Title 69, Agriculture, Horticulture, and Animals

If two or more adjoining counties shall at an election called pursuant to Section 69-13-1, vote against the state-wide stock law, then in such case, no fence or other barrier along the boundary lines of such county shall be necessary. However, in the event that two or more counti…

In open range counties all fences four feet high, in good repair, and substantially and closely built with rails, planks, pickets, hedges or other substantial material, or with wires or wires and plank are lawful fences; and lawful fences may be made by raising the ground into a …

It shall be and is hereby declared unlawful for any livestock to roam at large on the federal or state designated paved highways or highway rights-of-way of the State of Mississippi, except, however, that in those counties that have heretofore voted to come out from under the sta…

The commissioner of public safety shall be placed in charge of and be responsible for the taking up and impounding of livestock found on the highways or highway right-of-ways described in Section 69-13-101. The commissioner of public safety is authorized, in his discretion, to se…

(a) The fees, assessments, liens and charges against livestock picked up and impounded under Sections 69-13-101 and 69-13-103 are as follows:(a) An assessment of Ten Dollars ($10.00) per head, which shall go to the private individual employed by the commissioner of public safety …

(a) The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol shall, in the alternative:(a) Provide necessary equipment to remove such livestock from the highways and shall impound all livestock found on all highways as provided in this article, or(b) Contract for and obtain the services of private …

When any livestock shall have been taken up and impounded in the enclosure to be provided by the board of supervisors, the sheriff of said county or counties shall be responsible for having the descriptions of all such livestock published in one weekly newspaper with general circ…

The owners of livestock which through their owner’s negligence are found on federal or state designated paved highways or highway rights-of-way shall be subject to any damages as a result of wrecks, loss of life or bodily injury as a result of said livestock being on the above de…

Neither the state nor any county shall be liable for any injury which may occur to livestock which is picked up and removed from the highways and highway right-of-ways and impounded, or which may be sold under the provisions of this article.

Any person who wrongfully removes impounded livestock from the enclosure provided by the board of supervisors under this article, without paying all fees and assessments against same, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished as in other cases provi…

This article is cumulative and in addition to all other livestock laws and does not repeal any presently existing laws with reference to the powers and duties of the county ranger of the law on estrays. This article shall be liberally interpreted in order to accomplish its purpos…

This article shall be known as the “Highway Fencing Law.”

It is the intent of this article to vest the boards of supervisors of the several counties of the state with broad discretion and power of determining the location and types of fences and cattlegaps on the highways referred to in Section 69-13-205.

The respective boards of supervisors of the several counties of the state, in their discretion, are authorized and directed to erect, construct and maintain suitable fences and cattlegaps along the right of ways of United States Highways and state designated highways to prevent l…

The boards of supervisors in said counties are hereby authorized and empowered in their discretion to levy a tax on the taxable property in said counties lying outside municipalities not exceeding two mills per annum thereon for the purpose of paying the cost of construction and …

Before said board of supervisors is authorized to levy the aforesaid tax or erect such fences, it shall first be necessary that an election be held in each of such counties in accordance with the laws governing general election so far as possible to determine by majority vote of …

No reimbursement shall be made under the Homestead Exemption Law of 1946 for any tax levy made under the provisions of this article.

When a person shall find any horse, mule, jack, cattle, sheep, goat or hog straying upon his land, he may take up such animal, and, if the owner be known, he shall forthwith send the estray to the owner or notify him of the taking up of same. If the owner shall be unknown the per…

On receiving notice of the taking up of an estray, the ranger or justice of the peace shall issue his summons to two disinterested and competent persons of the neighborhood who, first having been sworn to value and appraise the same truly, shall value and appraise such animal and…

The ranger shall keep a book in which he shall register all certificates of estrays delivered or returned to him, and shall file the same in regular order; and without delay, on receipt of such certificate, he shall advertise the same, stating therein the name of the person by wh…

Any person taking up estrays may retain possession thereof and use and employ the same in a proper and reasonable manner until claimed or sold according to law, without being liable to the owner thereof, and shall provide such estrays with sufficient wholesome sustenance; and if …

When an animal fit for food shall be taken up as an estray, and shall become troublesome, the person taking up the animal may have three disinterested citizens summoned by the ranger or a justice of the peace to appraise such estray, and he may kill the same, and pay the amount o…

When any estray shall die or escape, the taker up shall, without delay, make report thereof to the ranger, on oath, who shall make a memorandum of the same on the margin of his book opposite the registry of the certificate of such estray.

