Fact Check: Examining Mississippi’s license plate laws

BROOKHAVEN — A report from WLBT last week suggested license plate frames were illegal under MS Code § 27-19-31 (2023). The report additionally suggested the frames were made illegal in a bill passed in 2023. Neither of the reports are accurate.

The section WLBT referenced in their report states this “Any person who defaces, covers or obstructs any portion of a license tag with any sticker, decoration, paint, marking, license plate bracket or holder or any other thing or device, in such a manner that the characters and any legally affixed decals on the tag cannot be read, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00).”

The section continues “However, it shall not be unlawful for the county name to be partially or completely obstructed from view by any object, decal, sticker or license plate bracket or holder.”

In other words, it is legal for the name of the county to be partially or totally covered by a frame without penalty, which is contrary to WLBT’s report “that your favorite car tag frame could be a violation, according to Mississippi law.”

It is illegal to obscure the identifying characters or the annual decal to the point that it cannot be read.

Lincoln County Board Attorney Greg Malta said violation of obscuring the identifying characters or annual decal to the point they could not be read and other parts of the section gives law enforcement officers reasonable suspicion to make a stop.

“Any illegal activity or contraband substance discovered as result of the stop would likely be admissible against the driver,” Malta said.

According to WLBT’s report , Darnika Mayfield, Public Affairs Officer for MHP’s Troop C, said the license plate frame became illegal under a law passed in 2023. Her claim is not backed up by state law.

The same section quoted in WLBT’s report regarding license plate frames is also present in the 2020 version of the law and did not change.

The text which is not present in 2020 but is present in 2023 relates to the blackout tags . These tags benefit the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Death Benefits Trust Fund. The 2023 law change added language allowing private carriers of passengers and motorcycles to use blackout tags which went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

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