HB 1225 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Tow trucks and wrecker services; bring forward provisions regularly.

HB 1225 reorganizes existing Mississippi laws about vehicle yield requirements for emergency and service vehicles, consolidating multiple references into a single, updated section (63-3-809). It requires drivers to yield to stationary emergency vehicles (with flashing lights), recovery vehicles (tow trucks), utility vehicles, sanitation vehicles, and rural mail carriers by changing lanes if safe or reducing speed. The bill updates references and grammar in the law but does not change the existing requirements or penalties (fines up to $250 or $1,000 for violations causing injury or damage). This affects all drivers operating vehicles on Mississippi roadways. The bill is procedural, focusing on code clarity rather than creating new regulations.

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 16, 2026 Last action Mar 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Current version · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly changes Mississippi's towing laws by adding requirements for towing companies to record customer information, establishing stricter notification timelines for abandoned vehicles, and introducing third-party vendor requirements for notifications. The bill also amends commercial vehicle towing regulations and updates the effective date of the legislation.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from bringing forward multiple existing sections to primarily amending Section 85-7-251 (towing company record-keeping and notification requirements) and Section 63-23-5 (abandoned vehicle notification procedures), while removing several unrelated sections that were previously brought forward.

REQUIREMENT

Towing companies must now record the name, phone number, and email address of anyone requesting towing services, along with whether the request came from the vehicle owner, law enforcement, or property owner.

Notification timelines for abandoned vehicles were shortened from 10 days to 7 days for notifying lienholders, and the bill requires using third-party vendors for certified mail notifications.

New requirement for towing companies to maintain accurate records for three years identifying vehicles towed, persons who made requests, and procedures taken to comply with the chapter.

ENFORCEMENT

Failure by a towing company to record required information results in a waiver of all storage and towing fees, unless the company can prove the request came from the vehicle owner.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the act was changed from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2026, with repeal occurring on June 30, 2026, making it a one-year temporary measure.

SCOPE

Sections related to emergency vehicle right-of-way, trailer safety chains, commercial vehicle towing advisory committee, and various other towing regulations were removed from the bill.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 10 edits

MAJOR

This bill updates Mississippi laws regulating tow trucks and wrecker services by bringing forward existing sections and amending two sections to reflect current references and grammar. The changes establish a new Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee, set statewide maximum towing and storage rates, ban per-pound billing for nonconsensual tows, require detailed photo documentation before tows, and add restrictions on law enforcement officers accepting compensation from towing companies.

Scope change

The bill now specifically focuses on commercial motor vehicles and adds new requirements for nonconsensual towing of commercial vehicles, including mandatory photo documentation, prohibition of per-pound billing, and restrictions on law enforcement compensation.

REQUIREMENT

Created a new Commercial Vehicle Towing Advisory Committee with members from public safety, towing associations, trucking associations, and local police to oversee towing regulations.

Established statewide maximum towing and storage rates for nonconsensual tows of commercial vehicles, with annual reviews considering market fluctuations.

Banned per-pound billing methods for nonconsensual towing of commercial vehicles.

Required towing services to take at least four photographs of commercial vehicles before nonconsensual towing to document vehicle condition and reason for tow.

Prohibited law enforcement officers from receiving compensation, holding financial interests in, or recommending specific towing services.

Required that nonconsensually towed commercial vehicles be stored within Mississippi and provided owners reasonable access to retrieve personal property from towed vehicles.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for heavy-duty towing, medium-duty towing, towing and recovery service, law enforcement officer, tow list, police initiated towing, vehicle immobilization device, per pound billing, drop fee, cargo, and commercial vehicle.

Updated definitions of highway maintenance vehicle, recovery vehicle, utility service vehicle, and sanitation vehicle to include contractor-operated vehicles under contract with government entities.

ENFORCEMENT

Established a complaint process, dispute resolution procedure, and appeals process for towing service charges with provisions for suspending or removing services from tow lists.

TIMELINE

Set effective date of July 1, 2026, with the act repealing on June 30, 2026, and required the Advisory Committee to hold its first meeting by September 1, 2024.

Floor votes · House Feb 12, 2026

How they voted

121–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 122

Feb 12, 2026

D Democratic40

40 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican80

79 Yea 1

98% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Feb 19, 2026

Committee

Referred To Judiciary, Division A

upper

Feb 16, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Referred To Judiciary A

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor