National Cemetery Administration

Visitation Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset.

Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT. Closed federal holidays except Memorial Day.

This cemetery has columbarium space available to accommodate cremated remains.

Planning ahead for a Veteran's or loved-one's final resting place can eliminate unnecessary delays and reduce stress on a family at a difficult time.

Request eligibility status for:

• Veteran or servicemember
• Spouse
• Dependent family member

Apply online »

Burial in a VA national cemetery is open to all members of the armed forces who have met a minimum active duty service requirement and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

A Veteran's spouse, widow or widower, minor dependent children, and under certain conditions, unmarried adult children with disabilities may also be eligible for burial. Eligible spouses and children may be buried even if they predecease the Veteran.

Members of the reserve components of the armed forces who die while on active duty or who die while on training duty, or were eligible for retired pay, may also be eligible for burial.

Eligibility for Burial in a VA National Cemetery »

Fax all discharge documentation to the National Cemetery Scheduling Office at 1-866-900-6417 and follow-up with a phone call to 1-800-535-1117.

For information on scheduled burials in our national cemeteries, please go to the Daily Burial Schedule.

The National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona oversees this cemetery. If you are unable to reach the cemetery staff at the number above, please call 480-513-3600.

Military Funeral Honors
The Military Funeral Honors Program establishes procedures for requesting and rendering military funeral honors. By law, an honor guard detail for the burial of an eligible veteran shall consist of at least two members of the armed forces. Funeral home directors or a personal representative should request military funeral honors on behalf of the Veteran's family. VA suggests that you contact the military service branches at least 48 to 72 hours before a scheduled service to arrange for military funeral honors.

The following activities are PROHIBITED:

• Any form of sport or recreation, to include, but not limited to jogging, bicycling, picnicking, or skating
• Drinking of alcoholic beverages
• Destruction of Government property to include, but not limited to markers, trees, shrubs, and plantings
• Littering of the grounds
• Pets in burial areas
• Public gathering of a partisan nature
• Driver education activities
• Private maintenance of gravesites
• Any demeaning or boisterous action

For educational materials and additional information on this cemetery, please visit the Education section, located below.

Flowers: At the time of your loved one's burial, a maximum of four fresh floral arrangements or sprays may accompany the casket or urn. These will be placed on the completed grave after the interment. Items will be removed from gravesites when they appear withered, faded, unsafe, offensive, encroach on adjacent gravesites, or are otherwise unsightly.

Fresh-cut and artificial flowers may be placed on graves at any time. Arrangements may not be more than 24" high. They cannot cover the marker or encroach upon adjacent gravesites.

Flower Containers: Temporary plastic containers are provided by the cemetery. You will find these containers throughout the cemetery. No more than two vases are permitted on a grave. Only one vase is allowed per niche at a columbarium.

Flower containers should be centered at the top portion of the marker. Note: The hole in the concrete marker base is not for flower vases. It is only part of the design.

Permanent containers are prohibited. Non-government-supplied floral containers (e.g., pots, planters, vases, etc.) will be removed when discovered. They will then be disposed of. Permanent plants of any type are not permitted on graves and will be removed. The cemetery is not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to in-ground vases.

Special Occasions: Beginning December 1st, you may place one of the following items at a gravesite: Christmas wreath, Christmas floral blankets (maximum size is 2ft by 3ft), or flowers. Lighted displays are not permitted.

Special Guidelines: All items placed on gravesites will be removed and discarded by cemetery staff starting:

• The second Monday in January and the second Monday in July.

Prohibited Items: To preserve the dignity of the cemetery, items such as balloons, pinwheels, shepherd's hooks, wind chimes, lights, statues, stuffed animals, memorabilia or commemorative items, alcohol and tobacco products, or similar products will be removed. Offensive items or those deemed inconsistent with the cemetery setting will also be removed.

To maintain a safe environment for visitors and staff, all breakable items such as vigil lights, glass vases, decorative glass, and plastic items, will be removed. Any hazardous items, such as candles, explosives, weapons, or ammunition, will be removed.

To preserve the appearance and facilitate maintenance of markers and niche covers, families and loved ones are not permitted to secure floral or other items to markers or columbaria. Nothing can be placed at a grave that will obscure or obstruct a visitor's ability to view their loved one's gravesite.

As a courtesy, cemetery personnel will remove personal items, prohibited items, and artificial floral arrangements that are not in good condition and place them on a shelf in the maintenance compound for 30 days before disposal.

Flags and flag holders: Only one U.S. 8" by 12" cemetery marking flag is permitted on graves. On Memorial Day weekend, the cemetery, with assistance from volunteer organizations, places a flag on each gravesite. Flags are removed after the holiday. The Avenue of Flags, consisting of donated casket flags, is displayed on Veterans Day and other special occasions instead of individual gravesite flags.

Prescott National Cemetery is located in Prescott, AZ, adjacent to the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The cemetery, which closed to new interments in 1974, covers a little over 15 acres. Interments were made here primarily because it was a conveniently safe distance from Fort Whipple, Arizona, where attacks from local Native Americans were more likely.

The present site of Prescott National Cemetery is thought to be its third location. The original cemetery was established when Fort Whipple was a camp near Del Rio Springs in 1864, and was moved soon after. The cemetery was relocated again in 1869 to its current location because flash floods washed out numerous burials in the previous site. These floods may account for the majority of the 25 unknown graves in the cemetery.

Prescott National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

Monuments and Memorials
Prescott National Cemetery has an Unknown Soldiers Monument made of white marble rusticated to look like blocks with a centered cross on top.