Castro warns against abandonment of graves in cemeteries and sets deadline for regularization
Property owners have until February 1, 2027, to carry out maintenance of the graves. After the deadline, the Municipality will start identifying and notifying the responsible parties, with the possibility of revoking the concessions.
The City of Castro warns those responsible for land and tombs in municipal cemeteries about the importance of keeping the deposits preserved, clean and in good condition. The Municipal Secretariat of Planning and Heritage carried out a survey of the four cemeteries under the responsibility of the Municipality and identified graves in a situation of abandonment, which may be subject to the revocation of the concession of use, according to the municipal legislation.
The deadline for those responsible to regularize the situation of the deposits is February 1, 2027. By that date, dealers must provide for necessary repairs, the conservation of structures and the proper maintenance of spaces.
The survey covers the cemeteries Frei Mathias, in the central region, Nossa Senhora do Rosário, in Vila Rio Branco, and the cemeteries of Abapã and Socavão, districts of the municipality. Together, the four sites bring together more than 7,800 lands and tombs.
The identification of the abandoned spaces allows the Municipal Administration to initiate the necessary procedures to regularize the situation of the deposits and to give an adequate destination to the lands that eventually return to the public heritage.
Legislation provides for measures against abandonment
The maintenance of the deposits is provided for in the municipal legislation. Law 3.634/2019 regulates articles 188 and following of Complementary Law 36/2011, which establishes the Municipality’s Code of Postures, and establishes rules for the administration and conservation of Castro’s public and private cemeteries.
Article 8 of Law 3.634/2019 determines that the holders of the rights of concession of deposits are subject to the norms relating to decency, safety and health of funerary buildings.
Article 33 establishes criteria for the characterization of abandonment and provides for the possibility of revocation of the concession when the persons responsible cease to exercise their rights for the period provided for by law and do not regularize the situation after notification.
Therefore, the City Council advises that those responsible do not leave for the last minute the services of conservation and reform. From 1 February 2027, the Municipality will begin marking the identified graves and notifying the responsible ones, who will have a period of 30 days to regularize the situation, following the applicable legal procedures.
After notifications and compliance with the administrative steps provided for in the legislation, concessions that fall within the legal criteria may be revoked. The lands and deposits could then be destined for new concessions for people who need space for burial.
Demand for new spaces
The municipal secretary of Planning and Heritage, Rodrigo Morais, highlights that the measure seeks to meet the demand for deposits in the municipality and improve the use of existing spaces. “Today we have a great demand for graves in the city and we plan even the creation of a new cemetery, but, given the situation of abandonment of a large percentage of deposits in municipal cemeteries, we can immediately take this measure to give an adequate destination to the lands and deposits that are abandoned,” he says.
The secretary stresses that the conservation of the tombs is a responsibility of the concession holders and calls for the collaboration of the families to keep the cemeteries organized, safe and in adequate conditions. “Regularization within the deadline is fundamental to prevent the situation resulting in the loss of the right to use the deposit, according to the criteria and procedures provided for by law,” he said.
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