MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Highways and Transportation
By: Senator(s) Chism
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 63-31-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES AND RECREATIONAL OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES TO OPERATE ON COUNTY RURAL, GRAVEL OR PAVED ROADS; TO REQUIRE, FOR SUCH OPERATION, COMPLIANCE WITH LICENSING AND TAGGING REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER MOTOR VEHICLE REGULATIONS, EXCEPT THOSE REQUIRING EQUIPPING WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS; TO SPECIFY THAT A LICENSE TAG SHALL NOT AUTHORIZE THE USE OF AN ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE OR RECREATIONAL OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE FOR TOWING, OR FOR OPERATION ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY OR ANY OTHER ROAD FOR WHICH THE SPEED LIMIT EXCEEDS 40 MILES PER HOUR, EXCEPT FOR CROSSING CERTAIN ROADS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 27-19-3, 27-19-5, 27-19-43, 27-51-5, 63-3-103, 63-15-3 AND 63-21-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 63-31-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
63-31-3. (1) No off-road vehicle shall be operated upon any public property by any person unless:
(a) (i) The person possesses a valid driver's license; or
(ii) The person possesses
a certificate as provided under subsections (3) and (4) of this section * * *; and
(b) * * *
Each person under sixteen (16) years of age who is operating or riding on the off-road
vehicle is wearing a crash helmet that complies with minimum guidelines established
by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pursuant to the federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 (49 CFR 571.218) for helmets designed for use by
motorcyclists.
(2) A violation of subsection (1) of this section is punishable by a fine of not less than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) nor more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00).
(3) Off-road vehicle safety courses shall be held by the Cooperative Extension Service using 4-H safety course materials and curricula, and shall be taught by instructors possessing qualifications approved by the Department of Public Safety. The Cooperative Extension Service shall issue a certificate to each person who satisfactorily completes the off-road vehicle safety course.
(4) Off-road vehicle safety courses may be held by any organization approved by the Department of Public Safety. Such organization shall issue a certificate to each person who satisfactorily completes the off-road vehicle safety course.
(5) All-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles may be operated on county rural, gravel or paved roads. All-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles operating under this subsection shall comply with licensing and tagging requirements under Title 27, Chapter 19, Mississippi Code of 1972, and with other motor vehicle regulations, except those requiring equipping with windshield wipers. A license tag shall not authorize the use of an all-terrain vehicle or recreational off-highway vehicle for towing, or for operation on an interstate highway or any other road for which the speed limit exceeds forty (40) miles per hour. However, such a vehicle may, for the purpose of crossing from one (1) road, field or area of operation to another, be operated on a state-maintained highway or other noncounty road, other than the interstate and national defense highway system, if:
(a) The crossing is made at an angle of approximately ninety (90) degrees to the direction of the highway and at a place where no obstruction prevents a quick and safe crossing;
(b) The vehicle is brought to a complete stop before crossing the shoulder or main traveled way of the highway;
(c) The operator yields the right-of-way to all oncoming traffic that constitutes an immediate potential hazard; and
(d) Both the headlights and the taillights are illuminated when the crossing is made.
( * * *6) For the purposes of this section:
(a) "Off-road vehicle" means any all-terrain vehicle, dirt bike or recreational off-highway vehicle. The term "off-road vehicle" shall not include electric bicycles.
(b) "All-terrain vehicle" or "ATV" means any motorized vehicle manufactured and designed exclusively for off-road use that is fifty-five (55) inches or less in width; has an unladen dry weight of one thousand (1,000) pounds or less; and travels on three (3), four (4) or more nonhighway tires. The term "all-terrain vehicle" shall not include electric bicycles.
(c) "Dirt bike" means a motor-powered vehicle possessing two (2) or more tires, designed to travel over any terrain and capable of travelling off of paved roads, whether or not the vehicle may be operated legally on a public street. The term "dirt bike" shall not include electric bicycles.
(d) "Recreational off-highway vehicle" means any motorized vehicle manufactured and designed exclusively for off-road use that is seventy-five (75) inches or less in width; has an unladen dry weight of three thousand five hundred (3,500) pounds or less; and travels on four (4) or more nonhighway tires.
