Business Regulation - Cemeteries - Requirements for Sale or Transfer or Government Acquisition

HB 1354 requires cemetery owners (including registered cemeterians, permit holders, and exempt owners) to obtain approval from Maryland’s Cemetery Oversight Director before selling or transferring a cemetery. Owners must submit a preservation plan identifying descendants of buried individuals, families who bought unused plots, and cemetery maintainers, plus provide public notice through newspaper ads, physical notices in the cemetery, and a public meeting. This directly affects cemetery owners seeking to sell, potential buyers, and families with burial plots. The bill also establishes rules for government acquisition of abandoned cemeteries.