CANFIELD TWP., Ohio - In Canfield Township, burying a family member on your private property is allowed. 

The discussions of backyard burials were brought to township leaders after cities like Girard put a one year ban on them.

Canfield's Zoning Inspector is clarifying the cities and municipalities have the power to set those rules but a township that is “not limited home rule” - meaning they have a population of less than 2,500 - doesn’t. 

“Because we are not allowed to prohibit, [the property owners] don’t legally have to come to us,” Traci DeCapua, the township Zoning Inspector said. 

The property owners can pick a grave anywhere on their land but they do have to follow one rule.

“Not that I’m promoting burying your loved one in the backyard but it can not just be anybody it does has to be a family member directly related to the property owner,” DeCapua said. 

The township does set rules for the cemetery they own, Dean Hill. They require a person be embalmed, put into a casket and a vault. They do not allow any green burials. 

The burial would also need to be at least 300 feet or 100 yards from the nearest neighbor. 

“A green burial usually does not require the body to be embalmed and they usually bury in just a wooden casket,” Bob Burkett, the Foreman for the Canfield Township Public Works Department, who manages the cemetery said. 

Meaning those who want to be laid to rest in a more naturistic way would have to find a cemetery that allows it or choose the backyard. 

If someone opts for the backyard burial, the public works department does recommend calling the township and making sure the area where you dig is in fact safe and on private property.