* * *
SECTION 2. Section 27-19-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-19-3. (a) The following words and phrases when used in this article for the purpose of this article have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly describes and indicates a different meaning:
(1) "Vehicle" means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a public highway, except devices moved by muscular power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. The term "vehicle" includes all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles operated on county rural, gravel or paved roads under Section 63-31-3.
(2) "Commercial vehicle" means every vehicle used or operated upon the public roads, highways or bridges in connection with any business function.
(3) "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle as defined in this section which is self-propelled, including trackless street or trolley cars. The term "motor vehicle" shall not include electric bicycles, personal delivery devices or electric personal assistive mobility devices as defined in Section 63-3-103, or golf carts or low-speed vehicles as defined in Section 63-32-1.
(4) "Tractor" means every vehicle designed, constructed or used for drawing other vehicles.
(5) "Motorcycle" means every vehicle designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels in contact with the ground, except electric bicycles, personal delivery devices and vehicles included within the term "tractor" as herein classified and defined.
(6) "Truck tractor" means every motor vehicle designed and used for drawing other vehicles and so constructed as to carry a load other than a part of the weight of the vehicle and load so drawn and has a gross vehicle weight (GVW) in excess of ten thousand (10,000) pounds.
(7) "Trailer" means every vehicle without motive power, designed to carry property or passengers wholly on its structure and which is drawn by a motor vehicle.
(8) "Semitrailer" means every vehicle (of the trailer type) so designed and used in conjunction with a truck tractor.
(9) "Foreign vehicle" means every motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer, which shall be brought into the state otherwise than by or through a manufacturer or dealer for resale and which has not been registered in this state.
(10) "Pneumatic tires" means all tires inflated with compressed air.
(11) "Solid rubber tires" means every tire made of rubber other than pneumatic tires.
(12) "Solid tires" means all tires, the surface of which in contact with the highway is wholly or partly of metal or other hard, nonresilient material.
(13) "Person" means every natural person, firm, copartnership, corporation, joint-stock or other association or organization.
(14) "Owner" means a person who holds the legal title of a vehicle or in the event a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale, lease or transfer of the possession, the person with the right of purchase upon performance of conditions stated in the agreement, and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee, lessee, possessor or in the event such or similar transaction is had by means of a mortgage, and the mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then such conditional vendee, lessee, possessor or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purposes of this article.
(15) "School bus" means every motor vehicle engaged solely in transporting school children or school children and teachers to and from schools; however, such vehicles may transport passengers on weekends and legal holidays and during summer months between the terms of school for compensation when the transportation of passengers is over a route of which not more than fifty percent (50%) traverses the route of a common carrier of passengers by motor vehicle and when no passengers are picked up on the route of any such carrier.
(16) "Dealer" means every person engaged regularly in the business of buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, trucks, tractors or other character of commercial or industrial motor vehicles in this state, and having an established place of business in this state.
(17) "Highway" means and includes every way or place of whatever nature, including public roads, streets and alleys of this state generally open to the use of the public or to be opened or reopened to the use of the public for the purpose of vehicular travel, and notwithstanding that the same may be temporarily closed for the purpose of construction, reconstruction, maintenance or repair.
(18) "State Tax Commission," "commission" or "department" means the Commissioner of Revenue of the Department of Revenue of this state, acting directly or through his duly authorized officers, agents, representatives and employees.
(19) "Common carrier by motor vehicle" means any person who or which undertakes, whether directly or by a lease or any other arrangement, to transport passengers or property or any class or classes of property for the general public in interstate or intrastate commerce on the public highways of this state by motor vehicles for compensation, whether over regular or irregular routes. The term "common carrier by motor vehicle" shall not include passenger buses operating within the corporate limits of a municipality in this state or not exceeding five (5) miles beyond the corporate limits of the municipality, and hearses, ambulances, and school buses as such. In addition, this definition shall not include taxicabs.
