Land Use & Property Rights

Caves, karst & Missouri quirks

Missouri is the Cave State. Cave mouths, passages, protected features, and sinkholes each raise a different land question.

Who owns a cave?

The entrance and passage can differ

Who owns a cave? Subsurface ownership CAN follow the surface title — but mineral severances, deeds, easements, surveys, and passages that cross property lines complicate it. Owning the entrance does NOT automatically give you the right to travel under a neighbor's land.

Cave protection law

Do not break or mark cave features

Missouri is the Cave State, and it protects caves: under RSMo 569.135 (moved here in 2014 — it used to be 578.210, so older sources cite 'Chapter 578'), without the prior WRITTEN permission of the owner, officer, lessee, or superintendent, it's a class A misdemeanor to break, deface, or remove cave formations, or to tamper with a cave gate, lock, or door (it doesn't apply to mining operations). Arrowheads, relics, and the serious rules around graves are covered in the Foraging hub.

Karst country

Never dump anything into a sinkhole

Much of the Ozarks is karst — caves, sinkholes, losing streams, and springs, where water moves fast through underground channels. NEVER dump anything into a sinkhole: it flows straight to the groundwater that wells and springs draw from. Sinkhole and drainage risk also affects where you can build and put a septic system, so buyers should ask about it.

Caves can also hold older parts of land life. Arrowheads, relics, and grave rules are covered in the Foraging hub.

When the ground sinks

Subsidence over old mines

Over old mines, ask about subsidence — see Minerals & the split estate.

The full story on who owns what is underground is in minerals & the split estate. That page also covers how to ask DNR about mapped mining history.

An old title quirk

Old colonial-grant titles

And in the colonial-grant areas around Ste. Genevieve and the Mississippi, older titles can look unusual — another reason to use a title professional (see Deeds, title & boundaries).

More on reading what your title actually says is in deeds, title & boundaries.

Not legal advice

Official sources and current guidance

Your deed, county records, and current statutes control the answer. For advice about your situation, talk to the right licensed professional.

Last checked: 2026-06-18. Property law is nuanced, varies by county, and changes — so treat this as a starting point, not the final word. The authoritative answers are in your deed and the chain of title, your county's records, and the current statutes; for your situation, talk to a pro.

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by county and change. Check your deed, your county's Recorder and Assessor, and the current statute — and for your situation, talk to a Missouri real estate attorney, a licensed land surveyor, or a title company.

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