together forever

Table of Contents

All U.S. cemeteries listed below allow for the interment of human and pet remains.

Disclaimer: The Green Pet-Burial Society does not endorse any of these cemeteries – we encourage you to research each cemetery, including customer satisfaction reviews, before making arrangements. Contact the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Funeral Consumers Alliance, and Funeral Ethics Organization for more information.

(Click HERE for our list of International Providers.)

I.   Conservation Whole-Family Cemeteries
II.  Whole-Family Cemeteries (Non-Green or Cremains Only)
III. Cemeteries with Separate / Adjacent Pet Sections (Green and Non-Green)
IV. Other Arrangements

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I.  Conservation Whole-Family Cemeteries (full-body burials)
Counter: 10 states | 13 cemeteries

These green cemeteries are wildlife preserves which allow an animal’s remains to be buried in a family’s cemetery plot (as tiered or adjacent graves).

Idaho

• Mountain View Green Cemetery, Leadore, ID (For the announcement, click here). added 8/1/20. FOR SALE (pending). 

Florida

• *Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve, Glendale, FL
• *Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, Gainesville, FL

Maine

For a review of pertinent Main cemetery laws as well as the case of Tiddy, visit a 2017 blog by attorney Meghan L. Myers. 

• *Cedar Brook Burial Ground, Limington, ME (The cemetery operates as a tree farm. A tree is planted on each grave, to be harvested in 30-40 years.)

New Jersey

• *Steelmantown Cemetery, Woodbine, NJ

North Carolina

• *Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, Mills River, NC. (Pet remains may be buried alongside human remains, and they also have a separate pet section.) added 5/9/18

Oklahoma

• *Woodland Memorial Park – Dillon Funeral Services, Sand Springs, OK (just outside Tulsa. Opened January 1, 2015 – see story. They also have a green burial section exclusively for humans.)

Oregon

• The Forest Conservation Burial Ground, at Willow-Witt Ranch, Ashland, OR (pet cremains can be buried in this cemetery designated for human remains. Full body pet burials can be buried in their adjacent Forest Pet Cemetery), added 12/21/20

South Carolina

• Dust to Dust Green Burial Cemetery, Swansea, SC
• *Greenhaven Preserve, Eastover, SC
• *Ramsey Creek Preserve, Westminster, SC

Texas

• Eloise Woods Community Natural Burial Park, Cedars Creek, TX (they also have a separate pet section)

Washington

• White Eagle Memorial Preserve Cemetery, Goldendale, WA. “We have designated the area along the outside perimeter of White Eagle as a place to bury pets.” This land is a conservation stewardship area which is legally protected in perpetuity.

* Certified by the Green Burial Council.

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II.  Whole-Family Cemeteries (non green or cremains only)
Counter: 6 states | 10 cemeteries

These cemeteries allow human and pet remains (full-body and/or cremains) to be interred together, some also have a separate pet section. Contact each cemetery for specific policies. When contacting a pet cemetery – always make sure it is deeded in perpetuity.

Maine

• Life Forest provides burial plots for composted or cremated remains, and replaces headstones with trees. Auburn, ME.

Maryland

• Faithful Friends, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, Timonium, MD
• Garden of Faithful Friends at Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Frederick MD. They also have a separate pet section, Petland. (added 6/7/17)
• Pet Section at Parklawn Memorial Gardens, Rockville, MD. They allow for human cremains to be buried in the Pet Section (but pet remains cannot be in the human section). This is not a green cemetery. Part of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral service providers. (added 7/4/15)

Nebraska

• Rolling Acres Complex in Lincoln, NE. Tom and Pat manage their cemetery, will be flexible to meet requests. Area C allows for green burials which currently accounts for about 5% of requests, with growing interest among those under 40.

New Hampshire

• Life Forest provides burial plots for composted or cremated remains, and replaces headstones with trees. Hillsboro, NH.

New Mexico

• Best Friends Forever at Sunset Memorial Park, Albuquerque, NM. They provide full-body burials of pets’ remains as well as cremains. In this pet cemetery, only human cremains may be buried. For those seeking a ‘green burial’, a biodegradable casket is laid directly upon the earth – but all caskets are covered with a domed polyurethane vault (as of 12/20/15).

New York

Human Cemeteries: New York allows pet cremains to be buried in human cemeteries.

• Vale Cemetery, Schenectady, NY. They also have a small green burial section, but can only bury pet cremains. (added 10/16/17) – news article.

Pet Cemeteries: New York allows human cremains to be buried with the remains of a pet in pet cemeteries. Contact cemeteries for their policies and check to see if the pet cemetery is deeded in perpetuity.

• Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, Hartsdale, NY. America’s oldest pet cemetery. They are deeded in perpetuity, allow human cremains to be buried in a pet’s grave, and will allow you to use a green casket. (added 7/4/15)
• Rush Inter Pet Cemetery, Rush, New York. They are not deeded in perpetuity, yet allow human cremains to be buried in a pet’s grave. All caskets offered are made from styrene. (added 7/4/15)

Pennsylvania

• People and Pet Gardens at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Hermitage, PA. They inter pets and humans, but they don’t provide green burial options at this time.

Virginia

• Noah’s Ark Pet Cemetery, adjacent to National Memorial Park Cemetery, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042, 703-560-4400 ext.4737 (ask for Kimberly Mosser). Part of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral service providers. Cremated remains of an animal may be buried in the casket of a deceased human.

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III.  Cemeteries with Separate / Adjacent Pet Sections (Green and Non-Green)

not a complete list

Alabama

• “Best Friends” at The Good Earth Burial Ground, Hazel Green, AL – scheduled to open December 2015 as a green cemetery with a separate pet section. For veterans: “No charge for burial of verified service dogs when buried by the owner.” (added 11/25/15)

California

• Greenlawn Memorial Park, Bakersfield, CA (added 6/15/19) – a new separate pet cemetery is being created. For traditional pet burials only, not ‘barnyard animals’ – see article.
• Sierra Hills Pet Cemetery at East Lawn Sierra Hills Memorial Park, Sacramento, CA (Greenback & I80 location) – They are no longer selling new plots, but will still maintain the cemetery and inter pet remains for families who already have empty plots. Designated as a separate pet cemetery, with one portion, St. Francis Pet Estates, separated from the human burial side by a demarcation line. Not a green cemetery – plastic caskets and cremains only. – news article.

Idaho

• Mountain View Green Cemetery, Leadore, ID

Illinois

• Evergreen Memorial Cemetery,  Bloomington, IL – since 2011, they permit the burial of dog and cat remains in a separate section.
• The Garden of Saint Francis (a.k.a. Pet Cemetery) of Saint Luke Cemetery, Chicago, IL – “unconsecrated cemetery land set aside for the burial of companion animals…A variety of burial options are available.” (added 12/12/15)
• Roselawn Pet Cemetery of Roselawn Memorial Park, Springfield, IL. (added 6/19/15) – news article.
• Whispering Woods at Springdale Cemetery, Peoria, IL (added 8/8/15). They are considering a green burial section and are receptive to hearing your requests.

Louisiana

• Heaven’s Pets at Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, LA. – Interment of pet cremains only. (added 12/24/15).

Maryland

• Pet Haven at Highview Memorial Gardens, Fallston, MD. – this is not a green cemetery. (added 6/23/15)
•  Petland at Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Frederick MD. Resthaven also has a whole-family burial section, Garden of Faithful Friends. (added 6/7/17)

Michigan

• The Pet Memorial of the Wade Addition at White Pigeon Township Cemetery, White Pigeon, MI – news article. Michigan’s first public pet cemetery. (added 10/7/15)

New Hampshire

• Life Forest, New Hampshire. (Human and pet cremains only – may be interred in the same grave). added 4/2/21

New Mexico

• La Puerta Natural Burial Pet Cemetery adjacent to La Puerta Natural Burial Ground, Albuquerque, New Mexico. (added 3/27/17)

North Carolina

• *Pet Memorial Garden – Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, Mills River, NC. (Pet remains may also be buried alongside human remains) added 5/9/18

Ohio

• Reflections Garden at Toledo Memorial Park, Sylvania, OH (added 6/20/15) – news article. Burial of pet cremains only.

Oregon

• Forest Pet Cemetery, at Willow-Witt Ranch, Ashland, OR. – Full body pet burials can be buried in this conservation cemetery, adjacent to The Forest Conservation Burial Ground. (which allows the burial of a pet’s cremains). added 12/21/20

Texas

• Rainbow Bridge Garden at Eloise Woods Community Natural Burial Park, Cedars Creek, TX (they are also a green whole-family cemetery, see above)

Washington

• White Eagle Memorial Preserve Cemetery, Goldendale, WA. “We have designated the area along the outside perimeter of White Eagle as a place to bury pets.” This land is a conservation stewardship area which is legally protected in perpetuity.

IV.  Other Arrangements

*Eternal Reefs – “An Eternal Reef is a designed reef of 100% natural cast concrete that can include the cremated remains of a loved one and/or pets. Eternal Reefs create new marine habitats for fish and other forms of sea life…Including pets with their two legged family members is the single most frequent request that we get…It is rare that we have a placement that does not include a pet with their family member.”

* Certified by the Green Burial Council.

updated December 21, 2020