If the estray shall not be claimed and proved within the time allowed and before actual sale, the same shall be sold by the ranger at the courthouse door, for cash, after giving three weeks’ notice of the time and place of sale by an advertisement put up in one of the most public…

A person claiming to be the owner of any animal taken up as an estray and posted as herein provided, may make proof of his title by his oath, or otherwise, to the satisfaction of the ranger, who shall thereupon issue his order to the person having the estray in his custody, to de…

The owner of all estrays appraised at more than fifty dollars shall be allowed three months; the owners of estrays appraised at twenty dollars and not exceeding fifty dollars, shall be allowed two months; and the owner of estrays valued at less than twenty dollars shall be allowe…

The owner of any animal sold as an estray, may apply to the board of supervisors of the county within three years, and, upon proof of title, the said board shall order the net proceeds of the sale thereof to be refunded to him out of the county treasury.

The ranger may seize and sell any estray which shall not be delivered according to law, and shall be allowed for such seizure the same fees as a sheriff is entitled to for executing a writ of execution.

The ranger shall note the time and amount of sale in his register opposite the record of the certificate of such estray, and shall forthwith pay over to the depository of the county the net proceeds of such sale, after deducting all lawful charges; and it shall be his duty to mak…

The books kept by the ranger for the registration of estrays shall be open to the inspection of every person free of charge; and, at the expiration of his office, shall be handed over to his successor; and, when filed, shall be deposited with the clerk of the chancery court of th…

The ranger is authorized to administer all oaths and take affidavits necessary in the discharge of his duties.

A justice of the peace, where there is a county ranger, shall not have authority to do any act concerning estrays, except to take the information from the taker up and to issue the summons for the appraisers; and he shall be entitled to the same fee for such service as the ranger…

If any person shall suffer any stallion above the age of two years to run at large, out of an inclosure, it shall be lawful for any person to confine and geld such stallion, at the risk of the owner; but this section shall not apply to such stallions as are usually kept up, and h…

It shall not be lawful for a drover or other person to drive any horse, mule, cattle, hog, or sheep of another from the lands to which the same may belong, whether the same be an estray or not; but it shall be his duty, if any other such stock shall join his, immediately to halt …

For any failure of the ranger to make out and put up a correct list of all the estrays in his county, or to make his report to the board of supervisors as required, the board of supervisors may fine the ranger not less than five nor more than fifty dollars, which may be collected…

If any person shall take up any horse, mare, mule, jack, cattle, sheep, goat or hog as an estray, contrary to the provisions of this article; or if any person, having taken up such animal, shall fail to send it to or notify the owner, if known, or to give information to the range…

(1) The Mississippi Military Department, acting through the training site supervisor at Camp Shelby, is hereby authorized and empowered to take up and impound in a proper enclosure all livestock found roaming at large upon any state-owned or leased lands comprising the state mili…

(1) The College of Veterinary Medicine at Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science shall maintain a complete and adequate veterinary diagnostic laboratory in the Jackson vicinity and any person licensed to practice veterinary medicine, veterinary surgery, v…

The State Veterinarian is vested with authority to appoint and commission, without salary from the state, as its inspectors, representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture, and to accept from the United States government such assistance, financial and otherwise, f…

(1) The Board of Animal Health shall have the power and duty to quarantine all herds of cattle where a diagnosis of anthrax is made. (2) Such quarantine shall remain in effect until the State Veterinarian receives a certificate which is signed by a Mississippi licensed and accred…

(1) As used in this section, the term “qualified nonprofit organization” means an IRS tax-exempt 501(c)(3) or similar nonprofit organization that has been approved by the Mississippi Board of Animal Health. (2) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known and…

(1) The Mississippi Board of Animal Health is to be composed of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, the Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and the heads of the Animal and Dairy Science and Poultry Science Departments at Mississippi State University of Agricultur…

(1) The Animal Disease Response Fund is created as a special fund in the State Treasury. The response fund shall consist of any funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the Legislature for animal disease outbreaks, any income from investment of the funds in the response …

The Department of Finance and Administration shall provide office space at the seat of the government, as it deems necessary and requisite for the Board of Animal Health. The board shall adopt rules and regulations as it deems proper to carry out its statutory powers and duties. …

The members of the Board of Animal Health who are not full-time public officers or public employees shall be entitled to a per diem as is provided by Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, not to exceed twenty (20) days in any fiscal year. All members shall be entitled to mil…

The State Veterinarian is authorized and empowered to employ the necessary professional, technical and clerical personnel as he deems necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the board, and to fix their compensation. The board shall appoint from a written list of not less …