This service is managed by Infrastructure Services
Burial Services
We're responsible for the overall management of council-owned burial grounds, under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016. We provide our burials service to the public and to undertakers through our registrars, with some areas administered locally by burial clerks.
You can find full details of how we manage and plan for Orkney's burial grounds, along with your rights as a customer, in our Burial Grounds Management Plan and Customer Charter.
Charges
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Charges
Show Hide- Sale of a lair where double depth interment is possible (per lair) = £1,100
- Sale of a lair where only single depth interment is possible (per lair) = £750
- Excavation of a grave for a coffin (per excavation)* = £853
- Excavation of a grave for a casket (per excavation)* = £248
- Excavation of a grave for an infant or child aged 17 or under = £0
- Permit to erect a memorial on a lair in an OIC-managed burial ground (per memorial) = £67.50
*A 25% supplementary charge applies if you need this service outside normal working hours or at weekends.
Related resources
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Burial Grounds Customer Charter
This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s October 2025 customer charter for its 50 burial grounds. It explains maintenance standards, how exclusive burial rights work, memorial permits and safety responsibilities, and how the Council handles unsafe memorials. It also gives visitor guidance and answers common questions about lairs, burials, cremated remains, tributes, pets, dogs and vehicle access.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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Burial Grounds Management Plan
This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Burial Grounds Management Plan for October 2025. It lists the Council’s 50 burial grounds and explains how burials, lair ownership, records and memorials are managed. It also sets out responsibilities for maintenance, public access, inspections and memorial safety, including action where memorials are dangerous. The plan includes arrangements for maintaining burial services during staff shortages, emergencies or events that affect access to a burial ground.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
Find your local burial ground
Click an icon on the map below to find out more about each burial ground in Orkney, including contact details for your local Burial Clerk.
New national legislation on burial rights
New national legislation on "burial rights" has come into effect, although we don't expect it to have any significant impact in Orkney.
Previously, if you purchased a lair (grave site), you had an indefinite right to be buried there. From 1 March 2026, these rights now last for 25 years, after which you or your family can apply to renew them in 10-year periods. If a lair has never been used and no renewal is requested, we can sell it to someone else.
These changes don't affect any burial rights bought before 1 March 2026.
Contact
For queries about purchasing a lair or arranging a burial, contact your local Burial Clerk contact your local Burial Clerk using the map above, or call our Kirkwall Registration Office on 01856 886333. Most areas of Orkney are now administered centrally from our council offices, with a small number of exceptions.
For queries about the management of burial grounds
Burial applications
Since 1 March 2025, new burial application forms must be used. The Scottish Government has introduced standard statutory burial forms for use by all burial authorities across Scotland. These replace local variations and ensure consistency everywhere. You can complete them electronically or by hand.
You can find a summary of the seven statutory application forms, including guidance notes, on the Scottish Government website. This includes a table showing which form you should use, and information on signing the PDF forms using Adobe Acrobat. Our versions of the forms are available below.
If you're using a funeral director to arrange a funeral, they'll be able to advise you which form you need.
If you're not using a funeral director and are making the arrangements yourself, please speak to your local Burial Clerk directly (see our Burial Services page for contact details). You can return your completed burial application form by posting or delivering it to the Council Offices.
For more information about the forms, including how to make corrections or changes after submission, see the Scottish Government's guidance webpage.
Related resources
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BF1 - Burial Form 1: Adult or Child (OIC)
This document contains Form BF1, the statutory application for burying an adult or child’s remains in Scotland. It records the applicant’s details, information about the person who died, burial ground and lair details, and any health or environmental hazards. It also includes declarations by the applicant and, where relevant, the funeral director, along with space for the burial authority to confirm approval and required documents.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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BF2 - Burial Form 2: Stillborn Baby (OIC)
This document contains the statutory application form for arranging the burial of a stillborn baby in Scotland. It records the applicant’s details, burial ground and plot, the baby’s information, required documents and any health or environmental risks. It also includes declarations from the applicant and, where relevant, the funeral director, plus approval by the burial authority.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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BF3 - Burial Form 3: Pregnancy Loss On or Before 24 Weeks (OIC)
This document contains the statutory Form BF3 application for burying pregnancy loss remains in Scotland where the loss occurred by the end of the 24th week and showed no signs of life. It records the applicant’s details, burial arrangements, pregnancy loss information and medical confirmation. It also includes declarations about entitlement and consent, optional funeral director details, and the burial authority’s approval.
