Abandoned endowment care cemeteries: County of Marin

The law creates a path to place the cemetery with a responsible long-term caretaker while preserving valid burial rights and prepaid contracts.

What the law does ​

• Allows Marin County, after acquiring the cemetery, to transfer its ownership, care, and management to a California nonprofit in good standing or a licensed cemetery authority.
• Shields a successor from a prior owner's or operator's earlier debts, taxes, fines, judgments, obligations, and recordkeeping failures.
• Requires the successor to honor valid burial rights and prepaid burial contracts.
• Applies the successor protections regardless of when Marin County obtained the cemetery or transferred it.
• Repeals the authority on January 1, 2029.
• Takes effect only if SB 1312 of the 2025–26 Regular Session is enacted and becomes operative.

Who it affects ​

• County of Marin and its management of the Mount Tamalpais Mortuary and Cemetery.
• Eligible California nonprofit organizations and licensed cemetery authorities that may take over the cemetery.
• People with burial rights or prepaid burial contracts at the cemetery.