“Burial” means the placement of human remains, including human cremated remains, in a grave.

“Cemeteries” shall mean the city cemeteries described in VMC 13.04.010.

“City” shall mean city of Vancouver, Washington.

“Columbarium” means a structure, room, or other space in a building or structure containing niches for permanent placement of cremated human remains in a place used, or intended to be used, and dedicated, for cemetery purposes.

“Cremated human remains” means the end products of cremation.

“Cremation” means the reduction of human remains to bone fragments in a crematory by means of incineration.

“Disinterment” means exhumation of buried human remains or cremated human remains from a grave or removal of cremated human remains from a columbarium.

“Flat memorial” means any grave memorial that is flush with ground level.

“Grave” means a space of ground in a cemetery, used or intended to be used for burial.

“Human remains” means the body of a deceased person, including remains following the process of cremation. This also includes the body in any stage of decomposition.

“Interment” or “inter” means the placement of human remains in a city cemetery, a term that includes inurnment, burial, and scattering.

“Inurnment” or “inurn” means to place cremated human remains in a niche.

“Lead cemetery official” means a city of Vancouver public works employee who oversees the maintenance of city owned cemeteries, related sales, and other duties as defined in this chapter.

“Liner” means a secondary container for human remains and cremated human remains that are interred by burial.

“Lot” means space in a cemetery, used or intended to be used for a group of graves.

“Memorial,” as the term relates to graves, means any flat or upright marker intended to permanently mark a grave, and, as the term relates to niches, means a covering intended to permanently mark a niche.

“Niche” means a space in a columbarium for placement of cremated human remains.

“Right of interment” or “interment right” means the right to inter human remains in a particular place in a city cemetery. The term “right of interment” also means any deed or right of title issued under this title prior to the enactment of this chapter.

“Scatter” means the removal of cremated human remains from their container for the purpose of scattering the cremated human remains in any lawful manner as provided in this chapter.

“Upright memorial” means any memorial for a grave that is not flush with ground level.

“Urn” means the container that holds cremated human remains. (Ord. M-4329 § 1, 2021)