In Halifax the question of whether a bronze plaque may mark a grave has a precise answer, because the Halifax Regional Municipality writes its cemetery rules into a by-law and its fees into an administrative order. By-law C-700, as amended to September 2025, requires every stone to be set by a monument dealer, requires monuments and flat markers on traditional lots to be granite, cut stone or marble, and permits bronze in one place: the flat markers in the cremation gardens at Fairview Lawn and Mount Hermon, at 22 by 12 inches or 28 by 18 inches and 4 to 6 inches thick. Administrative Order 20 adds a $100.00 administration fee (2025) for a foundation or marker. This page walks through those rules section by section, covers the Catholic and private cemeteries around the city, and explains how a cast bronze plaque from our designer is paired with a granite base from a local dealer.
Design a bronze marker for a Halifax cremation garden
Enter a bronze size that fits the 22 by 12 or 28 by 18 inch envelope, add the inscription and an emblem, and the Canadian dollar price appears at once. Free written proof for your monument dealer.
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Materials, sizes and who installs under By-law C-700
The Halifax Regional Municipality operates six cemeteries, Fairview Lawn and Camp Hill in Halifax and Mount Hermon, Saint Peter’s, Dartmouth Common and Saint Paul’s in Dartmouth, all under By-law C-700, first approved in 2008 and most recently amended by By-law C-703, in force from September 9, 2025.
- Installation. Section 11(1): “All stones are to be installed by a monument dealer or their agent.” Municipal staff mark the site for placement.
- Monuments. Section 12(2): “All monuments shall be constructed of granite, cut stone or marble.” Lettered boards and wooden crosses are prohibited.
- Flat markers on traditional lots. Section 14 allows foot markers set flush without foundations, 4 to 6 inches thick and up to 22 inches long by 12 inches wide, and on lots without a monument a flat head marker up to 30 inches long by 18 inches wide. Markers sit 8 inches below the head of the grave or 2 inches above the foot. Section 14(4): “All markers shall be constructed of granite, cut stone, or marble.”
- Cremation gardens, where bronze is permitted. Section 23 allows, for lots in section 9A of the Fairview Lawn Cremation Garden and sections H, G and A of the Mount Hermon Cremation Garden, one flat marker “made of granite, cut stone, marble or bronze” of a maximum size of 22 inches long, 12 inches wide and between 4 and 6 inches thick, “installed by the monument dealer on a standard foundation”. For sections 9B, 9C, 16A, 16B and 16C at Fairview Lawn and section N at Mount Hermon the maximum is 28 inches long, 18 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches thick.
- Foundations. Section 18: the Supervisor decides the type and size of foundation for each lot, the lot owner pays for the foundation and for setting the marker, and the charges are set by Council policy and paid in advance.
Two consequences follow. On a traditional lot, sections 12(2) and 14(4) do not list bronze, so a family wanting bronze there would have to ask the office whether a bronze plaque fixed to a granite marker within the section 14 sizes would be approved; the by-law does not say, and we do not claim it. In the named cremation garden sections bronze is expressly allowed, provided the finished unit is 4 to 6 inches thick, which a cast plaque alone cannot be. The compliant form is a bronze plaque bolted to a granite base of that thickness.
HRM fees under Administrative Order 20 (2025)
Administrative Order Number 20, Respecting Fees for Cemetery Services, was amended for the fourth time on September 27, 2025, and states that tax is payable on all fees. The lines that touch a bronze marker purchase:
| Item (AO-20, 2025 schedule) | Fee before tax |
|---|---|
| Foundation/ mark administration fee | $100.00 |
| Single grave lot | $3,000.00 plus $300.00 maintenance care |
| Cremation lot (holds up to 4 cremations) | $2,100.00 plus $300.00 maintenance care |
| Cremation interment | $700.00 |
What the order does not contain is the actual foundation and setting charge for a flat marker. Section 18 leaves that to Council policy, so ask the Cemetery Administration Office for the current figure in writing and expect to pay it, plus the $100.00 administration fee (2025), before the dealer’s installation date. No approval turnaround time is published.
Catholic Cemeteries of Halifax: Gate of Heaven and the cross rule
Catholic Cemeteries of Halifax, part of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, runs Gate of Heaven in Lower Sackville and other parish cemeteries. Its “Memorial and Foundation Standards”, updated March 1, 2025, reached us only as search snippets because the archdiocesan site did not respond, so confirm the following with the office before relying on it. The snippets say memorials must be granite, cut stone or bronze; that a marker is “a ground level structure of bronze or quarried stone placed on a plot”; and that no marker may be installed until its design, description and size have been approved through a Memorial Application Process. For Gate of Heaven specifically: markers “not more than six (6) inches or less than four (4) inches in height”, and “All markers shall be inscribed with a cross in proportion to the size of the marker.” If the office confirms those points, design the plaque with a cross emblem, sized so the finished bronze and granite unit is between 4 and 6 inches high, and submit our proof with the application. Ask for the price list at the same time; none was available to us.
Dartmouth Memorial Gardens and Oakridge
Two Arbor Memorial cemeteries serve the Halifax area: Dartmouth Memorial Gardens on Main Street in Dartmouth and Oakridge Memorial Gardens on Old Sackville Road in Middle Sackville, which has burial gardens, cremation gardens and niches. Neither publishes a by-law, a marker specification or a price list in any form we could read. Ask the office for its written memorial rules, whether it accepts a flat bronze marker bought by the family, the maximum size and thickness for your garden, what base it requires, and the installation charge with its year. We will not say either cemetery accepts bronze until its office says it to you.
