Title 63, Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulations

Section headings contained in this chapter shall not be deemed to govern, limit, modify, or in any manner affect the scope, meaning or intent of the provisions of any section of this chapter.

(1) Except as provided in Section 63-21-11, every owner of a motor vehicle as defined in this chapter, aside from an all-terrain vehicle, which is in this state and which is manufactured or assembled after July 1, 1969, or which is the subject of first sale for use after July 1, …

Any motor vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance used to transport another motor vehicle or crushed motor vehicle sold in violation of Section 63-21-39 or otherwise used to aid in the commission of a violation of Section 63-21-39 may be seized by a law enforcement agency and is s…

(1) When any vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance is used in the commission of a violation of Section 63-21-39, the vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance so used is subject to seizure by the applicable law enforcement agency and the vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance may b…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-21-101, when any vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance is seized under this article, proceedings under this section shall be instituted within thirty (30) days from the date of seizure or the subject vehicle, trailer or similar conv…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in Section 63-21-101, an owner of a vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance that has been seized shall file an answer within thirty (30) days after the completion of service of process. If an answer is not filed, the court shall hear evidence that …

(1) Any other vehicle, trailer or similar conveyance that has been forfeited shall, except as otherwise provided, be sold at a public auction for cash by the chief law enforcement officer of the initiating law enforcement agency, or his designee, to the highest and best bidder af…

The forfeiture procedure set forth in this article are the sole remedy of any claimant, and no court shall have jurisdiction to interfere therewith by replevin, injunction, supersedeas or in any other manner.

(a) As used in this article, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Abandoned” means that no person is occupying the manufactured home or mobile home at the present, nor has any person occupied it for the past sixty (60) days, nor has the owner or any representative …

(a) Any community owner or landowner, his agent or attorney, may initiate a proceeding by filing a complaint under oath for the disposition of an abandoned manufactured or mobile home and associated personal property, setting forth:(a) A statement that the abandoned manufactured …

The filing of a complaint by the community owner or landowner shall constitute consent by the community owner or landowner to the purchaser receiving a Bill of Sale from the sheriff exercising an implied temporary easement to remove the manufactured or mobile home and associated …

Upon finding that the manufactured or mobile home and associated personal property that are the subject of the complaint are in fact abandoned and have not been claimed and the indebtedness of the community owner or landowner has not been paid in full, the court shall enter an or…

Before the commissioner enters upon the discharge of the commissioner’s duties, the commissioner shall take and subscribe an oath before some competent officer, and shall file a copy of the same in the proceeding, that the commissioner will honestly, faithfully and impartially ad…

The commissioner shall advertise a notice of sale by publication and posting. The notice of sale shall be published one (1) time a week for three (3) weeks prior to the sale in a newspaper published in the county where the manufactured or mobile home is located, or, if none such …

The sale shall be made at the place, on the date and during the time set by the court. The sheriff shall conduct the sale and shall charge a reasonable fee for conducting the sale with the fee to be applied to the sheriff’s operating fund. The abandoned manufactured or mobile hom…

Any interested party may, at any time before a sale is made under the terms and provisions of the sale order, stop a threatened sale of a manufactured or mobile home by paying the amount due to the community owner or landowner on the amount actually past due rather than any amoun…

The commissioner shall disburse the bid proceeds as follows: first, to the sheriff for the sheriff’s fee; second, to the tax collector for any past due taxes, liens and assessments; third, to the lien creditors in their order of priority; fourth, to the community owner or landown…

Upon the commissioner filing a report with the court attaching a copy of the sheriff’s report of the sale and a list of the actual or proposed disbursements from the accepted bid, the court may enter a final order approving the sale and the disbursement of the proceeds from the a…

The purchaser shall submit a copy of the Bill of Sale and the Final Order to the Department of Revenue along with such forms as may be prescribed by it for the issuance of a new title to the purchaser.

A community owner or landowner who believes in good faith that the manufactured or mobile home and associated personal property that was the subject of a proceeding to dispose of the same was in fact abandoned shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever to the owner or a lienh…

(a) The following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Beneficiary designation” means the designation by an owner of a motor vehicle of a beneficiary of the vehicle as provided by Section 63-21-261.(b) “Designated beneficiar…

(1) An owner of a motor vehicle may transfer the owner’s interest in the motor vehicle to a sole beneficiary effective on the owner’s death by designating a beneficiary as provided by Section 63-21-261. (2) A beneficiary designation is:(a) Subject to Section 63-21-255, revocable …

(1) If a motor vehicle that is the subject of a beneficiary designation is owned by joint owners with right of survivorship, the beneficiary designation must be made by all of the joint owners. (2) A beneficiary designation made by joint owners with right of survivorship:(a) May …

(a) During a motor vehicle owner’s life, a beneficiary designation does not:(a) Affect an interest or right of the owner or owners making the designation, including the right to transfer or encumber the motor vehicle that is the subject of the designation;(b) Create a legal or eq…

(1) On the death of the owner of a motor vehicle that is the subject of a beneficiary designation, the following rules apply to an interest in the motor vehicle:(a) If the designated beneficiary survives the owner making the designation by one hundred twenty (120) hours, the inte…

(1) The owner of a motor vehicle may designate a sole beneficiary to whom the owner’s interest in the vehicle transfers on the owner’s death as provided by this article, by submitting an application for title with the designation. To be effective, the designation must state that …

The intent of this chapter is to provide a means for removing abandoned motor vehicles from the right-of-way and open lands of the state to enhance the beauty of the countryside and the health and welfare of its citizens. It is also to provide a means of relieving automobile deal…

Any person proving ownership or any lienholder may claim subject motor vehicle at any time prior to sale by paying towing, repair, storage and other necessary expenses incurred.

(a) For the purposes of this chapter, an “abandoned motor vehicle” shall mean a motor vehicle as defined by the Mississippi Motor Vehicle Title Law:(a) which has been left by the owner, or some person acting for the owner, with an automobile dealer, repairman or wrecker service f…

(1) Any automobile dealer, wrecker service, or repair service owner, or any person or party on whose property a motor vehicle is lawfully towed at the written request of a law enforcement officer, who shall have an abandoned motor vehicle on his property, may sell, free and clear…

Prior to disposition of an abandoned motor vehicle any automobile dealer, wrecker service or repair service owner, or any person on whose property such a vehicle is lawfully towed at the written request of a law enforcement officer, shall inquire of the State Tax Commission as to…

The last-known registered owner of an abandoned motor vehicle and all lienholders of record, when such information is reasonably obtainable, shall be notified by certified mail that such vehicle will be sold pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. Said notice shall give such …

Sections 63-25-1 through 63-25-11 shall be known and may be cited as the “Motor Vehicle Chop Shop, Stolen and Altered Property Act.”

(1) Any district attorney or any aggrieved person may institute civil proceedings against any person in any court of competent jurisdiction seeking relief from conduct constituting a violation of subsections (1) and (2) of Section 63-25-5. If the plaintiff in such a proceeding pr…

(a) As used in Sections 63-25-1 through 63-25-11, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed to them herein:(a) “Chop shop” means any building, lot or other premise where one or more persons are or have been knowingly engaged in altering, destroying, disassembling, disma…

(1) Any person who knowingly and intentionally: (a) owns, operates or conducts a chop shop; (b) transports any motor vehicle or motor vehicle part to or from a location knowing it to be a chop shop; or (c) sells, transfers, purchases or receives any motor vehicle or motor vehicle…

(1) Any motor vehicle or motor vehicle part with vehicle identification numbers or marks which have been altered, counterfeited, defaced, destroyed, disguised, falsified, forged, obliterated or removed may be seized and detained by law enforcement officials for a determination of…

(1) The following items shall be subject to forfeiture unless obtained by theft, fraud or conspiracy to defraud and the rightful owner of the items is known or can be identified and located: (a) any tool, (b) any implement, or (c) any instrumentality, including but not limited to…

(a) As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Aftermarket crash part” means a replacement for any of the nonmechanical sheet metal or plastic parts which generally constitut…

Any nonoriginal equipment manufacturer aftermarket crash part manufactured or supplied for use in this state on or after January 1, 1991, shall have affixed thereto or inscribed thereon the logo, identification number, or name of its manufacturer. Such manufacturer’s logo, identi…

In all instances where nonoriginal equipment manufacturer aftermarket crash parts are used in preparing an estimate for repairs, the written estimate prepared by the insurer and repair facility shall clearly identify each such part. A disclosure document attached to the estimate …

The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any part of this chapter is declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the part which remains.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Vehicle Protection Product Act.”

(a) No warranty reimbursement insurance policy shall be issued, sold or offered for sale in this state unless the policy meets the following conditions:(a) The policy states that the issuer of the policy will reimburse or pay on behalf of the vehicle protection product warrantor …

(1) Every vehicle protection product warranty shall be written in clear, understandable language and shall be printed or typed in an easy-to-read point size and font and shall not be sold or offered for sale in the state unless the warranty:(a) Contains a disclosure that reads su…

(1) No vehicle protection product may be sold or offered for sale in this state unless the vehicle protection product warranty clearly states the terms and conditions governing the cancellation of the sale and warranty, if any. (2) The warrantor may only cancel the warranty if th…