Historic burial grounds can be among the most fragile places in New Jersey’s cultural landscape. Some remain in active care; others are privately held, abandoned, difficult to locate, or no longer visibly marked. In 2026, the New Jersey Legislature introduced two measures that address portions of this issue through different legal frameworks.
A3475, the “Family and Private Burial Grounds Preservation Act,” would establish a statewide framework for defined family and private burial grounds. A5448 would amend the Municipal Land Use Law to create procedures for identifying and preserving defined abandoned cemeteries through municipal planning and development review.
Among other provisions, A3475 would assign responsibilities to the Department of Environmental Protection, direct the department to maintain records and mapping, restrict specified forms of disturbance, establish standards affecting construction and excavation near qualifying burial grounds, address disinterment and reinterment, provide enforcement mechanisms, and establish a preservation fund.
A5448 would add abandoned cemeteries to municipal land-use planning. The bill would incorporate them into land-use plan elements and official maps, require site-plan ordinances to address identification, authorize preservation provisions, and assign protection and perpetual care responsibilities to municipalities for cemeteries identified in the land-use plan element.
Your voice and local knowledge can help inform discussions about historic cemetery preservation in New Jersey. Whether you are a concerned resident, preservation professional, historian, cemetery steward, or municipal official, there are several ways to participate in the legislative process and share information with policymakers.
Review the current legislation related to historic cemetery preservation, including the proposed requirements, responsibilities, and protections. Understanding the legislation will help you identify how it may affect historic burial grounds in your community.
Take Action: Visit the New Jersey Legislature website to search by bill number, read the full text, and review committee assignments, amendments, and legislative status.
New Jersey residents are represented by one State Senator and two General Assembly members. Identifying your legislative representatives is an important step in participating in discussions about proposed legislation.
Take Action: Use the New Jersey Legislature’s official website to identify your legislative district and representatives and locate their contact information.
Local experiences can provide valuable insight into the challenges of protecting historic cemeteries and burial grounds. Information about abandoned cemeteries, unclear ownership, maintenance responsibilities, development pressures, access restrictions, and preservation efforts can help inform legislative discussions.
Take Action: Share relevant examples, photographs, historic documentation, technical expertise, or questions about how proposed legislation would be implemented with legislative offices or committee staff.
When contacting legislators or legislative staff, reference the specific bill number and explain which provision, concern, or implementation question you are addressing. Clear, factual, and specific communication can help policymakers better understand the practical implications of proposed legislation.
Take Action: Include the bill number, identify the relevant provision, describe your experience or concern, and provide supporting information when available.
Letter templates are available for download here from PNJ.
Legislation may change as it moves through committees and the legislative process. Staying informed allows you to review amendments, learn about upcoming hearings, and understand opportunities for public participation.
Take Action: Monitor the bill’s status through the New Jersey Legislature website, review committee agendas, and watch for opportunities to submit testimony or participate in public hearings.
Preservation New Jersey continues to monitor legislative developments and gather information about the challenges facing historic burial grounds across the state. Community participation and local case studies help inform our educational resources, policy discussions, and preservation advocacy.
Take Action: Explore PNJ’s cemetery preservation resources, submit information about a historic burial ground in your community, and follow updates on our ongoing legislative and preservation initiatives.
Use this customizable template to communicate with your state legislators about proposed historic burial ground legislation, including A3475 and A5448. Simply replace the bracketed sections with your information, local experiences, concerns, or recommendations to help inform legislative discussions and highlight the importance of cemetery preservation in your community.
Use Preservation New Jersey’s Legislative Advocacy Talking Points as a guide when meeting or communicating with state legislators about A3475 and A5448. This resource provides a brief overview of the proposed legislation, suggested questions to guide discussions, and a checklist of supporting materials to help you communicate effectively about historic burial ground preservation and the practical considerations for implementing stronger protections.
Across New Jersey, historic cemeteries and burial grounds face growing challenges, including neglect, development pressures, unclear ownership, limited maintenance resources, and inadequate legal protections. Many of these important historic places remain undocumented or are absent from municipal maps and planning records, placing them at greater risk of being forgotten or lost.
As part of Preservation New Jersey’s Protect NJ’s Forgotten Burial Grounds initiative, we are collecting information and local case studies to better understand the conditions, challenges, and preservation needs of historic cemeteries and burial grounds throughout the state.
We invite residents, historians, preservation advocates, cemetery stewards, descendants, community organizations, and local officials to share information about burial grounds in their communities.
Through this form, we hope to document:
Information collected will help inform Preservation New Jersey’s statewide advocacy, legislative priorities, educational resources, and efforts to strengthen protections for historic burial grounds.
Your local knowledge can help shape statewide preservation efforts. Whether a burial ground is well documented, actively maintained, abandoned, or at risk, we encourage you to share its story. Your input helps us identify, document, and protect New Jersey’s forgotten burial grounds for future generations.
In 2022, Preservation New Jersey recognized historic cemeteries and burial grounds among the state’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places, highlighting the growing threats facing these important cultural and historic resources. Building on this designation, PNJ received a $15,000 grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) to develop its Cemetery Stewardship Program Series, an educational initiative designed to raise public awareness and strengthen community involvement in cemetery preservation.
Through workshops, research, hands-on training, and community outreach, the program provided practical guidance on documenting, maintaining, and protecting historic burial grounds throughout New Jersey. This initiative helped establish a foundation for PNJ’s continued advocacy for stronger cemetery preservation policies and protections. Resources and educational materials developed through this program are available below to assist residents, local governments, historical societies, cemetery stewards, and preservation advocates in their ongoing efforts to protect New Jersey’s historic burial grounds.
