Upright Monument Requirements at Forest Lawn, Ocean View & Victory Memorial Park: The Complete 2026 Guide

Last reviewed July 2026 · Based on the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Marker Regulations (2020 edition), which govern upright monuments across the three sister parks

Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Ocean View Burial Park, and Victory Memorial Park are three of the Lower Mainland's largest private cemeteries, all operated within the Dignity Memorial network — and all three apply the same upright monument specifications. If your family holds spaces at any of them and you're planning an upright monument, this guide covers the permitted tablet, base, and overall dimensions, the construction rules that come with them, and how approval works. (Flat bronze marker sizes at these parks vary section by section — that's a separate topic we'll cover in its own guide.)

Three parks, one upright rulebook

Forest Lawn Memorial Park (3789 Royal Oak Avenue, Burnaby) is a 118-acre park established in 1936, known for its mountain outlooks and its long relationship with the Chinese community, including annual Qingming observances. Ocean View Burial Park (4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby) dates to 1918 as British Columbia's first non-sectarian cemetery and is home to the historic Abbey Mausoleum. Victory Memorial Park (14831 28 Avenue, Surrey) sits in South Surrey directly across 28 Avenue from the City of Surrey's Sunnyside Lawn Cemetery. All three operate under the Dignity Memorial banner, and their upright monument requirements come from a single specification document applied across the parks.

Because these are private cemeteries, the rules aren't published as a municipal bylaw — they're the parks' own regulations, provided to monument suppliers and enforced through the parks' approval process. The dimensions and rules below reflect the 2020 edition of that document; the parks can update their regulations, so we confirm current requirements with the park office as part of every order.

Where upright monuments are allowed

Uprights are the exception at these parks, not the default. The parks' section-by-section marker regulations designate most areas as flat-bronze-only, with upright monuments permitted solely in specified upright areas. Beyond the section designation, the individual space matters too: in grave sections, a monument may only be installed on spaces designed with an adjacent foundation easement — a strip on which the park pours a concrete foundation, and the monument's base may not exceed the allowable area of that poured foundation. In lawn crypt sections, monuments are set on a concrete block foundation mounted directly on top of the lawn crypt. If your space wasn't sold as an upright-eligible space, a monument can't be added to it — so confirming your space's designation with the park is the first step, before any design work.

Upright monument dimensions

The specification sets minimum and maximum dimensions for the base, the tablet (the upright stone), and the complete monument, separately for individual and side-by-side spaces. The parks' document expresses these in feet and inches; we've converted to inches:

Three fine-print rules ride along with those ranges. A companion tablet may be oriented either taller or wider, but its face may not be smaller than 24" × 30" in either orientation. Any tablet 48" or more in height must be at least 10" thick. And the maximum combined height of tablet plus base on companion spaces is 60" — a full five feet of monument, which makes these parks home to some of the most substantial family memorials permitted anywhere in the Lower Mainland.

Construction rules: matching granite, borders, vases, and pagoda caps

The base must be granite in a colour matching the tablet — you cannot pair, say, a black tablet with a grey base, a combination some other cemeteries allow. The base's top surface must extend 3" beyond the bottom of the tablet in every direction, and size limits are strictly enforced so that no part of the monument overhangs the boundaries of the space it sits on.

Vases have their own provisions. Matching granite or bronze vases may be affixed to the base on one or both sides of the tablet, space permitting — but the base must then be extended to accommodate the vase dimensions, and the extended footprint still has to fit the space and foundation. In-ground vase assemblies are permitted only when set into a granite base positioned in front of the monument.

One provision matters especially for Chinese memorial design: pagoda caps. The regulations explicitly contemplate a pagoda cap or other feature added on top of a tablet — but the cap counts within the tablet's height allowance, and within the overall width and thickness limits. In practice, that means a companion monument with a pagoda cap must fit the cap inside the 60" combined maximum, so the tablet below is designed shorter to make room. We account for this at the drawing stage so the finished monument clears approval the first time.

