Cave Definition

The Kentucky Speleological Survey defines a cave as any humanly enterable void or cavity, which may be horizontal or vertical, and has a length or depth equal to or greater than 10 meters (32.8 feet).  A feature which is wider than it is long and has a width equal to or exceeding 10 meters (32.8 feet) will be documented as a shelter.  Any feature documented as less than the minimum requirements can be documented but will be listed as a karst feature in the KSS database.  These standards which are established in May 2017, shall be carried out henceforth, though database users should understand that previous database entries may not meet the minimum criteria laid out above.