The following acts shall be prohibited:

Terms Used In Virginia Code 54.1-2315

  • Board: means the Cemetery Board. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310
  • Cemetery: means any land or structure used or intended to be used for the interment of human remains. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310
  • Cemetery company: means any person engaged in the business of (i) selling or offering for sale any grave or entombment right in a cemetery and representing to the public that the entire cemetery, a single grave, or entombment right therein will be perpetually cared for; (ii) selling property or services, vaults, grave liners, urns, memorials, markers, and monuments used in connection with interring or disposing of the remains or commemorating the memory of a deceased human being, where delivery of the property or performance of the service may be delayed more than 120 days after receipt of the initial payment on account of such sale; or (iii) maintaining a facility used for the interment or disposal of the remains and required to maintain perpetual care or preneed trust funds in accordance with this chapter. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310
  • Licensee: means any person holding a valid license issued by the Board. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310
  • Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
  • Preneed: means at any time other than either at the time of death or while death is imminent. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310
  • Solicitation: means initiating contact with consumers with the intent of influencing their selection of a cemetery. See Virginia Code 54.1-2310

1. Employment directly or indirectly of any sales representative, agent, employee or other person, on a part-time or full-time basis, or on a commission, for the purpose of calling upon individuals or institutions by whose influence dead human bodies may be turned over to a particular funeral establishment or cemetery company;

2. Solicitation, offer, payment, or acceptance by a licensee or registered sales personnel of a licensee, of any commission or bonus or rebate in consideration of recommending or causing a dead human body to be disposed of in any crematory, mausoleum or cemetery;

3. Violating or cooperating with others to violate any provision of this chapter or Board regulations;

4. Interfering with the freedom of choice of the general public in the choice of persons or establishments providing funeral services, preneed funeral planning or preneed funeral contracts.

Nothing in this section shall preclude a cemetery company employing or retaining a sales representative, agent, employee or other person, on a part-time or full-time basis, from offering cemetery company goods and services on a commission basis.

1998, cc. 708, 721.