An outdoor memorial for your pet, made for Burbank
By our count, roughly 3,150 Burbank families lose a dog or cat every year. A memorial stone is one of the few decisions with no deadline, so here's what to know before you order.
- Which materials crack, fade or grow moss
- What HOAs, landlords and cemeteries allow
- Free help comparing local and online makers
Burbank, California
Local makers and practical limits in Burbank
Burbank homes range from studio apartments to hillside houses with small gardens, so memorials here tend to be flexible: a compact urn for a shelf, a memorial stone for a patio pot, jewelry with a trace of ashes, or a framed photo portrait. Because so many residents work in film and design, custom and artistic memorials are popular. Ask about lead times for anything made to order.
Memorials in Burbank tend to be personal and visual, which fits a city full of people who make pictures for a living: a portrait painted from a favourite photo, an urn chosen to match a room, or a shadow box holding a collar, tag and a few snapshots. Many families here want to design something themselves. Ask whether the ashes can come back in a plain temporary container, so you can take your time choosing or making the final vessel.
A city the size of Burbank usually has a monument company or two, a few garden centers selling blank stepping stones and river rocks, and online engravers who ship to the door. That mix works well: you can see real stone locally, then decide whether a local engraver or an online maker gives you the better proof and price for a small pet marker.
With roughly 102,988 residents, Burbank is the 67th-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Los Angeles, about 11 miles (17 km) away, which is where some providers serving Burbank are based.
Our pages for Glendale (5 miles), La Cañada Flintridge (7 miles) and West Hollywood (7 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Burbank as well.
Our estimate
38,000
Burbank: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
102,988 ÷ 2.5 = 41,195 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 38,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
3,150
dog and cat deaths per year in Burbank, our estimate
How we calculated this
38,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,150 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
Grave or ashes? The local habit in California
In California, cremation is chosen for roughly 70.5%[5] of the people who die, and families often divide a pet's ashes: some in an urn, some for a grown child, some for the garden. Each household may then want its own marker. A set of small matching stones from one maker, each with the same name and dates, keeps the family connected across different homes.
We take the California rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Burbank, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Frost, sun and damp: matching stone to Burbank
Metal parts need a second look in a hot place like Burbank. A bronze plaque on granite darkens and changes color over the summer months of July, August and September, which many people like; brass or aluminum inserts can dull faster. If the plaque is fixed with adhesive rather than pins, ask the maker whether the bond is rated for strong heat.
In the Burbank heat, dark polished granite can get too hot to touch in the afternoon sun of August, when highs average around 88°F. The stone won't be harmed, but if children or pets will visit the spot, a lighter gray granite or a place with afternoon shade is kinder. Light stone also keeps photo etching easier to read in glare.
What a pet memorial stone costs in Burbank
Pet cemetery burial is where costs climb. A typical pet burial in a sample of 15 US pet cemeteries cost $1,500–$2,000[6], and starting prices ranged from $99–$4,000[7]. One Iowa cemetery charges $400 for a standard granite headstone on top of the plot[8]. A stone for your own garden in Burbank is far cheaper; the table shows the range.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for California: California costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Where a pet stone can go in California
A pet grave and its stone stay with the house when you sell, so it's worth thinking ahead. Some owners mention a pet burial to buyers, and a stone set on gravel rather than concrete is easy to take with you. None of this needs a permit in most places; the notes below cover burial and scattering in California.
The official California local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Burbank.
The California page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Burbank's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Work out what the stone is marking: a grave, buried ashes, a scattering spot or simply a place your pet loved.
- If ashes will go inside the stone, check the cavity size against your pet's ashes with our urn size calculator.
- Choose dense stone and carved lettering. Painted or printed designs look bright on day one but fade outdoors.
- Keep the wording short. On a typical small marker you get two or three lines, each holding around 14 to 16 capitals.
- Get written quotes from makers who serve your area, and ask what happens if the stone arrives damaged.
- Sign off the proof, and think about placement: a bed of gravel underneath, a spirit level on top, and enough distance from trees that roots won't tilt it.
Around the stone: plants, benches and small rituals
Spring brings green to the Verdugo foothills above Burbank, and many families choose the cool months to put in a memorial shrub or lay an engraved stone. A tree urn needs regular watering through the first hot summer. If your home is close to the brush line, choose a spot away from dry vegetation and keep the planting well watered.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, or see what other families chose in the poll results, try the free planning tools, See what each option includes on our services page. Close to Burbank we also cover Sacramento, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco; the full list for California and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
What feels like the right amount to spend on a garden stone?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you moved house, what would happen to the memorial?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Memorial stone planner
Plan size, material and engraving length so your wording fits the stone.
Memorial tree finder
Pick a tree for a planting urn that suits your climate, space and pet.
Questions people ask
Roughly how many pets die in Burbank each year?
Our estimate is around 3,150. It comes from Burbank's population (about 102,988), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 38,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Burbank?
The closest communities we cover are Glendale (about 5 miles), La Cañada Flintridge (about 7 miles) and West Hollywood (about 7 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Burbank too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Burbank?
There is no frozen-ground season here; average lows stay above freezing all year. The other pressure point is August, when highs around 88°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Will I have to travel to Los Angeles to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Los Angeles (roughly 11 miles from Burbank) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Can I bury my pet in my backyard in Burbank and put a stone on it?
In many places you can bury a pet on land you own, with rules about depth and distance from water, but cities and homeowners' associations can be stricter. Check the local notes on this page and your HOA rules. A stone marking the grave rarely needs any permission of its own once the burial itself is allowed.
How heavy is a granite pet grave marker?
Granite weighs roughly 165 to 170 lb per cubic foot, so a 12 x 6 inch marker 2 inches thick weighs about 14 lb, and a 16 x 8 inch marker 3 inches thick is close to 40 lb. Upright headstones with a base can weigh well over 100 lb. Heavier pieces usually ship by freight and may be delivered to the curb only.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected California's cremation rate at 70.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Furever Memorials' review of 15 US pet cemeteries puts the typical pet burial at $1,500–$2,000. Furever Memorials – Pet Burial Cost (15 cemeteries), 2025.
- [7] Starting burial prices in the 15-cemetery sample ranged from $99–$279 at Savannah Pet Cemetery (Georgia) to $850–$4,000 at Hartsdale (New York). Furever Memorials – Pet Burial Cost (15 cemeteries), 2025.
- [8] At Cedar Bend Humane Society's pet cemetery in Iowa, plot plus burial runs $290–$565 depending on pet size, and a standard granite headstone costs $400. Funeral.com – Pet Cemetery Burial Guide, 2025.
- [9] Across five posted US pet-cemetery price lists, the median whole-body burial for a small pet, including plot and opening/closing, was about $350. Our estimate: median of [Rainier $150 plot incl. first burial, Cedar Bend $290, Forest $350, Great River $750, Precious Memories $1,500]. How we calculate.
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