Housing

HB 790 clarifies that anyone who enters property without permission (a trespasser) cannot be considered a tenant and may be removed immediately by the property owner or their agent, without needing court proceedings or following standard eviction processes. The bill amends Mississippi tenant law to explicitly state that trespassers have no tenant rights, including protection from removal or liability for items left behind. It directly affects individuals who occupy property without the owner's consent, such as squatters or unauthorized occupants. The law changes existing statutes to ensure trespassers are not covered by tenant protections, allowing owners to address unauthorized presence swiftly.

HB 1423 allows recreational vehicle (RV) park owners to refuse accommodations or ask guests to leave for specific reasons, including intoxication, unpaid rent, disturbances, illegal activity, or safety hazards. If a guest refuses to leave, park owners can request police to arrest them for trespass, and police must enforce removal. The bill explicitly prohibits denials of service based on race, disability, gender, or other protected characteristics. It also requires parks to give guests 48 hours to retrieve belongings after removal, with owners allowed to dispose of unclaimed property afterward. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and was not enacted.

Mississippi's SB 2296, the Safe Parks and Public Spaces Act, prohibits public camping on non-designated public property (like parks and sidewalks) except for temporary homeless encampments. It makes unauthorized camping a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $100 (with first offenses requiring referral to homeless shelters), and requires counties/municipalities to enforce this ban to receive state homelessness funding. Counties failing to enforce the law risk losing a pro-rata share of state homelessness funds, and residents or businesses can sue non-compliant local governments to compel enforcement. The bill directly affects homeless individuals camping in public spaces and local governments managing homelessness services.

Mississippi's SB 2330 proposes to prohibit camping, panhandling, and loitering on public and private property statewide, with limited exceptions like designated camping areas or permits. It allows local governments to create permitting programs for homeless camping on private property under strict conditions (e.g., no feasible alternatives, waste management plans) and requires 48 hours' notice before enforcement. Violations would be misdemeanors (not appearing on public records) and encampments could be removed humanely after 72 hours' notice. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and was never enacted.

HB 1421, which died in committee in February 2025, proposed significant changes to Mississippi's eviction process. It would have required eviction documents (summons and complaint) to be served within 72 hours of filing, set court hearings within 14 days, and mandated a 7-day minimum move-out period after a judgment (removing the court's ability to extend this). The bill also required specific notices in summonses explaining tenant rights, including the right to pay rent before a hearing to avoid eviction. These changes would have directly affected tenants facing eviction and landlords seeking possession of rental properties.

This bill prohibits sleeping, sitting, or storing personal items on public streets or sidewalks within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, hospitals, or critical infrastructure (like bridges or power lines). It classifies such encampments as public nuisances on public property and requires local authorities to provide 48 hours' written notice before enforcement, including information about shelter services. For private property, the bill adds homeless encampments to the public nuisance law, allowing property owners to request removal (with humane enforcement) and imposing cleanup costs as a lien on the property. Violations on public property may be charged as misdemeanors punishable by fines up to $5,000 or six months in jail.