The bronze from us, the base and setting from a Halifax dealer
Because section 11(1) of By-law C-700 puts installation in the hands of a monument dealer, a Halifax order has two parts. The bronze comes from us: a solid LG2 statuary bronze casting with raised polished lettering on a textured background, any shape and size up to 22 1/16 by 15 3/4 inches (560 by 400 mm), with lugs and studs on the back for bolting through a granite slab. The granite base and the setting come from the dealer, who also deals with the office and books the installation. We do not supply or pour the base and we do not install. For the 22 by 12 inch gardens a 16 by 8 inch or 18 by 10 inch bronze leaves a 2 to 3 inch granite margin; for the 28 by 18 inch gardens a 22 by 12 inch or 22 by 14 inch bronze does the same. A 16 by 12 inch plaque is $1,580.02 in the designer and a 22 by 12 inch plaque is $2,118.74, shipping included. Send the dealer our proof, which shows the bronze size and stud positions, so the base is drilled to match. See bronze plaques Nova Scotia for the provincial picture and custom bronze plaques for plaques outside any cemetery.
Veterans at Fairview Lawn and elsewhere in HRM
Fairview Lawn is home to the Last Post Fund Nova Scotia Branch Veterans’ Columbarium, and section 7(3) of By-law C-700 makes memorials placed by the Last Post Fund, Veterans Affairs Canada or the Commonwealth War Graves Commission subject to the approval of the Supervisor. The Veterans Affairs Canada program, delivered by the Last Post Fund, provides a grey granite military style marker and “in certain cases, flat bronze”. A family that would prefer its own cast bronze marker on a Veteran’s grave should ask the cemetery and the Last Post Fund first; no published rule provides for an upgrade or a refund, and we promise neither. See bronze memorial plaques for service emblems.
Our bronze plaque prices for Halifax, delivery included
Here is what the plaque costs from us. These are the design tool’s own prices on 14 October 2026 for a plain rectangle with the default border and background, in Canadian dollars, and delivery anywhere in Halifax is already included in each one.
| Size, inches (mm) | Typical use | Our price, delivery included |
|---|---|---|
| 6 x 4 in (152 x 102 mm) | Name and dates on a small cremation plot, urn or pet memorial | $478.72 |
| 8 x 6 in (203 x 152 mm) | Cremation garden plaque or a short dedication on a bench or wall | $674.98 |
| 10 x 8 in (254 x 203 mm) | Cremation lot marker with a line of wording or an emblem | $889.05 |
| 12 x 8 in (305 x 203 mm) | Single lawn marker with name, dates and a line of wording | $996.08 |
| 16 x 12 in (406 x 305 mm) | Single grave marker with an emblem, or a companion cremation marker | $1,580.02 |
| 18 x 12 in (457 x 305 mm) | Larger single marker or a dedication plaque with several lines | $1,759.60 |
| 20 x 10 in (508 x 254 mm) | The 20 by 10 inch flat marker size many municipal cemeteries list | $1,759.60 |
| 22 x 12 in (559 x 305 mm) | Companion marker or wide single marker inside a 24 inch envelope | $2,118.74 |
| 22 1/16 x 15 3/4 in (560 x 400 mm) | The largest size the designer makes, for double markers and dedication tablets | $2,456.76 |
The cemetery fees described above are paid to the cemetery office and are not part of these prices, so the full cost of a finished marker is our plaque price plus the cemetery’s setting, permit or foundation charges. Enter your cemetery’s size in the design tool and it shows the price for that exact size straight away.
How to order
- Ask the cemetery office for its marker specification: the maximum size, the base it requires and the form it needs signed. Most offices email it the same day.
- Open the free design tool, pick the shape and set the size in inches or centimetres. The price in Canadian dollars updates as you go.
- Add the wording, choose a border and background, and add an emblem, motif or photo if you want one. Choose lugs with studs if the plaque will be bolted to a granite or concrete base, or a flat back for adhesive mounting.
- Save the design and order it from My Account. We send a written proof that you can forward to the cemetery for approval, and nothing is cast until you approve it.
Frequently asked questions
Where in Halifax can a bronze grave marker be used?
Under By-law C-700 section 23, in the cremation gardens only: section 9A at Fairview Lawn and sections H, G and A at Mount Hermon take a flat marker up to 22 by 12 inches, and sections 9B, 9C, 16A, 16B and 16C at Fairview Lawn and section N at Mount Hermon take up to 28 by 18 inches, each 4 to 6 inches thick and set by a monument dealer. Traditional lots are limited to granite, cut stone or marble unless the office approves otherwise.
How much does HRM charge to set a marker?
Administrative Order 20 lists a $100.00 foundation and marker administration fee plus tax (2025 schedule). The foundation and setting charge itself is set by Council policy and is not printed in the order, so ask the Cemetery Administration Office for the current figure before you order.
Can I install the marker myself at Fairview Lawn or Mount Hermon?
No. Section 11(1) of By-law C-700 requires all stones to be installed by a monument dealer or their agent. The dealer supplies the granite base, bolts our bronze to it and sets the unit on the foundation the Supervisor specifies.
Does Gate of Heaven accept bronze markers?
The 2025 Memorial and Foundation Standards, which we could read only in search snippets, list granite, cut stone or bronze as accepted materials and require Gate of Heaven markers to be 4 to 6 inches high and inscribed with a cross. Confirm both points and the fee with the Catholic Cemeteries of Halifax office before designing.
How long does a bronze plaque take in Halifax?
Allow about four to six weeks from payment to delivery. Casting and hand finishing take most of that time, and we send a free written proof before anything is cast. If your cemetery only sets markers in the frost free season, order early enough for the spring installation window.
Design your Halifax bronze marker now
Pick a size inside the by-law envelope, add names, dates and a cross or other emblem, and see the Canadian dollar price immediately. Free proof before we cast, shipping included.
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