Headstone Size Requirements at Port Coquitlam Municipal Cemetery: The Complete 2026 Guide
Last reviewed August 2026 · Based on the City of Port Coquitlam Cemetery Bylaw, 2015, No. 3920, as amended through November 2025.
If you're arranging a headstone or grave marker for Port Coquitlam Municipal Cemetery at 4150 Oxford Street, everything you're allowed to install is set out in the City's Cemetery Bylaw No. 3920 — right down to the centimetre. The cemetery is owned and operated by the City of Port Coquitlam, with Council acting as the Board of Cemetery Trustees, and the rules are enforced through a permit system administered by the City's Revenue Services office at City Hall.
Two things surprise families most often at this cemetery, so let's put them up front.
Quick answer: Port Coquitlam Municipal Cemetery accepts granite or bronze markers only. In most casket burial sections the marker is a raised marker, 4″–6″ tall (a bevel or pillow-style marker), set on a concrete base that sits flush with the lawn. Older sections and cremation sections require fully flush flat markers. Traditional upright monuments are not permitted, but boulder and granite memorials up to 36″ tall are allowed with a pre-approved design. You can buy your marker from any supplier you choose — but only cemetery staff may install it.
Rule #1: You can buy from any supplier — but the City installs
Under Section 11 of the bylaw, all memorial markers and bases are delivered to the cemetery at 4150 Oxford Street and are set by cemetery staff under the supervision of the Caretaker. No outside monument company — and no family member — installs markers at this cemetery.
That's actually good news for families: it means you're free to purchase your marker from any monument supplier at any price, because installation is handled the same way for everyone. Your supplier's job is to design and manufacture a marker that meets the bylaw's exact specifications, handle the paperwork, and deliver it to the cemetery. The City takes it from there.
Rule #2: Most sections take a raised marker, not a flat one
This is the single most common ordering mistake we see at Port Coquitlam. In the cemetery's main casket burial sections (the "ST" sections — STA, STB, STE, STF, STG, STH, STI, STK, STL, STM, STN, STP and STQ), the bylaw requires each marker to be between 4″ and 6″ (10–15 cm) in height, set on a concrete base whose top surface sits level with the ground. In other words, the marker itself stands 4–6 inches proud of the lawn — what the monument trade calls a bevel or pillow marker, not a flush flat marker.
For bronze markers in these sections, the bronze plaque and its granite or concrete foundation must together total 4″–6″ in height.
By contrast, the older sections (C, CA and D), the cremation sections (CR1 through CR6), and all supplementary cremation markers must be fully flush — set face level with the surface of the ground. Ordering a flush flat grave marker for an ST-section grave, or a raised marker for a cremation plot, means the cemetery will not install it.
Marker sizes by cemetery section
Here is every marker specification in Bylaw 3920, section by section. All markers must be granite or bronze, with sides and edges cut true and perpendicular to the top surface.
| Section | Marker size | Height / thickness | Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| ST sections (STA–STQ, main casket burial areas) | Standard 12″ × 20″ (30 × 50 cm); maximum 18″ × 30″ (46 × 76 cm) | 4″–6″ (10–15 cm) tall; bronze + foundation combined must total 4″–6″ | Raised (bevel/pillow style) on a concrete base set flush with the lawn |
| Sections C and CA (older sections) | 10″ × 14″ (25 × 35 cm) | Minimum 2″ (5 cm) | Flush with ground; bronze mounted on a matching 10″ × 14″ granite or concrete foundation |
| Section D | 12″ × 20″ (30 × 50 cm) | Minimum 2″ (5 cm) | Flush with ground; bronze mounted on a matching 12″ × 20″ foundation |
| Section CR1 (cremation) | 5″ × 10″ (13 × 25 cm) | Minimum 2″ (5 cm) | Flush with ground |
| Sections CR2–CR6 (cremation) | Minimum 7″ (18 cm); maximum 8″ × 12″ (20 × 30 cm) | Minimum 2″ (5 cm) | Flush with ground |
| Columbarium & Scattering Garden | Markers must be purchased through the City — outside suppliers are not accepted for these locations | ||
Companion (double) markers
Two or more related people may be memorialized on a single marker in every section of the cemetery. Where relatives are buried side by side in adjacent plots, one larger tablet may be used in place of two separate markers, set to span both plots evenly:
- Sections C, CA and D: one 18″ × 30″ (46 × 76 cm) tablet.
- Cremation sections (CR1–CR6): one 12″ × 20″ (30 × 51 cm) tablet. Note that in the cremation sections, a second marker is not permitted on a plot once a double marker exists.