(20) "Contract carrier by motor vehicle" means any person who or which under the special and individual contract or agreements, and whether directly or by a lease or any other arrangement, transports passengers or property in interstate or intrastate commerce on the public highways of this state by motor vehicle for compensation. The term "contract carrier by motor vehicle" shall not include passenger buses operating wholly within the corporate limits of a municipality in this state or not exceeding five (5) miles beyond the corporate limits of the municipality, and hearses, ambulances, and school buses as such. In addition, this definition shall not include taxicabs.
(21) "Private commercial and noncommercial carrier of property by motor vehicle" means any person not included in the terms "common carrier by motor vehicle" or "contract carrier by motor vehicle," who or which transports in interstate or intrastate commerce on the public highways of this state by motor vehicle, property of which such person is the owner, lessee, or bailee, other than for hire. The term "private commercial and noncommercial carrier of private property by motor vehicle" shall not include passenger buses operated wholly within the corporate limits of a municipality of this state, or not exceeding five (5) miles beyond the corporate limits of the municipality, and hearses, ambulances, and school buses as such. In addition, this definition shall not include taxicabs.
Haulers of fertilizer shall be classified as private commercial carriers of property by motor vehicle.
(22) "Private carrier of passengers" means all other passenger motor vehicle carriers not included in the above definitions. The term "private carrier of passengers" shall not include passenger buses operating wholly within the corporate limits of a municipality in this state, or not exceeding five (5) miles beyond the corporate limits of the municipality, and hearses, ambulances, and school buses as such. In addition, this definition shall not include taxicabs.
(23) "Operator" means any person, partnership, joint-stock company or corporation operating on the public highways of the state one or more motor vehicles as the beneficial owner or lessee.
(24) "Driver" means the person actually driving or operating such motor vehicle at any given time.
(25) "Private carrier of property" means any person transporting property on the highways of this state as defined below:
(i) Any person, or any employee of such person, transporting farm products, farm supplies, materials and/or equipment used in the growing or production of his own agricultural products in his own truck.
(ii) Any person transporting his own fish, including shellfish, in his own truck.
(iii) Any person, or any employee of such person, transporting unprocessed forest products, or timber harvesting equipment wherein ownership remains the same, in his own truck.
(26) "Taxicab" means any passenger motor vehicle for hire with a seating capacity not greater than ten (10) passengers. For purposes of this paragraph (26), seating capacity shall be determined according to the manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle. If there is no manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle, the seating capacity for the vehicle shall be determined according to regulations established by the Department of Revenue.
(27) "Passenger coach" means any passenger motor vehicle with a seating capacity greater than ten (10) passengers, operating wholly within the corporate limits of a municipality of this state or within five (5) miles of the corporate limits of the municipality, or motor vehicles substituted for abandoned electric railway systems in or between municipalities. For purposes of this paragraph (27), seating capacity shall be determined according to the manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle. If there is no manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle, the seating capacity for the vehicle shall be determined according to regulations established by the Department of Revenue.
(28) "Empty weight" means the actual weight of a vehicle including fixtures and equipment necessary for the transportation of load hauled or to be hauled.
(29) "Gross weight" means the empty weight of the vehicle, as defined herein, plus any load being transported or to be transported.
(30) "Ambulance and hearse" shall have the meaning generally ascribed to them. A hearse or funeral coach shall be classified as a light carrier of property, as defined in Section 27-51-101.
(31) "Regular seats" means each seat ordinarily and customarily used by one (1) passenger, including all temporary, emergency, and collapsible seats. Where any seats are not distinguished or separated by separate cushions and backs, a seat shall be counted for each eighteen (18) inches of space on such seats or major fraction thereof. In the case of a regular passenger-type automobile which is used as a common or contract carrier of passengers, three (3) seats shall be counted for the rear seat of such automobile and one (1) seat shall be counted for the front seat of such automobile.
(32) "Ton" means two thousand (2,000) pounds avoirdupois.
