New Cemetery Law reshapes burial site management, but digitalization lags due to funding gaps
A unified Cemetery Law took effect across Latvia in April, standardizing plot allocation and requiring electronic records, but digitalization in the Smiltene and Valka areas is progressing slowly because of limited municipal funds.
On April 29 this year, a new Cemetery Law came into force nationwide, for the first time standardizing rules for establishing, expanding, managing and closing cemeteries, as well as procedures for allocating burial plots, including the option to reserve an adjacent plot. The law also requires electronic record-keeping of cemeteries so that information about burial sites is clearer and more accurate.
Digitalization slowed by lack of funding
In the Valka municipality, only the Ērģeme cemetery has so far been digitalized, using the "Cemety" system. According to Viktors Bavins, head of the municipality's maintenance department, digitalizing the remaining four cemeteries would require at least 21,000 euros, plus nearly 2,000 euros a year in upkeep costs — funds the municipal budget simply does not have. Officials say they have not yet found a suitable project through which to secure financing.
In the Smiltene municipality, progress has been faster: several cemeteries are already digitalized, and digitalization of the Rauna cemetery is being discussed, potentially funded through a LEADER project.
Deadlines and other challenges
Miks Blate, founder of "Cemety," explains that municipalities must set up an electronic burial register by April 2030, while records predating the law must be incorporated by 2033. He considers the timeline reasonable, as it allows work to proceed gradually without a sharp spike in demand for specialists and costs.
In Valka municipality, a burial-plot commission established last autumn is set to begin inspecting neglected plots this month. Maintenance staff also report ongoing problems with waste sorting at cemeteries, where visitors frequently mix household and compostable waste.
The law further stipulates that municipalities may only maintain cemeteries they officially own, prompting several parish-owned cemeteries — including the one in Rauna, within Smiltene municipality — to be gradually transferred to municipal management.
