Attorney's Note

Under the N.C. Gen. Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class 1 misdemeanorup to 120 days
For details, see § 15A-1340.23

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Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 65-72

  • Cemetery: means any one or a combination of more than one of the following in a place used or to be used and dedicated or designated for cemetery purposes:

    a. See North Carolina General Statutes 65-48

  • Cemetery company: means any legal entity that owns or controls cemetery lands or property and conducts the business of a cemetery, including all cemeteries owned and operated by governmental agencies, churches and fraternal organizations or their corporate agents for the duration of any sales and management contracts entered into with cemetery sales organizations or cemetery management organizations for cemetery purposes, or with any other legal entity other than direct employees of said governmental agency, church or fraternal organization. See North Carolina General Statutes 65-48
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, partnership, joint venture, or association. See North Carolina General Statutes 65-48
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3

(a) It shall be the public policy of the State that all cemetery companies or other legal entities conducting or maintaining public or private cemeteries shall sell to all applicants and bury all deceased human beings on equal terms without regard to race or color.  Anything contrary hereto is void and of no legal effect.  Bylaws, rules and regulations, contracts, deeds, etc., may permit designation of parts of cemeteries or burial grounds for the specific use of persons whose religious code required isolation.  Any program offering free burial rights to veterans or any other person or group of persons shall not be conditioned by any requirement to purchase additional burial rights or merchandise.

(b) Any cemetery company or other legal entity violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and each violation of this section shall constitute a separate offense. (1975, c. 768, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 502; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)