(33) "Bus" means any passenger vehicle with a seating capacity of more than ten (10) but shall not include "private carrier of passengers" and "school bus" as defined in paragraphs (15) and (22) of this section. For purposes of this paragraph (33), seating capacity shall be determined according to the manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle. If there is no manufacturer's suggested seating capacity for a vehicle, the seating capacity for the vehicle shall be determined according to regulations established by the Department of Revenue.
(34) "Corporate fleet" means a group of two hundred (200) or more marked private carriers of passengers or light carriers of property, as defined in Section 27-51-101, trailers, semitrailers, or motor vehicles in excess of ten thousand (10,000) pounds gross vehicle weight, except for those vehicles registered for interstate travel, owned or leased on a long-term basis by a corporation or other legal entity. In order to be considered marked, the motor vehicle must have a name, trademark or logo located either on the sides or the rear of the vehicle in sharp contrast to the background, and of a size, shape and color that is legible during daylight hours from a distance of fifty (50) feet.
(35) "Individual fleet" means a group of five (5) or more private carriers of passengers or light carriers of property, as defined in Section 27-51-101, owned or leased by the same person and principally garaged in the same county.
(36) "Trailer fleet" means a group of fifty (50) or more utility trailers each with a gross vehicle weight of six thousand (6,000) pounds or less.
(37) "All-terrain vehicle," "ATV" and "recreational off-highway vehicle" have the meanings ascribed in Section 63-31-3.
(b) (1) No lease shall be recognized under the provisions of this article unless it shall be in writing and shall fully define a bona fide relationship of lessor and lessee, signed by both parties, dated and be in the possession of the driver of the leased vehicle at all times.
(2) Leased vehicles shall be considered as domiciled at the place in the State of Mississippi from which they operate in interstate or intrastate commerce, and for the purposes of this article shall be considered as owned by the lessee, who shall furnish all insurance on the vehicles and the driver of the vehicles shall be considered as an agent of the lessee for all purposes of this article.
SECTION 3. Section 27-19-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-19-5. There is hereby levied the following annual highway privilege tax on operators of private carriers of passengers as reasonable compensation for the use of the highways of this state:
(a) On the owner or operator of each private carrier of passengers............................................... $15.00
(b) On each motorcycle, per annum................. 8.00
(c) On each all-terrain vehicle or recreational off-highway vehicle operated on roads under Section 63-31-3, per annum... 8.00
SECTION 4. Section 27-19-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-19-43. (1) License
tags, substitute tags and decals for individual fleets and for private carriers
of passengers, school buses (excluding school buses owned by a school district
in the state), church buses, taxicabs, ambulances, hearses, motorcycles * * *, all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway
vehicles operated on roads, private carriers of property, and private commercial
carriers of property of a gross weight of ten thousand (10,000) pounds and
less, shall be sold and issued by the tax collectors of the several counties.
(2) Applications for license tags for motor vehicles in a corporate fleet registered under Section 27-19-66 and trailers in a fleet registered under Section 27-19-66.1, and applications for all other license tags, substitute tags and decals shall be filed with the department or the local tax collector of the respective counties and forwarded to the department for issuance to the applicant. All tags and decals for vehicles owned by the state or any agency or instrumentality thereof, and vehicles owned by a fire protection district, school district or a county or municipality, and all vehicles owned by a road, drainage or levee district shall be issued by the department.
(3) In addition to the privilege taxes levied herein, there shall be collected the following registration or tag fee:
(a) For the issuance of both a license tag and two (2) decals, a fee of Five Dollars ($5.00).
(b) For the issuance of up to two (2) decals only, a fee of Three Dollars and Seventy-five Cents ($3.75).
(c) Additionally, the tax collector or the department, as the case may be, shall assess and collect a fee of Four Dollars ($4.00) upon each set of license tags and two (2) decals issued, or upon each set of two (2) decals issued, and that sum shall be deposited in the Mississippi Trauma Care Systems Fund established in Section 41-59-75, to be used for the purposes set out in that section.
No tag or decal shall be issued either by a tax collector or by the department without the collection of such registration fee except substitute tags and decals and license tags for vehicles owned by the State of Mississippi.
