MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Ways and Means
By: Representative Calhoun
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-45-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT IN ORDER TO REDEEM LAND THAT HAS BEEN SOLD FOR NONPAYMENT OF AD VALOREM TAXES, THE PERSON PROPOSING TO REDEEM THE LAND ALSO MUST PAY THE VALUE OF CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS MADE ON THE LAND AFTER THE LAND WAS SOLD; TO PROVIDE THE METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE VALUE OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 27-45-1, 27-45-5, 27-45-7, 27-45-9 AND 27-45-27, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH RELATE TO THE REDEMPTION OF LAND SOLD FOR NONPAYMENT OF AD VALOREM TAXES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 27-45-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-45-3. The owner, or any persons for him with his consent, or any person interested in the land sold for taxes, may redeem the same, or any part of it, where it is separable by legal subdivisions of not less than forty (40) acres, or any undivided interest in it, at any time within two (2) years after the day of sale, by paying to the chancery clerk, regardless of the amount of the purchaser's bid at the tax sale, the amount of all taxes for which the land was sold, with all costs incident to the sale, and five percent (5%) damages on the amount of taxes for which the land was sold, and interest on all such taxes and costs at the rate of one and one-half percent (1-1/2%) per month, or any fractional part thereof, from the date of such sale, and all costs that have accrued on the land since the sale, with interest thereon from the date such costs shall have accrued, at the rate of one and one-half percent (1-1/2%) per month, or any fractional part thereof, the value of all permanent improvements made on the land since the sale with interest on the value of such improvements from the date the improvements were made, at the rate of one percent (1%) per month or any fractional part thereof, saving only to infants who have or may hereafter inherit or acquire land by will and persons of unsound mind whose land may be sold for taxes, the right to redeem the same within two (2) years after attaining full age or being restored to sanity, from the state or any purchaser thereof, on the terms herein prescribed, and on their paying the value of any permanent improvements on the land made after the expiration of two (2) years from the date of the sale of the lands for taxes. Upon such payment to the chancery clerk as hereinabove provided, he shall execute to the person redeeming the land a release of all claim or title of the state or purchaser to such land, which said release shall be attested by the seal of the chancery clerk and shall be entitled to be recorded without acknowledgment, as deeds are recorded. Said release when so executed and attested shall operate as a quitclaim on the part of the state or purchaser of any right or title under said tax sale.
For the purposes of this section, "permanent improvements" shall include, but not be limited to, all repairs, improvements and equipment attached to the property as fixtures. The value of such permanent improvements shall be determined by averaging two (2) appraisals of the improvements, with one (1) appraisal made by an appraiser selected by the person proposing to redeem the property and the other appraisal made by an appraiser selected by the owner of the land at the time it was sold for taxes.
SECTION 2. Section 27-45-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
27-45-1. Redemption of land sold for taxes shall be made through the chancery clerks of the respective counties. Where the land was sold to the state, the clerk, out of the amount necessary to redeem, shall first pay to the officers entitled thereto the costs, fees and damages which are allowed said officers by law in cases of lands sold to individuals; second, he shall pay the state the amount of state taxes with the interest and additional charges thereon allowed by law to the state; and, third, he shall pay to the county the sums computed in like manner which belong to the county and the various taxing districts thereof. Where the land was sold to an individual, the clerk shall pay:
(a) First, to the state the amount of state taxes with the interest and additional charges thereon allowed by law, unless same has been paid previously by the tax purchaser or some other person;
(b) Second, to the county the sums computed in like manner which belong to the county and the various taxing districts thereof, unless same has been paid previously by the tax purchaser or some other person;
(c) Third, to the county the five percent (5%) damages on the amount of the taxes for which the land was sold; and
(d) Fourth, the balance to the purchaser.
The clerk shall make his redemption settlements within twenty (20) days after the end of each month and shall make a complete report thereof to the board of supervisors, a true copy of which he shall file with the State Auditor. For a failure so to report or to pay over the sums to the parties entitled thereto as herein required, he shall be liable on his official bond to a penalty of one percent (1%) per month on the amount withheld. The chancery clerk shall also note each redemption on the public record of delinquent tax lands, on the day payment of taxes is made, with the date, name and the amount of redemption money paid.
SECTION 3. Section 27-45-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
27-45-5. It shall be the duty of the chancery clerk of each county in the state to immediately deposit in the county depository of his county all sums of money paid to him by any person for the redemption of land sold for taxes in his county; all such funds are hereby declared to be public funds, and shall be secured by the county depository, as other public funds are required to be secured by law. The board of supervisors of each county shall provide the clerk with printed checks in the form of vouchers, with proper blanks, bound in book form with a sufficient blank margin to be used in drawing redemption funds out of the county depository; all such checks shall be numbered in numerical order, and it shall be the duty of the clerk to draw on such funds upon such checks as herein provided in payment of all amounts due the officers and purchasers out of said funds. He shall first pay the officers entitled to their costs, fees, and damages which are allowed to said officers by law; and he shall then pay to the purchasers at any such tax sale, the full amount due him as provided by law. It shall be the duty of the State Auditor of Public Accounts to audit such account of each clerk, as other public funds are audited; and he shall include in said audit a special report to the board of supervisors of his county setting out in detail the amounts collected, and the disposition of such funds, and the balance on hand, and attest to the correctness thereof.
