Above-Ground Burial: Mausoleums, Crypts and Niches Explained

Above-ground burial means placing a casket in a crypt inside a mausoleum, or an urn in a niche inside a columbarium, rather than burying it in the ground. It usually costs more than a grave for a casket. In Fort Collins, Colorado, a single crypt is $7,972 to $9,333 including opening and closing, against $3,683 for an in-ground grave, while a single niche is $2,190 to $2,675.

What counts as above-ground burial?

New York's Department of State describes the main types: a mausoleum for above-ground entombment of full-body remains, and a columbarium for above-ground inurnment of cremated remains. Florida law is more specific, defining a mausoleum as a structure "substantially exposed above the ground" for entombment, and a columbarium as a similar structure for inurnment of cremated remains.

People choose above-ground burial for many reasons, including family tradition, local ground conditions, limited cemetery land, or a wish for a sheltered place to visit. Some faith traditions require burial directly in the earth, so check with your faith leader if that applies. The Funeral Consumers Alliance notes that some religious traditions call for earth burial without a vault. Our guides on mausoleum burial and columbarium niches go deeper on each type.

How much does above-ground burial cost?

Prices differ widely, so use published price lists rather than averages. Here are four examples.

Fort Collins prices include the right of interment, perpetual care and opening and closing. Its price depends on the crypt's level: single crypts on levels 4 and 5 cost $7,153 before the $819 opening and closing, against $8,514 on levels 2 and 3. Green-Wood is a famous urban cemetery with premium pricing, so treat its numbers as the high end.

For comparison, a single in-ground casket grave in Fort Collins totals $3,683, and burying ashes in an existing grave there is $1,435. So a crypt can cost more than twice as much as a grave, while a niche can cost less. You may save the price of a separate burial vault, because Florida law counts a crypt as an enclosure for the casket, but confirm that with your cemetery.

What else can add to the bill?

• Opening and closing or entombment fees. Fort Collins charges $819 to open and close a crypt and $638 for a niche. Green-Wood lists $1,618 to entomb a casket in a community mausoleum crypt and $272 to place an urn in a niche. Check whether it is included in the crypt price.
• Inscription. Engraving may be extra. Evans lists $375 to engrave a name and dates, and Green-Wood lists separate handling charges for inscribing crypt and niche tablets. At Green-Wood, a monument dealer hired by the family handles inscriptions on private mausoleums and underground vaults.
• Perpetual care. The FTC says to look for a separate endowment care fee if it isn't included, and Fort Collins and Evans build it into their prices. See perpetual care fees.
• Funeral home charges. The funeral home's services, the casket and transport are separate from the cemetery's charges. See the average funeral cost breakdown.

The FTC says its Funeral Rule does not cover cemeteries and mausoleums unless they sell both funeral goods and funeral services, so a price list isn't guaranteed. Ask for one in writing. For the cost of in-ground options, see cemetery plot costs and opening and closing grave fees.

What can you build or choose privately?

Some cemeteries sell sites for private family mausoleums. Green-Wood's list shows a 756-square-foot mausoleum site at $500,000, plus a foundation, and that is before any construction cost, which the list does not give.

Building a mausoleum on your own land is a different matter. It depends on local zoning and state burial law, and a mausoleum on private land raises questions about what happens when the land is sold. Start with your county and state rules, and see our guide to home burial laws in the USA. For most families, a space in an established cemetery is the practical route.

Which questions should you ask the cemetery?

1. Is the space sold as a single or companion crypt, and which level is it on? Level can change the price.
2. What does the price include, and what is billed at the time of entombment?
3. Is a vault or liner needed, or does the crypt serve as the enclosure?
4. Are there rules about the type of casket or urn that can be placed?
5. How is the crypt front or niche marked, who does the inscription, and what does it cost?
6. If I buy ahead and later change my mind, can the space be returned or sold?

For comparing cemeteries more broadly, see choosing a cemetery and cemetery types compared. Veterans can also ask about national cemeteries: the VA says cremated remains are buried or inurned in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains, and a gravesite, opening and closing and perpetual care are provided at no cost to the family for eligible veterans.

What to do next

1. Decide whether you want a casket crypt, an urn niche or both, and whether your faith has requirements.
2. Visit two or three cemeteries with mausoleums or columbaria and ask for itemized, written prices.
3. Compare the total with an in-ground grave, vault and marker, using the figures above as a guide.
4. If you are buying ahead, tell your family where the space is and keep the certificate with your papers.