Beginning July 1, 1987, and until the date specified in Section 65-39-35, there shall be levied a registration fee of Five Dollars ($5.00) in addition to the regular registration fee imposed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection. Such additional registration fee shall be levied in the same manner as the regular registration fee. However, this additional registration fee shall not be levied on all-terrain vehicles or recreational off-highway vehicles.
SECTION 5. Section 27-51-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-51-5. The subject words and terms of this section, for the purpose of this chapter, shall have meanings as follows:
(a) "Motor vehicle" means any device and attachments supported by one or more wheels which is propelled or drawn by any power other than muscular power over the highways, streets or alleys of this state. The term "motor vehicle" shall not include electric bicycles, personal delivery devices or electric personal assistive mobility devices as defined in Section 63-3-103, or golf carts or low-speed vehicles as defined in Section 63-32-1. However, mobile homes which are detached from any self-propelled vehicles and parked on land in the state are hereby expressly exempt from the motor vehicle ad valorem taxes, but house trailers which are actually in transit and which are not parked for more than an overnight stop are not exempted. The term "motor vehicle" includes all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles, as defined in Section 63-31-3, operated on roads under Section 63-31-3.
(b) "Public highway" means and includes every way or place of whatever nature, including public roads, streets and alleys of this state generally open to the use of the public or to be opened or reopened to the use of the public for the purpose of vehicular travel, notwithstanding that the same may be temporarily closed for the purpose of construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or repair.
(c) "Administrator of the road and bridge privilege tax law" means the official authorized by law to administer the road and bridge privilege tax law of this state.
SECTION 6. Section 63-3-103, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
63-3-103. (a) "Vehicle" means every device in, upon or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. The term "vehicle" includes all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles, as defined in Section 63-31-3, operated on roads under Section 63-31-3. This inclusion subjects such all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles to the requirements of this chapter, except as to those provisions that by their nature can have no application; however, this inclusion does not permit all-terrain vehicles or recreational off-highway vehicles to be operated on public roads other than as authorized under Section 63-31-3.
(b) "Motor vehicle" means every vehicle which is self-propelled and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires, but not operated upon rails. The term "motor vehicle" shall not include electric personal assistive mobility devices, personal delivery devices or electric bicycles.
(c) "Motorcycle" means every motor vehicle having a saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels in contact with the ground but excluding a tractor. The term "motorcycle" includes motor scooters as defined in subsection (j) of this section. The term "motorcycle" shall not include electric bicycles or personal delivery devices.
(d) "Authorized emergency vehicle" means every vehicle of the fire department (fire patrol), every police vehicle, every 911 Emergency Communications District vehicle, every such ambulance and special use EMS vehicle as defined in Section 41-59-3, every Mississippi Emergency Management Agency vehicle as is designated or authorized by the Executive Director of MEMA and every emergency vehicle of municipal departments or public service corporations as is designated or authorized by the commission or the chief of police of an incorporated city.
(e) "School bus" means every motor vehicle operated for the transportation of children to or from any school, provided same is plainly marked "School Bus" on the front and rear thereof and meets the requirements of the State Board of Education as authorized under Section 37-41-1.
(f) "Recreational vehicle" means a vehicular type unit primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use, which either has its own motive power or is mounted on or drawn by another vehicle and includes travel trailers, fifth-wheel trailers, camping trailers, truck campers and motor homes.
(g) "Motor home" means a motor vehicle that is designed and constructed primarily to provide temporary living quarters for recreational, camping or travel use.
(h) "Electric assistive mobility device" means a self-balancing two-tandem wheeled device, designed to transport only one (1) person, with an electric propulsion system that limits the maximum speed of the device to fifteen (15) miles per hour.
(i) "Autocycle" means a three-wheel motorcycle with a steering wheel, nonstraddle seating, rollover protection and seat belts.
(j) "Motor scooter" means a two-wheeled vehicle that has a seat for the operator, one (1) wheel that is ten (10) inches or more in diameter, a step-through chassis, a motor with a rating of two and seven-tenths (2.7) brake horsepower or less if the motor is an internal combustion engine, an engine of 50cc or less and otherwise meets all safety requirements of motorcycles. The term "motor scooter" shall not include electric bicycles or personal delivery devices.