- ST sections: the bylaw specifies a tablet of 46 cm × 127 cm — roughly 18″ × 50″. (The bylaw's printed imperial conversion for this one tablet is inconsistent with its metric figure, so we confirm the exact dimensions with the cemetery office before cutting any ST-section companion marker.)
Extra markers for cremated remains on a family grave
In the ST, C, CA and D sections, the bylaw allows up to four additional markers beyond the main marker, used to memorialize cremated remains interred in the same grave. These must be 8″ × 12″ (20 × 30 cm), at least 2″ thick, and set flush with the ground — a practical way for a family plot to name everyone resting there.
Boulder and granite memorials: the 36-inch rule
Port Coquitlam does not permit traditional upright monuments, but it does allow boulder memorials and granite memorials up to a maximum total height of 36 inches. There are two important catches:
- The design must be approved before you order. The Caretaker and/or the City's Revenue Services office must sign off on the memorial design before it can be ordered for placement in the cemetery.
- Cremation burials beneath a memorial are limited. Up to two cremated remains may be interred under a boulder or granite memorial, and the grave must be excavated so the installed memorial sits level with the surrounding grade.
If you're picturing a natural rock memorial or a low sculpted granite piece rather than a lawn-level marker, this is the route — and it's exactly the kind of project where having your supplier prepare proper drawings for City approval saves weeks. Browse our granite memorial options here.
Permits, fees and the Care Fund
Three payments stand between a finished marker and an installed one:
- Memorial Marker Permit and installation fee. No marker or base may be placed until a permit has been issued by the City's Revenue Services office and the installation fee (set out in Schedule H of the City's Fees and Charges Bylaw) has been paid.
- Care Fund contribution. A contribution to the cemetery's perpetual Care Fund must be paid for each marker before installation. This fund's income maintains the cemetery in perpetuity.
- Concrete base fee, if applicable. In the ST, C, CA and D sections, if your marker company does not supply the concrete base, a concrete base fee must be paid before the marker is installed. (When you order through us, the base is part of the package — no surprise fee.)
Cemetery fees are adjusted every January 1st to reflect changes in the Vancouver Consumer Price Index, and the City raised resident cemetery fees a further 7% for 2026 (adult plots excepted). One 2026 change worth knowing: former residents of Port Coquitlam now pay the same rates as non-residents. Because the numbers move annually, confirm current amounts with the City's Revenue Services office at City Hall (2580 Shaughnessy Street) or ask us — we quote the all-in cost including City fees before you commit.
How many burials fit in one grave
Marker planning goes hand in hand with grave capacity, especially for companion markers and the extra cremation markers described above. Bylaw 3920 permits:
| Grave type | Casket interments | Cremated remains |
|---|---|---|
| Standard grave | 2 | 4 |
| Section STH (in-ground burial crypts) | 2 | 8 |
| Cremation-only plots | — | 2 |
A few related burial specs worth knowing when you're coordinating a funeral:
- Casket size limit: caskets must not exceed 29″ wide × 85″ long × 27″ high, measured to the outside of the handles. Oversized caskets require prior approval from the City, with any additional costs borne by the licence holder. Every casket in our casket collection is listed with exterior dimensions, and we stock oversized caskets when a standard grave opening won't work — we'll flag the Port Coquitlam limit before you buy.
- Grave liners are mandatory for casket burials — a reinforced concrete liner at least 2″ thick (or a concrete or steel vault). Wood liners are permitted only in the older C and CA sections.
- Cremation containers for in-ground burial cannot exceed 9½″ × 9½″ × 11″ and must be enclosed in a liner at least 2″ thick, buried at least two feet deep. If you're choosing an urn for in-ground interment here, check its dimensions against that container limit — most standard cremation urns fit, but oversized and companion urns may not.
- Interment scheduling: interment permits are issued by the City's Revenue Services office at least 48 hours in advance, and burials take place 9:00 am – 2:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Weekend or holiday interments require written City consent and additional fees.