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BF4 - Burial Form 4: Pregnancy Loss On or Before 24 Weeks, Health Authority (OIC)
This document contains a statutory application form for the individual or shared burial of pregnancy loss in Scotland, where the loss occurred by the end of the 24th week and showed no signs of life. It records the pregnancy loss identifiers, burial ground and lair details, and any requests. An authorised person must provide supporting paperwork, sign a declaration and give their contact details. Information is held securely by the burial authority under data protection rules.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
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BF5 - Burial Form 5: Adult or Child (Section 87) (OIC)
This document contains Form BF5, a statutory application for a local authority to arrange burial where no burial, cremation or other arrangements have been made. It records details of the applicant, deceased person, burial ground and any health or environmental hazards. It also includes declarations for the local authority and, where used, the funeral director, plus final authorisation by the burial authority. A Certificate of Registration of Death must be attached.
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BF6 - Burial Form 6: Body or Parts, Anatomy Act (OIC)
This document contains Form BF6, a statutory application for burying a whole body or body parts donated for anatomical examination under the Anatomy Act 1984. It records burial and deceased details, confirms the body or parts have been released for burial, and includes declarations for the applicant, funeral director and burial authority, along with information about required documents and personal data.
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BF7 - Burial Form 7: Body or Parts, Before Anatomy Act (OIC)
This document contains Form BF7, a statutory application for burying body parts held by Scottish universities where donation or death was before 14 February 1988, or the date of death is unknown. It records burial ground and lair details, the body parts for disposal, and declarations from the authorised applicant, funeral director where applicable, and burial authority. It also explains how personal data will be stored and used.
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Burial Ground Memorials
We only permit memorials to be erected on purchased lairs, and lair owners must request our permission through an approved memorial mason. We don't permit artefacts, painting or any other type of erection work.
Memorials should be constructed and installed in line with BS 8415:2018. Anyone carrying out the work should be suitably trained, qualified and certified to the COSVR 194 SQA Unit HA1J-04 Fix and Secure Memorial Masonry Award, or an equivalent qualification, and should hold appropriate public liability insurance.
Since April 2022, you've needed a paid, council-approved permit to erect a new memorial. You and your stonemason should fill out the application together and submit it to us. You can download the Application for Memorial Permit form, along with an example of a completed form, below. You can pay for the permit online through MyOrkney or over the phone with our Customer Services team.
Related resources
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Memorial Permit Form
This document contains an application form and guidance for erecting a new memorial or repairing an existing one in an Orkney cemetery. It explains the information needed from the applicant and approved stonemason, including the memorial design, inscription and measurements. New memorials require a fee, while repairs are free; work can begin only after approval and payment. The Council will be told when work is complete and will inspect the memorial after 28 days.
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Memorial Permit Example
This document contains an application form for putting up a new memorial or repairing an existing one in an Orkney cemetery. It explains the information needed from the lair owner and stonemason, including the memorial design, inscription and safety requirements. New memorials need a permit fee, while repairs are free; the stonemason submits the form and the Council inspects completed work after 28 days. It also includes payment instructions and a privacy statement.
Please be aware that this summary has been generated using AI.
You'll also need a permit and the qualifications listed above to carry out repairs to a memorial, although there's no charge for this.
Our approved memorial masons
- John G. Corse Funeral Directors Ltd (for new memorials)
- Casey Construction Ltd (for repairing existing memorials)
- Andrew Sinclair Ltd (for repairing existing memorials)
If you have the appropriate qualifications and public liability insurance and would like to be added to our approved stonemasons list, please get in touch.
Memorial inspection programme
We've reviewed our processes for inspecting and monitoring the safety of memorials in Orkney's cemeteries. As a result, we now have a rolling inspection programme in place to identify any defects. Memorials assessed as medium risk — for example, those with a structural defect or over 1.5m in height — are inspected at least every 2 years. All memorials are inspected at least once every 5 years, in line with national guidance.
If an inspection identifies a stone as high risk, we'll make it safe in the first instance — for example, with barriers or by staking it — and try to contact the family. If a stone has the potential to become dangerous, we'll mark it with a small sign asking you to contact us. It's worth noting that the owner of a memorial is responsible for its general condition. We'll only step in and take action where a routine inspection shows that a memorial poses a danger, and it remains the owner's responsibility to pay for any repairs once a hazard has been identified.
Our last full, 5-yearly inspection took place in 2022. In total, we inspected 21,430 memorials. Of these, 54 were considered dangerous and marked in the field, 4,713 were flagged for re-inspection within 2 years, and 16,663 were considered safe and will be reinspected as part of our 5-year rolling programme. The memorials identified as dangerous have since either been repaired at the family's cost, had temporary repairs carried out, or been made safe.
We're carrying out 2-yearly inspections across all of Orkney's cemeteries between 2022 and 2027, with the next full inspection due in 2027.
We'd encourage you to check on your relatives' memorials to see if they've been identified as high risk, so you can discuss options for repairing them with us.