What is the appropriate depth for burial of an urn?
I have an aunt who wishes to have her urn buried at her old family cemetery next to her deceased husband’s casket. What depth is appropriate for an urn to be buried?
This will depend somewhat on the height of the urn, but generally you should have about 6 inches of dirt between the top of the urn and the ground surface.
For example, if the urn is 12 inches in height, then you would want a hole that is 18 inches deep so that when the urn is placed, there is room for 6 inches of dirt on top.
Should the soil be rough or heavy with rocks or clay, then you can go a few inches shallower, but I would not go less than 4 inches from the top of the urn.
If you are doing the burial yourself, make sure you mound some dirt on top (instead of leveling off the surface). As the dirt settles, it will level out on its own in a few weeks time.