Following a review of service costs last year, the local authority has introduced a €100 headstone application fee.
The changes aren’t just limited to monument works, with Clare County Council also changing burial plot rates and columbarium fees.
The local authority also issued a correspondence to sculptors in late January, not outlining a new policy, but aiming to clamp down on bye-laws that are already in place.
However the administration involved is proving to be a point of concern for local traders, given that permission will be sought for any renovations carried out to an existing burial plot, with sculptors required to inform the council three days in advance of when they intend to do the work.
Ennistymon Fianna Fáil Councillor Shane Talty, who’s called for the clarification to be rescinded, believes it could open the door to rogue traders.
A prominent Clare Headstone Provider, meanwhile, is demanding that the unworkable elements of the burial ground policy are scrapped.
Kilnamona based Sculptor Michael McTigue believes the enforcement would seriously reduce the number of new headstones installed across the county.