Burials & Services
Historic Congressional Cemetery is an interdenominational burial ground and accommodates several types of interments, from eco-friendly green burials and inurnments to traditional casket burials. Accommodations are routinely made for family preferences, religious practices, and personal lifestyles and beliefs. We do not require the use of a concrete vault or grave liner, nor do we require embalming of decedents. Families are encouraged to become involved with the burial and ritual process of their choice as long as it does not conflict with state law. Headstones are optional, but must fit within the measurements of the plot itself (see Rules & Regulations for more detail).
Please be advised that appointments for pre-need sales and arrangements are booking two months in advance.
Pre-Planning Arrangements
Congressional Cemetery strongly encourages pre-planning of funeral and burial arrangements.
This option offers:
- Peace of mind that your final wishes will be carried out in the manner you desire.
- Simplicity for loved ones during the grieving process.
Please be advised that appointments for pre-need sales and arrangements are booking two months in advance.
Available Sites
Historic Congressional Cemetery’s thirty-five acres currently contain approximately 68,000 burials and 25,000 headstones. Plots are available for purchase in all sections of the cemetery, each with unique historical landscapes, features, monuments, and historic figures.
Congressional Cemetery offers a range of options to meet your family’s needs. Prices for full burial plots range from $8,000 in the cemetery’s east end to $14,000 in the most historic sections. Each full-sized plot can accommodate two traditional full casket burials or up to eight cremation urns. Prices for cremation only burial plots are also available andcan accommodate between two and four burials depending upon the dimensions of the burial container. Green burial options are available throughout the cemetery. Burial fees are determined by the depth of the grave at the time of need.
A comprehensive list of available sites does not exist for the public, as availability changes regularly. For information about sites available in specific sections of the cemetery, please contact the office
We are available to assist anyone interested in purchasing a burial plot. Please call the Gatehouse at 202-543-0539 or write to lbuerkle@congressionalcemetery.org.
Pricing effective May 1, 2023
Interment Options
Traditional Burial
- Interment Rights for 3’ by 8’ Full Body Burial Grave Site
- Grave Liner (optional)
- Open and Close Fee
- Memorial (optional)
- Monument Placement/Installation Fee for Memorial
Green Burial
- Interment Rights for 3’ by 8’ Full Body Burial Grave Site
- No vault (partial, inverted, or otherwise)
- No lid, concrete box, slab or partial liner
- Open and Close Fee
- No embalming
- Eco-friendly burial container (wicker or plain pine) or shroud
- Memorial (optional)
- Monument Placement/Installation Fee for Memorial
In-Ground Inurnment
- Interment Rights for 3’ by 4’ Cremation Burial Grave Site
- OR Interment Rights for 3’ by 8’ Full Body Burial Grave Site
- Burial Container (urn, box, shroud)
- Liner (optional)
- Open and Close Fee
- Memorial (optional)
- Monument Placement/Installation Fee for Memorial
Cremation Bench Sites
- Bench Placement Rights for 2’ by 4’ Bench Site
- Memorial Bench that Accommodates Cremation Inurnment
- Monument Placement/Installation Fee for Memorial
- Burial Container (urn, box, shroud)
- Open and Close Fee
Monuments & Markers
If you are seeking information to purchase a marker for a site, please be advised Congressional Cemetery does not create markers. We work with trusted third-party vendors who understand the unique qualities of our burial ground. Please review the attached list of preferred partners. All work must be approved by the cemetery before installation, regardless of maker.
Offering a dignified place to visit and remember beloved pets in the heart of Capitol Hill.
After years of research, planning, and budgeting, Historic Congressional Cemetery is pleased to offer a new section for pets called Kingdom of Animals. Appropriately located across from the popular “Doggie Day Spa,” where a natural spring comes above ground, the dedicated new section offer communal and individual pet sites for the inurnment of cremated remains. The first and only of its kind in Washington, DC, it is defined by a solid wood fence along the rear forest and a low, curved wrought iron fence with two gates for access.
We are available to assist anyone interested in purchasing a site. Please call the Gatehouse at 202-543-0539 or write to lbuerkle@congressionalcemetery.org. Please be aware site sales are booking two months in advance at this time.
Please see the attached brochure for information on types of burials and pricing for the Kingdom of Animals, effective May 1, 2023.
