If any property having a situs in this state has been devised or bequeathed to any person and is not claimed by that person or by his heirs, distributees, or devisees within three (3) years after the death of the testator, or if the owner of any property having a situs in this state dies without heirs or distributees entitled to it and without disposing of it by will, it shall vest in the state, subject to all legal and equitable demands. Any property abandoned by the owner, except a perfect title to a corporeal hereditament, shall vest in the state, subject to all legal and equitable demands. Any property that vests in the state under this section shall be liquidated, and the proceeds, less costs, fees, and expenses incidental to all legal proceedings of the liquidation shall be paid to the department.
KRS 393.020
Property subject to escheat
Applied in 5 court decisions — leading case Watkins v. Commonwealth (2010)
Most recently applied in Gilland v. Dougherty (August 2016)
Effective: June 24, 2003 History: Amended 2003 Ky
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Official source: Kentucky General Assembly. Reproduced from public-domain Kentucky statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.