What you can place on the grave — and when
Port Coquitlam runs a tidy, lawn-level cemetery, and the bylaw is specific about decorations. The short version: no fences, railings, copings, curbing or hedges may define any grave, and no glass objects of any kind are permitted. Flower boxes, shells, toys, candles, wire screens, arbors, trellises and chairs will be removed by the City.
| Item | When it's permitted |
|---|---|
| Fresh cut flowers (in the provided gravesite vase) | March 15 – November 15 |
| Artificial flowers (in the vase) | November 16 – March 15 |
| Potted plants in a 4″ container (in the vase) | Year-round |
| Wreaths and religious mementos on top of the headstone | Anytime, provided they stay within the headstone boundary |
| Festive season decorations | December 1 – January 15 (removed by the City after January 15) |
| Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving decorations | Up to 7 days after the event |
| Remembrance Day decorations | Two weeks before through 7 days after |
At the columbarium and Book of Memories, only fresh cut or artificial flowers and 4″ potted plants in plastic or biodegradable containers may be placed at the base — nothing on top. The cemetery itself is open dawn to dusk.
A note on who can buy a plot
Port Coquitlam has limited cemetery inventory, and since 2022 Council has restricted plot sales to City residents. Plot licences can be transferred only to family members, with a transfer fee (plus a fee top-up if the receiving family member isn't a Port Coquitlam resident). If residency is a question for your family, call the City's Revenue Services office before making plans — and note that marker rules apply identically regardless of residency.
Ordering a compliant marker for Port Coquitlam Cemetery
Casket Depot Vancouver designs and manufactures granite and bronze markers built to Port Coquitlam's exact bylaw specifications — raised bevel and pillow markers for the ST sections, flush flat markers for the C, CA, D and cremation sections, bronze markers on granite foundations, and boulder or granite memorials with drawings prepared for City design approval. We handle the permit paperwork and Care Fund coordination, and deliver directly to the cemetery at 4150 Oxford Street for installation by cemetery staff.
Our design team works in English and Chinese — see our guide to Chinese headstones in Vancouver — and our Surrey showroom (121–18860 24 Avenue) is about 30 minutes from the cemetery. Call 604-833-9193 for a quote that includes every City fee, so there are no surprises at installation.
Related cemetery guides
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver: Headstone Size Requirements
- Sunnyside Lawn & Surrey Centre Cemetery: Headstone Size Requirements
- Maple Ridge & Whonnock Cemetery: Headstone Size Requirements
- Forest Lawn, Ocean View & Victory Memorial Park: Upright Monument Requirements
- Hatzic Cemetery, Mission: Headstone Requirements
- Lakeview Cemetery, Penticton: Headstone Size Requirements
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy a headstone from any monument company for Port Coquitlam Cemetery?
Yes. The bylaw does not restrict where you purchase your marker — it only requires that the marker meet the size, material and style rules, that permits and Care Fund contributions be paid, and that the marker be delivered to the cemetery for installation by cemetery staff. The one exception: columbarium and scattering garden markers must be purchased through the City.
Are upright headstones allowed at Port Coquitlam Cemetery?
Traditional upright monuments are not permitted. The tallest option is a boulder memorial or granite memorial with a maximum total height of 36 inches, and its design must be approved by the City before it is ordered. All other markers are either raised 4″–6″ (ST sections) or fully flush with the lawn.
What is the standard marker size at Port Coquitlam Cemetery?
In the main ST burial sections, the standard marker is 12″ × 20″ and 4″–6″ tall, set on a flush concrete base, with a maximum size of 18″ × 30″. Sections C and CA take flush 10″ × 14″ markers, Section D takes flush 12″ × 20″ markers, and cremation sections take flush markers from 5″ × 10″ (CR1) up to 8″ × 12″ (CR2–CR6).
Do I need a permit before installing a marker?
Yes. A Memorial Marker Permit must be issued and the installation fee and Care Fund contribution paid before any marker or base is placed. If your marker company doesn't supply the concrete base, a concrete base fee also applies. Your monument supplier typically coordinates this paperwork for you.
How many people can be buried in one grave?
A standard grave allows two casket interments plus four cremated remains. Section STH (in-ground burial crypts) allows two caskets plus eight cremated remains, and cremation-only plots allow two cremated remains. Up to four additional flush 8″ × 12″ markers may be added to a grave to memorialize cremated remains.
Can I add a border, curb or fence around the grave?
No. The bylaw prohibits defining any grave with a fence, railing, coping, curbing or hedge — only the approved memorial marker may mark the plot. Glass objects are also prohibited anywhere in the cemetery.
Sources: City of Port Coquitlam Cemetery Bylaw, 2015, No. 3920 (as amended by Bylaws 3977, 4169 and 4423 through November 12, 2025); City of Port Coquitlam Cemetery Services; City of Port Coquitlam 2026 Fees and Charges Bylaw report (Schedule H – Cemetery). Marker specifications summarized from Section 11 of the bylaw; always confirm current fees with the City, as they adjust each January 1st. This guide is general information, not legal advice.