(k) "Platoon" means a group of individual motor vehicles traveling in a unified manner at electronically coordinated speeds at following distances that are closer than would be reasonable and prudent without such coordination.
(l) "Electric bicycle" means a bicycle or tricycle equipped with fully operable pedals, a saddle or seat for the rider, and an electric motor of less than seven hundred fifty (750) watts that meets the requirements of one (1) of the following three (3) classes:
(i) "Class 1 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty (20) miles per hour.
(ii) "Class 2 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty (20) miles per hour.
(iii) "Class 3 electric bicycle" means an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of twenty-eight (28) miles per hour.
(m) "Personal delivery device" means a device:
(i) Solely powered by an electric motor;
(ii) Intended to be operated primarily on sidewalks, crosswalks, and other pedestrian areas to transport cargo;
(iii) Intended primarily to transport property on public rights-of-way, and not intended to carry passengers; and
(iv) Capable of navigating with or without the active control or monitoring of a natural person.
(n) "Personal delivery device operator" means a person or entity that exercises physical control or monitoring over the operation of a personal delivery device, excluding a person or entity that requests or receives the services of a personal delivery device, arranges for or dispatches the requested services of a personal delivery device, or stores, charges or maintains a personal delivery device.
(o) "Fully autonomous vehicle" means a motor vehicle equipped with an automated driving system designed to function without a human driver as a Level 4 or Level 5 automation system under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Standard J3016.
SECTION 7. Section 63-15-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
63-15-3. The following words and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall, for the purposes of this chapter, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section, except in those instances where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
(a) "Highway" means the entire width between property lines of any road, street, way, thoroughfare or bridge in the State of Mississippi not privately owned or controlled, when any part thereof is open to the public for vehicular traffic and over which the state has legislative jurisdiction under its police power.
(b) "Judgment" means any judgment which shall have become final by expiration, without appeal, of the time within which an appeal might have been perfected, or by final affirmation on appeal, rendered by a court of competent jurisdiction of any state or of the United States, upon a cause of action arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of any motor vehicle, for damages, including damages for care and loss of services, because of bodily injury to or death of any person, or for damages because of injury to or destruction of property, including the loss of use thereof, or upon a cause of action on an agreement of settlement for such damages.
(c) "Motor vehicle" means every self-propelled vehicle (other than traction engines, road rollers and graders, tractor cranes, power shovels, well drillers, implements of husbandry, electric bicycles, personal delivery devices and electric personal assistive mobility devices as defined in Section 63-3-103) which is designed for use upon a highway, including trailers and semitrailers designed for use with such vehicles, and every vehicle which is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead wires but not operated upon rails. The term "motor vehicle" includes all-terrain vehicles and recreational off-highway vehicles, as defined in Section 63-31-3, operated on roads under Section 63-31-3.
For purposes of this definition, "implements of husbandry" shall not include trucks, pickup trucks, trailers and semitrailers designed for use with such trucks and pickup trucks.
(d) "License" means any driver's, operator's, commercial operator's, or chauffeur's license, temporary instruction permit or temporary license, or restricted license, issued under the laws of the State of Mississippi pertaining to the licensing of persons to operate motor vehicles.
(e) "Nonresident" means every person who is not a resident of the State of Mississippi.
(f) "Nonresident's operating privilege" means the privilege conferred upon a nonresident by the laws of Mississippi pertaining to the operation by him of a motor vehicle, or the use of a motor vehicle owned by him, in the State of Mississippi.
(g) "Operator" means every person who is in actual physical control of a motor vehicle.
(h) "Owner" means a person who holds the legal title of a motor vehicle; in the event a motor vehicle is the subject of an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee or lessee or in the event a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then such conditional vendee or lessee or mortgagor shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this chapter.
(i) "Person" means every natural person, firm, copartnership, association or corporation.
