{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-433.871","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 433.871","heading":"Definitions.","body":"As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the meanings stated unless the\ncontext requires otherwise:\n(1) \"Cave\" means any naturally occurring void, cavity, recess, or system of\ninterconnecting passages beneath the surface of the earth contain ing a black zone\nincluding natural subterranean water and drainage systems, but not including any\nmine, tunnel, aqueduct, or other man -made excavation, which is large enough to\npermit a person to enter. The term \"cave\" includes or is synonymous with \"cavern.\"\n(2) \"Commercial cave\" means any cave utilized by the owner for the purposes of\nexhibition to the general public, whether as a profit or nonprofit enterprise, wherein\na fee for entry is collected.\n(3) \"Gate\" means any structure or device situated so as to limit or prohibit access or\nentry to any cave.\n(4) \"Person\" or \"persons\" means any individual, partnership, firm, association, trust, or\ncorporation or other legal entity.\n(5) \"Owner\" means a person who owns title to land wherein a cave is located, including\na person who owns title to a leasehold estate in the land and specifically including\nthe Commonwealth and any of its agencies, departments, boards, bureaus,\ncommissions, or authorities as well as counties, municipalities and other political\nsubdivisions of the Commonwealth.\n(6) \"Speleothem\" means a natural mineral formation or deposit occurring in a cave.\nThis shall include or be synonymous with, but not restricted to stalagmite, stalactite,\nhelectite, shield, anthodite, gypsum flower and needle, ange l's hair, soda straw,\ndrapery, bacon, cave pearl, popcorn, coral, rimstone dam, column, palette,\nflowstone, et cetera.\n(7) \"Speleogen\" means an erosional feature of the cave boundary and includes or is\nsynonymous with, but not limited to anastomoses, scall ops, rills, flutes,\nspongework, boxwork, and pendants.\n(8) \"Material\" means all or any part of any archaeological, paleontological, biological,\nor historical item including, but not limited to, any petroglyph, pictograph, basketry,\nhuman remains, tool, bea ds, pottery, projectile point, remains of historical mining\nactivity or any other occupation, found in any cave.\n(9) \"Cave life\" means any life form which normally occurs in, uses, visits, or inhabits\nany cave or subterranean water system, excepting those animals and species covered\nby any of the game laws of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.\n(10) \"Troglobitic\" means or refers to any form of cave life specifically adapted to the\ncave environment and which carries out its entire life cycle in the cave.\n(11) \"Troglophilic\" means or refers to any form of cave life which, although lacking\nspecific biological adaptations necessary for permanent residence in any cave,\ncarries out at least a portion of its life cycle in the cave.","path":["KRS Chapter 433"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=18820","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:48Z","sha256":"31975dc99411f1e91847de603327cf01ffcf7d8f481b5151e0f1f299daf83d23","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-433.870","next":"us-ky/krs-433.873"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}