Do You Own Plots at the Arlington Cemetery? City Seeking Plot Owners

Published on June 17, 2025

The City of Arlington is working to determine whether approximately 1,100 empty burial plots at the historic Arlington Cemetery are owned or if they can be made available to the public for purchase starting this fall.

Thirty years ago, the City took ownership of the 10-acre cemetery site in Downtown and has maintained it ever since. In 2023, a state law revision allowed for cities to sell cemetery plot if they had owned and maintained the cemetery for at least 25 years and if all of the plots to be sold had been declared to be abandoned through a public hearing process.

Arlington Cemetery, located at the northeast corner of East Mitchell Street and South Mary Street, has graves dating back to the 1870s. The City, which received only partial records about burial plots when it took over the site, has since identified more than 1,600 marked graves and more than 2,100 empty graves. Those located within family plots or that have obstructions will not be sold.

View an interactive Arlington Cemetery plot map

From now until Aug. 31, 2025, the City is conducting community outreach to verify ownership of burial plots at Arlington Cemetery. Residents who have documentation that they own empty plots are asked to submit contact information and documentation through the online form linked below.

Arlington Cemetery Documentation Submittal Form

For additional questions or information, email Sarah Stubblefield, City of Arlington Strategic Initiatives planning manager, at sarah.stubblefield@arlingtontx.gov.

The City Council will hold a public hearing at its Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, evening meeting to declare unclaimed plots without documentation of ownership as abandoned and available for sale. The City has opened a waiting list for residents who are interested in purchasing plots, with sales for burial rights beginning in October. The waitlist can be accessed through the Arlington Cemetery Map.

A resolution approving fees and charges and a resolution approving an agreement with a cemetery operator will be brought to City Council for consideration before sales begin.