§ 23-18-11.2 - Regulation of excavation – Removal and transfer of graves and cemeteries – Penalties.
SECTION 23-18-11.2
§ 23-18-11.2 Regulation of excavation– Removal and transfer of graves and cemeteries – Penalties. –(a) The city or town council of any municipality may by ordinance prescribestandards, in addition to those required by § 23-18-10, regulating theexcavation, removal, and transfer of any graves, grave sites, and cemeteries inthe municipality so as to provide an accurate record of any activity and toinsure that any remains removed are properly re-interred and the location ofthe new interment is recorded. In the absence of a local ordinance establishingstandards, regulations adopted by the Legislative Commission on HistoricalCemeteries (Chapter 18.3 of this title), after providing an opportunity forinterested parties to be heard, shall govern. A report of any grave removal andrelocation from one cemetery or burial ground to another shall be filed in theclerk's office for each municipality and shall, to the extent permitted by law,be available for public inspection. In instances where there is a headstone orother burial marker identifying the original grave, the headstone or burialmarker shall be erected on the site to which any remains are transferred.
(b) To the extent not promulgated pursuant to §23-3-5.1, the state registrar of vital records shall promulgate regulations toestablish a system of record-keeping to allow descendants to locate theirancestors' graves in Rhode Island.
(c) Any person convicted of violating this section shall besubject to a fine of not more than two hundred fifty dollars ($250).
(d) The provisions of this section shall be considered to bein addition to any other penalties provided for desecration or vandalism tocemeteries.