  and  reinterment  and  the order to show cause shall   provide for its publication in a newspaper,  to  be  designated  in  the   order, which is published nearest to the cemetery from which the removal   is  to be made, once in each week for two successive weeks. The verified   petition presented to the judge shall show that the  petitioner  is  the   common council of the city in which said cemetery is located and (1) the   name  of  the  deceased person or persons whose remains are sought to be   removed, if known; (2) the name and location of the cemetery in which he   is interred and from which removal is asked to be made; (3) the name and   the location of the incorporated  cemetery  to  which  the  remains  are   desired  to be removed and reinterred; (4) the facts showing the reasons   for such removal. Upon the return day of the order to show cause and  at   the time and place fixed in said order, upon filing proof of publication   of  the  order  to  show  cause  with the judge, if no objection is made   thereto, he shall make an order directing the removal of the remains  of   said  deceased  person  or  persons  to  the  cemetery designated in the   petition within the city or within a town or city adjoining said city in   which the remains are then buried and shall specify  in  the  order  the   amount  of  the  expenses of such removal, which expenses of removal and   reinterment, including the expense of the proceeding under this section,   shall be a charge upon the city in which the cemetery is  situated  from   which  the  removal is made and such expenses shall be a city charge and   audited and paid in the same manner as other charges. On  or  after  the   removal  and  reinterment  of  the  remains  of  any  deceased person or   persons, the expenses for annual care of the grave in  the  cemetery  to   which  the  removal  is  made  shall be annually provided by the city in   which the remains were originally buried at a rate not to  exceed  fifty   cents per grave, and shall be paid annually to the incorporated cemetery   association  to which the remains of each deceased person may be removed   or reinterred unless said remains have been removed to  lands  owned  by   said  city  for  cemetery  purposes, in which case such payment shall be   made under the provisions of the city ordinance providing for  the  care   and  upkeep of said cemetery lands owned by said city. Any city owning a   lot or lots  in  a  cemetery  maintained  by  an  incorporated  cemetery   association  in  which  the remains of the deceased persons have been or   may  be  buried  pursuant  to  this  section,  however,  may  pay   such   association  an  amount  sufficient  to provide perpetual care therefor.   The petition and order shall be filed in the county  clerk's  office  of   the  county  in which the remains of the deceased person were originally   interred, and the service of a certified copy of the  final  order  upon   the  cemetery  association  shall  be  made  prior  to  any removal. Any   relatives of  the  deceased  person  or  the  officer  of  any  cemetery   association  in  which  the  remains  of deceased person were originally   interred may oppose the granting of  said  order  and  the  judge  shall   summarily  hear  the statement of the parties and make such order as the    justice and equity of the application shall require.  Any  headstone  or   monument  which  marks the grave of the deceased person shall be removed   and reset at the grave in the cemetery to which the removal is permitted   to  be made and in each case the final order shall provide the amount of   expenses  of  such  removals  and  reinterment  and  resetting  of   the   headstones or monument, including the expenses for the proceedings under   this  section;  except  that  where  provision is otherwise made for the   purchase or erection of a new headstone, monument or marker at the grave   in the cemetery to which said removal is permitted, such  old  headstone   or  monument  need  not  be so removed and reset in which case the final   order shall not provide for the expense of resetting.   The order  shall   designate  the  person  or  persons  having  charge  of  the removals or   reinterments. Upon completion of the removal, reinterment  or  resetting   the headstones or monuments, the person or persons having charge of same   shall  make a verified report of the removal, reinterment, and resetting   of the headstone or monument and file the report in the  clerk's  office   of the proper county.After said bodies shall have been removed and reinterred in the manner   prescribed by said order, said lands in which such deceased persons were   originally  interred shall be available for and subject to such uses for   city purposes as the common council of such city may determine  and  may   be  conveyed  or  otherwise disposed of in the same manner as other city   lands.