New Churchyard Regulations
New Churchyard Regulations will come into effect on Easter Day (5th April) 2026. These regulations have been drafted in the form of a national template, which can then be amended by the Diocesan Chancellor to take local circumstances into account. It is hoped that this approach will provide more uniformity across the Church of England. The changes to what is permitted in the Diocese of Chichester are very minimal but the process has changed slightly.
In addition to the new Churchyard Regulations, there is a Handbook providing guidance for Incumbents, a Handbook for the Bereaved, and a new application form for the introduction of a memorial.
Any application for a headstone in a churchyard received on or after 5th April 2026 must comply with the new Churchyard Regulations (otherwise a private faculty will be required) and should be submitted to the relevant member of clergy on the new application form. However, it is suggested that incumbents should accept applications submitted using the previous version of the application form for a grace period of 3 months (up to 4th July 2026).
The new documents are available to download here:
Legislation and Forms
- Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (as amended in 2018, 2022, and 2024)
- List A
- List B
- Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 2018
- Chancellor's General Directions
- DAC application pack
- List B application form
- Petition for a faculty for reservation of a grave space
- Petition for a faculty for the introduction of a memorial into a churchyard
Guidance
Guidance from the Church Buildings Council
Please see here for detailed guidance notes on over 30 topics, covering everything from chairs to trees:
https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings
Please see here for the Church of England guidance on the Path to Net Zero Carbon:
https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/net-zero-carbon-church
Please see here for advice and templates for drafting Statements of Significance and Needs:
https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/churchcare/advice-and-guidance-church-buildings/statements-significance-and-needs
Guidance from Historic England
The Historic England website also has come helpful guidance for those responsible for looking after listed buildings, including information about the Heritage at Risk programme.
Guidance from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group
The Ecclesiastical website has some excellent guidance for churches on a range of church building, health and safety, and risk management topics, covering everything from asbestos to lightning protection and arson.
Guidance on the Closure and Maintenance of Churchyards
Please see here for a link to a guidance note from the Diocesan Registry on the Closure and Maintenance of Churchyards:
https://www.chichester.anglican.org/documents/churchyards-closure-and-maintenance-guidance-note-chichester-february-2024/