REMOVAL OF DEDICATION

(a) A cemetery organization may petition a district court of the county in which its dedicated cemetery is located to remove the dedication with respect to all or any portion of the cemetery if: (1) all the remains have been removed from that portion of the cemetery where the dedication is to be removed; or (2) no interments were made in that portion of the cemetery where the dedication is to be removed and that portion of the cemetery is not used or necessary for interment purposes. (b) An owner of land adjacent to a cemetery for which a cemetery organization or other governing body does not exist may petition a district court of the county in which the cemetery is located to remove any human remains and the dedication for all or any portion of the cemetery. In addition to the notice required by Section 711.004, notice of a petition filed under this subsection must be given to the Texas Historical Commission and to the county historical commission of the county in which the cemetery is located. The court may consult the Texas Historical Commission and the county historical commission in making a decision under this section. The court may also designate or appoint any person, party, court appointed representative, or official the court considers necessary to assist in determining whether the removal is in the public interest. Unknown next of kin of deceased persons buried in the cemetery shall be served by publication of a notice in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the cemetery is located, or if there is not a newspaper of general circulation in the county, in a newspaper of general circulation in an adjacent county. A reasonable good faith effort shall be made to remove all remains and monuments from the cemetery or that portion of the cemetery for which the dedication is to be removed. (c) The court shall order the removal of the human remains and the dedication on notice and proof satisfactory to the court that the removal is in the public interest.