Section 4767.02. Registration required - duties of division of real estate in department of commerce

(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (C) of this section, no person, church, religious society, established fraternal organization, or political subdivision of the state shall own, operate, or maintain a cemetery unless the cemetery is registered pursuant to section 4767.03 of the Revised Code.

(B) The division of real estate in the department of commerce shall perform all of the following duties:

(1) Adopt, amend, and rescind rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to carry out sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code governing the registration of cemeteries;

(2) Prescribe the form and content of all applications to be used for registration and renewal of registration pursuant to section 4767.03 of the Revised Code;

(3) Review applications for registration and issue registration certificates to cemeteries that meet the qualifications for registration pursuant to sections 4767.03 and 4767.04 of the Revised Code;

(4) Collect all fees related to the registration and renewal of registration certificates for cemeteries;

(5) Maintain a written record of each cemetery registered with the division, which shall include such documentation as required in division (A) of section 4767.04 of the Revised Code. The record shall be available for inspection by the public and copies shall be made available pursuant to division (B) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(6) Revoke the registration of any cemetery owner or operator convicted of a violation of section 1721.21 or 1721.211 of the Revised Code immediately upon receipt of notice of the conviction pursuant to section 119.06 of the Revised Code;

(7) Hire all division personnel necessary to implement this chapter;

(8) Prohibit the sale of the assets or stock of a cemetery by refusing to issue a registration certificate to the purchaser until the dispute resolution commission has received audited financial statements audited by a certified public accountant showing to the commission's satisfaction that all current funds required to be deposited and maintained pursuant to sections 1721.21 and 1721.211 of the Revised Code have been deposited and maintained;

(9) With the dispute resolution commission's advice and consent, subpoena cemetery personnel to attend hearings before the commission.

(C) Sections 4767.02 to 4767.04 of the Revised Code do not apply to or affect a family cemetery or a cemetery in which there have been no interments during the previous twenty-five calendar years. As used in this division, "family cemetery" means a cemetery containing the human remains of persons, at least three-fourths of whom have a common ancestor or who are the spouse or adopted child of that common ancestor.

Effective Date: 10-20-1999