Is urn burial outside the cemetery possible?
Yes. In accordance with the provisions of Section 33(2) of the Municipal Sanitary Services Act, the district administrative authority may, at the request of the relatives, grant an exemption from the ban on burying an urn of ashes outside a cemetery on a private plot of land after the death of the person concerned. For this purpose, certain requirements must be met and an application must be submitted with the necessary documents or information.
What are the requirements for a permit?
- There must be no sanitary concerns and the burial must not violate piety and dignity or the orderly burial system.
- The appearance of a cemetery must not be affected, whereby the already approved number of burials, the proximity to each other and the surroundings must be taken into account.
- The burial must take place in an urn that is biodegradable during the minimum resting period of ten years in an earth grave with a minimum depth of 0.50 meters.
- There must be no objections under nature conservation or water law.
- There must be a significant, generally comprehensible personal connection between the deceased person and the property or to a person who has already died and is buried on the property.
Where & how do I get permission for burial outside the cemetery?
You must submit an application to the competent district administrative authority.
The district administrative authority responsible is the one in whose local jurisdiction the plot of land where the urn is to be interred is located. For plots of land in the city of Innsbruck, the Referat Grundverkehr is responsible.
What documents and information are required for approval?
- Name, date of birth and contact details of the authorized person(s)
- Name, date of birth and contact details of the persons concerned
- Place of burial: plot number, cadastral municipality, plot address, plot owner
- Reasons within the meaning of Section 33 (2) (a) of the Municipal Sanitary Services Act:
- A significant, generally comprehensible close personal relationship of the deceased person to the property or to a person who has already died and is buried on the property (e.g. deceased person was the owner of the property)
- Visits by the deceased person to the property or the deceased person's former personal perception of beauty in the property are not sufficient
- Site plan with marking of the burial site
- Declaration of consent from the landowner (if not the same as the applicant)
- written declaration of the deceased person during his/her lifetime or credible evidence of the presumed will of the deceased person to be buried outside a cemetery