Estonia, Legislation, Real Estate

There was no general regulation on graveyards and burial before in Estonia. So far the matters concerning cemeteries have been up to local municipalities to decide.

Regional affairs minister Siim Kiisler said that the freshly adopted law will fill a legal gap an end an undetermined and unregulated situation.

The law prescribes now for example that the usage purpose of cemeteries closed for burial can be changed in 75 years and the buried have to be reburied elsewhere; the minimum period over overburial is 20 years from the last burial and that there is a 50 metres peace zone around the outer borders of cemeteries.