- October 8, 2026
- Kelly C. Ruffel
The growing attention surrounding New Jersey’s endangered and abandoned cemeteries has now resulted in two pieces of legislation aimed at strengthening how the state identifies, protects, and plans for these historic places.
Preservation New Jersey is launching Protect New Jersey’s Forgotten Burial Grounds, a statewide education and advocacy campaign focused on Assembly Bills A3475 and A5448 and the larger challenge of preserving New Jersey’s historic cemeteries.
A3475, the Family and Private Burial Grounds Preservation Act, proposes substantial changes to the way family and private burial grounds are protected. Among its provisions, the legislation would strengthen penalties associated with intentionally disturbing burial grounds and establish new requirements intended to identify and document burial grounds throughout the state.
A5448, introduced on September 14, 2026, addresses the issue from the perspective of municipal planning. The legislation would authorize procedures under New Jersey’s Municipal Land Use Law for the identification and preservation of abandoned cemeteries, creating another potential tool for ensuring burial grounds are recognized before decisions about land use and development are made.
Together, the two bills address different pieces of the same problem: historic burial grounds can be difficult to identify, ownership and maintenance responsibilities may be unclear, and cemeteries can become vulnerable to deterioration, development pressures, vandalism, or outright destruction.
For Preservation New Jersey, this effort builds upon years of work drawing attention to the vulnerability of historic cemeteries. In 2022, PNJ included New Jersey’s Historic Cemeteries on its 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list. Since then, the organization has expanded educational programming on cemetery preservation, including workshops addressing gravestone conservation and the long-term stewardship of burial grounds.
The new Protect New Jersey’s Forgotten Burial Grounds campaign will bring that work into its next phase.
Preservation New Jersey will undertake a statewide public education and outreach initiative to help cemetery organizations, historical societies, preservation commissions, municipalities, descendants, property owners, and concerned residents understand A3475 and A5448 and the challenges facing abandoned and historic burial grounds throughout New Jersey.
The campaign will include educational resources explaining the legislation; outreach to cemetery organizations, historical societies, municipal historic preservation commissions, and preservation partners; public programs and workshops; social media and email outreach; and opportunities for New Jersey residents to share information about endangered, abandoned, or overlooked burial grounds in their own communities.
The goal is also to build a clearer picture of the scope of the problem. Many small family, church, African American, Indigenous, immigrant, and community burial grounds are poorly documented or have become disconnected from the organizations and families that once cared for them. Identifying these places is an essential first step toward understanding their history and determining how they can be protected for future generations.
Historic cemeteries are more than collections of gravestones. They are cultural landscapes, genealogical records, archaeological resources, places of remembrance, and tangible links to the people who built New Jersey’s communities.
Through Protect New Jersey’s Forgotten Burial Grounds, Preservation New Jersey will provide information about A3475 and A5448, expand public understanding of cemetery preservation, and create opportunities for New Jerseyans to participate in the statewide conversation about the future of these irreplaceable historic places.
Learn more about A3475 and A5448 and follow Preservation New Jersey as the Protect New Jersey’s Forgotten Burial Grounds campaign launches statewide.