Approval, and buying from an independent supplier

Every upright monument at these parks requires approval before installation — the regulations state it flatly, and the parks review the proposed dimensions, materials, and design against the specification and the specific space. Under British Columbia's cemetery consumer-protection framework, you have the right to supply your own grave marker or monument purchased from an independent supplier rather than from the cemetery itself; the cemetery's own bylaws and regulations still govern what may be installed, so the monument must comply with everything above. Consumer Protection BC, which licenses cemetery operators in the province, publishes guidance on these rights.

Practically, that means the path to a compliant independent monument runs through paperwork done right: confirming the space's upright eligibility and foundation easement with the park, submitting the design for approval with exact tablet, base, and overall dimensions, and delivering the finished monument to the park. Installation itself is the cemetery's work — the parks' own crews prepare the foundation and set the monument. That's a notable difference from City of Surrey cemeteries, where the monument company performs upright installation under its own licence and insurance; here, your supplier's role ends at compliant design, approval, and delivery. It's the same discipline as a municipal permit, applied to a private park's process.

Ordering an upright for Forest Lawn, Ocean View, or Victory Memorial: how we handle it

We design and produce upright monuments to these parks' specifications regularly, including full-height companion monuments and pagoda-cap designs for Chinese families. Every order starts by confirming your space's designation and foundation arrangement with the park, then a scaled shop drawing showing tablet, base, and overall dimensions against the limits above — inscriptions available in Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Farsi, Punjabi, Korean, English, and other languages, with a proof for your approval before any granite is cut. We source matching-colour granite for tablet and base as the regulations require, submit the approval package, and deliver the finished monument to the park once it's approved — the cemetery's crews then set it.

See granite options and starting prices on our upright monuments page or browse the full headstone collection. If your family also has arrangements at a municipal cemetery, our guides to City of Surrey cemetery headstone sizes and Mountain View Cemetery marker rules cover those. Call 604-833-9193 or visit the showroom at 121-18860 24 Ave, Surrey — minutes from Victory Memorial Park — to see full-size granite samples.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum upright monument size at Forest Lawn, Ocean View, or Victory Memorial Park?

On an individual space: 32" wide × 18" deep × 50" tall overall, with the tablet up to 26" wide × 42" high × 12" thick. On side-by-side companion spaces: 64" wide × 18" deep × 60" tall overall, with the tablet up to 58" wide × 50" high. Tablets 48" or taller must be at least 10" thick.

Can I put an upright monument on any grave at these cemeteries?

No. Uprights are permitted only in the parks' designated upright areas, and in grave sections only on spaces designed with an adjacent foundation easement where the park pours a concrete foundation. In lawn crypt sections, monuments sit on a concrete block foundation on top of the crypt. If your space wasn't sold as upright-eligible, a monument can't be added.

Does the base have to match the tablet?

Yes — the granite base must be a colour matching the granite tablet, and its top surface must extend 3" beyond the tablet on all sides. If vases are added beside the tablet, the base is extended further to carry them.

Are pagoda caps allowed on monuments at these parks?

Yes, the regulations explicitly allow a pagoda cap or similar feature on top of the tablet — but the cap counts within the tablet's height allowance and the monument's overall width and thickness limits, including the 60" combined maximum on companion spaces. The tablet is designed shorter to make room for the cap.

Can I buy the monument from an independent supplier instead of the cemetery?

Yes. In BC you have the right to supply your own grave marker or monument purchased from an independent supplier, subject to the cemetery's bylaws and regulations — so the monument must meet the parks' specifications and go through their approval process. Consumer Protection BC publishes guidance on these consumer rights.

Who installs upright monuments at these cemeteries?

The cemetery does. Your monument supplier designs, produces, and delivers the monument after the park approves it; the parks' own crews prepare the foundation and set the monument. This differs from City of Surrey cemeteries, where the monument company performs the upright installation itself.

Do all three cemeteries follow the same upright monument rules?

Yes. Forest Lawn, Ocean View, and Victory Memorial Park are sister properties in the Dignity Memorial network, and the same upright monument specification applies across all areas of the parks where uprights are permitted, whether grave sections or lawn crypt sections.