(j) "Proof of financial responsibility" means proof of ability to respond in damages for liability, on account of accidents occurring subsequent to the effective date of said proof, arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a motor vehicle, in the amount of Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) because of bodily injury to or death of one (1) person in any one (1) accident, and subject to said limit for one (1) person, in the amount of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) because of bodily injury to or death of two (2) or more persons in any one (1) accident, and in the amount of Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) because of injury to or destruction of property of others in any one (1) accident. Liability insurance required under this paragraph (j) may contain exclusions and limitations on coverage as long as the exclusions and limitations language or form has been filed with and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance.
(k) "Registration" means a certificate or certificates and registration plates issued under the laws of this state pertaining to the registration of motor vehicles.
(l) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety of the State of Mississippi, acting directly or through its authorized officers and agents, except in such sections of this chapter in which some other state department is specifically named.
(m) "State" means any state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or any province of the Dominion of Canada.
SECTION 8. Section 63-21-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
63-21-5. The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall, for the purpose of this chapter, have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
(a) "State Tax Commission" or "department" means the Department of Revenue of the State of Mississippi.
(b) "Dealer"
means every person engaged regularly in the business of buying, selling or exchanging
motor vehicles, trailers, semitrailers, trucks, tractors or other character of commercial
or industrial motor vehicles in this state, and having in this state an established
place of business as defined in Section 27-19-303 * * *. The term "dealer"
shall also mean every person engaged regularly in the business of buying, selling
or exchanging manufactured housing in this state, and licensed as a dealer of manufactured
housing by the Mississippi Department of Insurance.
(c) "Designated agent"
means each county tax collector in this state who may perform his duties under this
chapter either personally or through any of his deputies, or such other persons
as the Department of Revenue may designate. The term shall also mean those "dealers"
as herein defined and/or their officers and employees and other persons who are
appointed by the Department of Revenue in the manner provided in Section 63-21-13 * * * to perform the duties
of "designated agent" for the purposes of this chapter.
(d) "Implement of husbandry" means every vehicle designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock raising operations or for lifting or carrying an implement of husbandry and in either case not subject to registration if used upon the highways.
(e) "Vehicle identification number" means the numbers and letters on a vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home designated by the manufacturer or assigned by the Department of Revenue for the purpose of identifying the vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home.
(f) "Lien" means every kind of written lease which is substantially equivalent to an installment sale or which provides for a right of purchase; conditional sale; reservation of title; deed of trust; chattel mortgage; trust receipt; and every other written agreement or instrument of whatever kind or character whereby an interest other than absolute title is sought to be held or given on a motor vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home.
(g) "Lienholder" means any natural person, firm, copartnership, association or corporation holding a lien as herein defined on a motor vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home.
(h) "Manufactured housing" or "manufactured home" means any structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode, is eight (8) body feet or more in width or forty (40) body feet or more in length or, when erected on site, is three hundred twenty (320) or more square feet and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems contained therein; except that such terms shall include any structure which meets all the requirements of this paragraph except the size requirements and with respect to which the manufacturer voluntarily files a certification required by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and complies with the standards established under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 USCS, Section 5401.
(i) "Manufacturer" means any person regularly engaged in the business of manufacturing, constructing or assembling motor vehicles, manufactured homes or mobile homes, either within or without this state.
(j) "Mobile home" means any structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode, is eight (8) body feet or more in width or forty (40) body feet or more in length or, when erected on site, is three hundred twenty (320) or more square feet and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems contained therein and manufactured prior to June 15, 1976. Any mobile home designated as realty on or before July 1, 1999, shall continue to be designated as realty so that a security interest will be made by incorporating such mobile home in a deed of trust.
(k) "Motorcycle" means every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three (3) wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding a farm tractor, personal delivery device and electric bicycle.
(l) "Motor vehicle" means every automobile, motorcycle, mobile trailer, semitrailer, truck, truck tractor, trailer and every other device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a public highway which is required to have a road or bridge privilege license, except such as is moved by animal power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks, and excepting electric bicycles and personal delivery devices.
