Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 27 - TAXATION AND FINANCE (§§ 27-1-1 — 27-117-15) › Chapter 19 - MOTOR VEHICLE PRIVILEGE AND EXCISE TAXES (§§ 27-19-1 — 27-19-NEW) › Article 1 - MOTOR VEHICLE PRIVILEGE TAXES (§§ 27-19-1 — 27-19-179) › Section 27-19-40 - [Effective 1/17/2025] Issuance of special in-transit tags or plates to dealers and automobile auctions; issuance of special temporary tags or plates to dealers and automobile auctions for vehicles sold to nonresidents of Mississippi; issuance of special temporary tags or plates to dealers and automobile auctions for vehicles sold to residents temporarily exiting the state; issuance of temporary tags or plates to motor vehicle rental companies upon purchase of vehicles from dealers; design of tags or plates; fees; penalties

(1)
A motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction may apply to the State Tax Commission for special in-transit tags or plates, which when properly displayed shall authorize the motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction to operate a motor vehicle upon the highways of this state without paying the annual highway privilege tax upon such vehicle and without attaching any other license tag or plate to such vehicle, if:
(a)
The movement of the motor vehicle is for the purpose of sale of such vehicle to another motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction;
(b)
The motor vehicle is being moved from the place of business of one motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction to the place of business of another motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction; and
(c)
The special in-transit tag or plate is displayed in plain view on the motor vehicle in the manner prescribed by the State Tax Commission.
(2)
A motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction may apply for a temporary tag or plate to be used when a motor vehicle in this state is sold by the motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction to a nonresident of the State of Mississippi or when a motor vehicle is sold by a motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction to a Mississippi resident who may temporarily exit this state before obtaining a Mississippi tag or plate. Such tag or plate when properly displayed shall authorize the purchaser of such a motor vehicle to operate the motor vehicle upon the highways of this state. The temporary tag or plate shall be valid for a period of seven (7) full working days, exclusive of the date of purchase, after the date the motor vehicle is purchased; however, if the temporary tag or plate is issued to a nonresident of the State of Mississippi, the temporary tag or plate shall be valid for the number of days within which the nonresident is required to obtain a permanent motor vehicle license tag or plate by the laws of the nonresident's state of residence.
(3)
The State Tax Commission shall issue such tags or plates to each motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction who applies for them upon payment of a fee in an amount equal to Two Dollars ($2.00) for each in-transit tag or plate and Five Dollars ($5.00) for each temporary tag or plate.
(4)
Whenever a rental company acquires a vehicle from a dealer by sale or otherwise, the rental company may apply for a temporary tag or plate to be issued by the dealer. Such tag or plate, when properly displayed, authorizes the rental company to operate the motor vehicle upon the highways of this state. The temporary tag or plate is valid for a period of thirty (30) full working days, exclusive of the date of delivery. Any dealer issuing a temporary tag under this subsection may collect from the purchaser requesting the issuance of the temporary tag a fee of Five Dollars ($5.00). The penalties established under Section
27-19-63
, are not applicable until after the expiration of the thirty-day period under this subsection. For the purposes of this subsection, the term "rental company" means any person or entity in the business of providing primarily motor vehicles to the public under a rental agreement for a rental period not to exceed thirty (30) days, provided that any person or business entity lawfully engaging in a peer-to-peer car sharing program under the Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Program Act shall not be considered as a rental company.
(5)
The tags or plates authorized pursuant to this section shall be designed by the State Tax Commission. The State Tax Commission shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to implement this section, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations establishing procedures for issuing such tags or plates and for the use and display of such tags or plates. Each motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction who is issued tags or plates pursuant to this section shall keep such records as may be required by the State Tax Commission.
(6)
Any motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction who uses a tag or plate issued pursuant to this section for a purpose that is not authorized by this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), and the use of all tags or plates issued to such motor vehicle dealer or automobile auction pursuant to this section shall be suspended for a period of one (1) year.
(7)
As used in this section, the terms "motor vehicle dealer" and "automobile auction" shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in Section
27-19-303
, Mississippi Code of 1972.
Laws, 2000, ch. 488, § 1; Laws, 2002, ch. 408, § 1, eff. 7/1/2002.
Amended by Laws, 2024, ch. 429, SB 2530,§ 15, eff. 1/17/2025.
This section is set out more than once due to postponed, multiple, or conflicting amendments.