§ 779.370 Cemeteries may qualify as exempt 13(a)(2) establishments.

(a) General. A cemetery may qualify as an exempt retail or service establishment under section 13(a)(2) of the Act if it meets all the requirements of that section, including the requirement that the retail or service establishment be open to the general public. So long as a cemetery is open to any persons of a particular religion rather than merely the members of a specific organization or place of worship, it will be considered for enforcement purposes to be “open to the general public.”

(b) Annual dollar volume. As used in the Act, annual gross volume means the gross receipts from all the business activities of the establishment during a 12-month period (see §§ 779.265 through 779.269). Sums received from the following types of transactions are part of the annual gross volume of sales made or business done:

(1) Sales of lots or plots.

(2) Annual tax or assessment levied on lot owners, and

(3) Gifts or bequests.

Interest from any trust funds for permanent or current maintenance is also included in the annual gross volume of sales made or business done. The allocation of the gross receipts to any trust funds or other accounts of the establishment does not affect the annual gross volume.

(c) Nonretail sales or income. Sales of lots or plots to a burial society or a fraternal organization for the use of the members are sales for resale and as such may not be counted as part of the 75 percent of annual dollar volume of sales of goods or services which is not for resale and recognized as retail in the industry under section 13(a)(2). Such sales are counted as part of the annual gross volume in the period in which the transaction between the cemetery and the burial society or fraternal organization is completed. Any interest from trust funds or other investments also is not recognized as retail receipts under section 13(a)(2).