(m) "New vehicle" means a motor vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home which has never been the subject of a first sale for use.
(n) "Used vehicle" means a motor vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home that has been the subject of a first sale for use, whether within this state or elsewhere.
(o) "Owner" means a person or persons holding the legal title of a vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home; in the event a vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home is the subject of a deed of trust or a chattel mortgage or an agreement for the conditional sale or lease thereof or other like agreement, with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with the immediate right of possession vested in the grantor in the deed of trust, mortgagor, conditional vendee or lessee, the grantor, mortgagor, conditional vendee or lessee shall be deemed the owner for the purpose of this chapter.
(p) "Person" includes every natural person, firm, copartnership, association or corporation.
(q) "Pole trailer" means every vehicle without motive power designed to be drawn by another vehicle and attached to the towing vehicle by means of a reach or pole, or by being boomed or otherwise secured to the towing vehicle, and ordinarily used for transporting long or irregularly shaped loads such as poles, pipes, boats or structural members capable generally of sustaining themselves as beams between the supporting connections.
(r) "Security agreement" means a written agreement which reserves or creates a security interest.
(s) "Security interest" means an interest in a vehicle, manufactured home or mobile home reserved or created by agreement and which secures payment or performance of an obligation. The term includes the interest of a lessor under a lease intended as security. A security interest is "perfected" when it is valid against third parties generally, subject only to specific statutory exceptions.
(t) "Special mobile equipment" means every vehicle not designed or used primarily for the transportation of persons or property and only incidentally operated or moved over a highway, including, but not limited to: ditch-digging apparatus, well-boring apparatus and road construction and maintenance machinery such as asphalt spreaders, bituminous mixers, bucket loaders, tractors other than truck tractors, ditchers, leveling graders, finishing machines, motor graders, road rollers, scarifiers, earth-moving carryalls and scrapers, power shovels and draglines, and self-propelled cranes, vehicles so constructed that they exceed eight (8) feet in width and/or thirteen (13) feet six (6) inches in height, and earth-moving equipment. The term does not include house trailers, dump trucks, truck-mounted transit mixers, cranes or shovels, or other vehicles designed for the transportation of persons or property to which machinery has been attached.
(u) "Nonresident" means every person who is not a resident of this state.
(v) "Current address" means a new address different from the address shown on the application or on the certificate of title. The owner shall within thirty (30) days after his address is changed from that shown on the application or on the certificate of title notify the department of the change of address in the manner prescribed by the department.
(w) "Odometer" means an instrument for measuring and recording the actual distance a motor vehicle travels while in operation; but shall not include any auxiliary instrument designed to be reset by the operator of the motor vehicle for the purpose of recording the distance traveled on trips.
(x) "Odometer reading" means the actual cumulative distance traveled disclosed on the odometer.
(y) "Odometer disclosure statement" means a statement certified by the owner of the motor vehicle to the transferee or to the department as to the odometer reading.
(z) "Mileage" means actual distance that a vehicle has traveled.
(aa) "Trailer" means every vehicle other than a "pole trailer" as defined in this chapter without motive power designed to be drawn by another vehicle and attached to the towing vehicle for the purpose of hauling goods or products. The term "trailer" shall not refer to any structure, transportable in one or more sections regardless of size, when erected on site, and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning and electrical systems contained therein regardless of the date of manufacture.
(bb) "Salvage mobile home" or "salvage manufactured home" means a mobile home or manufactured home for which a certificate of title has been issued that an insurance company obtains from the owner as a result of paying a total loss claim resulting from collision, fire, flood, wind or other occurrence. The term "salvage mobile home" or "salvage manufactured home" does not mean or include and is not applicable to a mobile home or manufactured home that is twenty (20) years old or older.
(cc) "Salvage certificate of title" means a document issued by the department for a salvage mobile home or salvage manufactured home as defined in this chapter.
(dd) "All-terrain vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is designed for off-road use and is not required to have a motor vehicle privilege license unless operated on roads under Section 63-31-3. The term "all-terrain vehicle" shall not include electric bicycles.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.