Unusual Mississippi Laws You May Not Know About

Posted by Leslie ShumakeDec 28, 20212 Comments

I am sometimes asked, "What Is The Strangest Law in Mississippi You Have Heard Of."   I know of a couple right off the bat, but decided to look up others.  Here are a few. Note that all Sections refer to the Statutes (laws) in the Mississippi Code.  Underneath I have given my opinion on the reason for the law, for better or worse. 

                                     Pecans: 

Section 69-33-3 makes it a crime to pick up pecans along the side of the road during "harvesting season."  For this you can be fined up to $100.00 or a maximum of 30 days in jail, so careful where and when you decide to pull over and collect pecans.

There are farmers in the Mississippi Delta and other areas whose chief source of income may be pecans.  You can see fields of pecan trees when you pass by, and some of the branches stick out over the road right of ways.  

                                   Walking Sticks:

Section 63-1-1111 makes it a crime to carry a cane or walking stick which is metallic or white and having a red tip, if you are not blind.  This carries a fine of up to $25.00 or 10 days in jail.  Check the color of your cane or walking stick if you walk with one.

This particular law is to be read along with other parts of the Statute, which makes it mandatory while you are driving to avoid or even stop your car if a blind or disabled person with such a cane is crossing the road.  The law also states that this does not apply to trains, which one would assume anyway.     

                                   School Buses:

Section 37-31-45 authorizes law enforcement to pull over a school bus if it is not being used in connection with a school.  The fine is $50.00.

I have no idea or opinion as to why the legislature felt the need to pass this law, but I'm sure they had their reasons.  Actually, now that I think about it, that's a pretty low price to pay for the opportunity to, say, load up 25 or so of your closest friends on a party bus and go to a social event...not that I am encouraging such a thing, of course.

                                   Gas Stations:

Have you ever wondered while you are pumping premium unleaded into your car (and paying the premium price), about whether that thermos truck putting gas underground next to you is just putting all the same kind of gas in the storage tank, and you are being charged three different prices?  Of course you have.. 

Section 75-55-21 addresses that issue.  It makes it a penalty of up to $1,000.00 fine and 12 months in jail for a wholesale gas distributor to pull such a stunt, and also makes it a crime to falsely label the pumps or disguise whatever watered down product they are selling as "Exxon", "Shell", Etc.

This is not an unusual law, I know, but I just had to find out if I was protected in any way from fake gas companies.  I'm not sure if this makes me feel better.