If such clerk shall neglect, refuse or fail to deposit such funds received by him as herein provided, he shall be guilty of misfeasance in office, and in addition thereto shall be liable on his official bond to any person injured by his failure to deposit such funds in the county depository as herein provided.
SECTION 4. Section 27-45-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
27-45-7. If there exist upon a portion of a tract of land sold for taxes a lien, either of a deed of trust or mortgage of any kind, the mortgagee or holder of the notes secured by such deed of trust, or any person interested in such real estate may redeem that portion of the land so sold in solido upon which portion such mortgagee or owner of notes secured by deed of trust holds such lien in the following manner, to-wit:
Such mortgagee or owner of notes secured by a deed of trust or any person interested in such real estate may apply, in writing, to the chancery clerk of the county in which the land was sold, within the time provided by law, for redemption from the sale for taxes of such portion of the entire tract so sold in solido. Upon the application being filed with him, it shall be the duty of the chancery clerk to give ten (10) days' notice, in writing, of such application, by registered mail, to the last known post office address with return receipt requested, to the owner and to the purchaser at the tax sale, and to all persons holding mortgages or other liens of record on the land so sold in solido or any part thereof, which notice shall designate a time not less than ten (10) days from the mailing thereof when such clerk shall hear and perform the duties hereinafter provided for. The clerk shall enter on the record of such tax sale notations giving the date when such notices were mailed and the names and post office addresses of persons to whom mailed. On the date named for such hearing, the chancery clerk shall make such investigation as he may deem necessary to ascertain the relative value which that portion of the land on which the lien of such mortgage or deed of trust is held by the applicant, or by any other person, bears to the value of the entire land sold in solido for taxes, and the chancery clerk shall apportion the taxes due upon such portion at the ratio which said portion, upon which the lien exists, bears to the entire value of the property sold in solido for taxes. Upon such apportionment, the mortgagee or holder of the deed of trust, or any person interested in such real estate, shall be entitled to redeem that part of the land by payment of the sum apportioned thereon to the chancery clerk, regardless of the amount of the purchaser's bid at the tax sale, with its proportionate part, calculated as above provided, of all costs, damages and interest consequent upon the sale, and also all state and county taxes that have accrued upon that portion of said land since the sale, apportioned by the chancery clerk in the manner hereinabove provided, together with interest thereon, at the rate of one per centum per month, or any fractional part thereof, from the date such taxes shall have accrued.
SECTION 5. Section 27-45-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
27-45-9. The redemption mentioned in Section 27-45-7 shall operate to fully and effectually redeem that portion of the land from the operation of the tax sale from which such redemption is made and shall leave in full force and effect the tax sale as to the remainder of the land so sold for taxes, which remainder, or any part thereof, may thereafter, in the time provided by law, be redeemed by the owner or any person interested in such real estate by the payment of the balance due, or such part thereof calculated as above provided. In the event that there shall exist several trust deeds or mortgages upon the property so sold in solido, and redemption under one or more of such trust deeds shall operate so as to effect redemption of a portion of the lands in any one of the others, because of overlapping descriptions and leave unredeemed the remainder of the land covered by such other deeds of trust or mortgages, the chancery clerk shall likewise have power to apportion in the same manner as aforesaid the amount required to redeem the remainder of the land included in such trust deed, omitting the portion of the land in such trust deed which had been previously redeemed, in the manner as above provided. Upon redemption by one other than the owner of the land redeemed, it shall be the duty of the redeemer to immediately notify, in writing, by registered mail with return receipt requested, any and all persons holding prior lien or liens of deed of trust or mortgage shown by the records of deeds of trust of the county where the land is situated, of the redemption of such part or all of said land, addressed to the lienor or lienors at his or their last known post office address, and to file a copy of such notice or notices with the chancery clerk of said county who shall make entry of the receipt of the copy of such notice or notices on the record of tax sales of his office where such record of the redemption is entered. If the redeemer shall fail to give the notice or notices as above provided for, then such redeemer shall not be entitled by subrogation, or otherwise, to obtain or be granted any prior equity upon the land so redeemed over any prior lienor or lienors on the land so redeemed, whether such equity by subrogation or otherwise existed or not. Upon redemption of land or any part thereof as above provided, the chancery clerk shall execute a release thereof from the tax sale with the same effect, and shall note the redemption on his tax sales record, as is provided for redemptions in the usual manner.
SECTION 6. Section 27-45-27, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:
27-45-27. (1) The amount paid by the purchaser of land at any tax sale thereof for taxes, either state and county, levee or municipal, and interest on the amount paid by the purchaser at the rate of one and one-half percent (1-1/2%) per month, or any fractional part thereof, and all expenses of the sale and registration, thereof shall be a lien on the land in favor of the purchaser and the holder of the legal title under him, by descent or purchase, if the taxes for which the land was sold were due, although the sale was illegal on some other ground. The purchaser and the holder of the legal title under him by descent or purchase, may enforce the lien by bill in chancery, and may obtain a decree for the sale of the land in default of payment of the amount within some short time to be fixed by the decree. In all suits for the possession of land, the defendant holding by descent or purchase, mediately or immediately, from the purchaser at tax sale of the land in controversy, may set off against the complainant the above-described claim, which shall have the same effect and be dealt with in all respects as provided for improvements in a suit for the possession of land. But the term "suits for the possession of land," as herein used, does not include an action of unlawful entry and detainer.
(2) No county or municipal officer shall be liable to any purchaser at a tax sale or any recipient of a tax deed for any error or inadvertent omission by such official during any tax sale.
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007.