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SB2684 • 2026

Blight; provide procedure for marketable title for properties forfeited to the state.

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 7-11-4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE FOR THE MEANING OF THE WORDS "BLIGHT" OR "BLIGHTED"; TO AMEND SECTION 7-11-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO DETERMINE WHETHER CERTAIN LANDS ARE BLIGHTED PROPERTY UPON PETITION OF A TAX SALE PURCHASER; TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF STATE TO ASSESS A FEE; TO AMEND SECTION 15-1-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE PERIOD OF ADVERSE POSSESSION FOR LANDS DETERMINED TO BE BLIGHTED PROPERTY BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL BE ONE YEAR; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Taxes
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Mumford, Simmons (12th)
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Blight; Provide Procedure for Marketable Title for Properties Forfeited to the State

This act amends existing laws to define blighted property and establish a process for determining if properties forfeited due to unpaid taxes are blighted, allowing tax sale purchasers to petition the Secretary of State for this determination.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines what 'blight' means in terms of dilapidation, abandonment, unsanitary conditions, damage from disasters, code violations, nuisances, environmental hazards, and neglect.
  • Requires the Secretary of State to determine if properties forfeited due to unpaid taxes are blighted after a tax sale purchaser pays a fee.
  • Limits the period for adverse possession (claiming ownership through continuous use) of blighted property to one year instead of ten years.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Tax sale purchasers who want to determine if properties they purchased due to unpaid taxes are blighted.
  • The Secretary of State, who must assess whether properties are blighted and set a fee for this service.
  • Owners of blighted property who may face shorter periods for adverse possession claims.

Terms To Know

Blight
A condition that makes land unsuitable or dangerous, including dilapidation, abandonment, and environmental hazards.
Adverse Possession
The process of claiming ownership over property through continuous use without the owner's permission for a certain period.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This bill did not pass in its session and therefore has no legal effect.
  • It is unclear how much the fee set by the Secretary of State will be, but it cannot exceed $500.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (S) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (S) Referred To Judiciary, Division A

Official Summary Text

Blight; provide procedure for marketable title for properties forfeited to the state.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S. B. No. 2684 *SS36/R910* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G3/5
26/SS36/R910
PAGE 1 (ens\tb)

To: Judiciary, Division A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Mumford, Simmons (12th)

SENATE BILL NO. 2684

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 7-11-4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
PROVIDE FOR THE MEANING OF THE WORDS "BLIGHT" OR "BLIGHTED"; TO 2
AMEND SECTION 7-11-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE 3
SECRETARY OF STATE TO DETERMINE WHETHER CERTAIN LANDS ARE BLIGHTED 4
PROPERTY UPON PETITION OF A TAX SALE PURCHASER; TO AUTHORIZE THE 5
SECRETARY OF STATE TO ASSESS A FEE; TO AMEND SECTION 15-1-13, 6
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE PERIOD OF ADVERSE 7
POSSESSION FOR LANDS DETERMINED TO BE BLIGHTED PROPERTY BY THE 8
SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL BE ONE YEAR; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. Section 7-11-4, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 11
amended as follows: 12
7-11-4. (1) The words "State Land Commissioner," "land 13
commissioner," "state land office" and "land office" shall mean 14
the Secretary of State wherever they appear in Sections 3-5-11, 15
21-33-69, 21-37-49, 25-7-83, 27-3-43, 27-29-1, 27-35-65, 27-35-69, 16
27-39-319, 27-45-21, 29-1-1, 29-1-5, 29-1-7, 29-1-9, 29-1-13, 17
29-1-17, 29-1-21, 29-1-25, 29-1-27, 29-1-31, 29-1-33, 29-1-35, 18
29-1-37, 29-1-43, 29-1-49, 29-1-51, 29-1-53, 29-1-55, 29-1-57, 19
29-1-59, 29-1-61, 29-1-63, 29-1-65, 29-1-67, 29-1-69, 29-1-71, 20
29-1-77, 29-1-79, 29-1-83, 29-1-85, 29-1-87, 29-1-89, 29-1-91, 21
S. B. No. 2684 *SS36/R910* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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29-1-93, 29-1-95, 29-1-99, 29-1-101, 29-1-107, 29-1-111, 29-1-113, 22
29-1-115, 29-1-119, 29-1-123, 29-1-131, 29-1-133, 33-11-11, 23
49-5-1, 51-29-81, 51-29-85, 51-29-87, 51-33-43, 51-33-45, 24
51-35-159, 55-3-9, 55-7-13, 55-13-31, 59-9-21, 59-9-67, 89-11-3, 25
89-11-15, 89-11-19, 89-11-21, 89-11-27 and 89-11-29, Mississippi 26
Code of 1972, or in any other place where they appear in the laws 27
of this state. 28
(2) For the purposes of this chapter, the words "blight" or 29
"blighted" shall mean, but is not limited to, any of the 30
following: 31
(a) Dilapidation or structural deterioration, including 32
unsafe, collapsing, or partially collapsed buildings, roofs, 33
walls, foundations, or load-bearing elements; 34
(b) Abandonment or vacancy, evidenced by long-term 35
unoccupancy, boarded or broken windows or doors, lack of lawful 36
utilities, or other indicia that the property is not being 37
maintained; 38
(c) Unsanitary or unsafe conditions, including the 39
accumulation of trash, debris, junk, garbage, vermin, or hazardous 40
materials; 41
(d) Fire, flood, storm, or disaster damage that has not 42
been timely repaired and poses a continuing risk to persons or 43
property; 44
S. B. No. 2684 *SS36/R910* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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(e) Code violations related to building, housing, 45
health, or safety standards that remain uncorrected after notice 46
and reasonable opportunity to cure; 47
(f) Nuisance conditions, including persistent criminal 48
activity, illegal dumping, or conditions that attract criminal 49
behavior or create a public hazard; 50
(g) Environmental hazards, including contamination, 51
standing water, mold, or conditions conducive to the spread of 52
disease; or 53
(h) Neglect or failure to maintain the property in a 54
manner consistent with minimum health and safety standards. 55
SECTION 2. Section 7-11-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 56
amended as follows: 57
7-11-11. (1) The Secretary of State shall have charge of 58
the swamp and the overflowed lands and indemnity lands in lieu 59
thereof, the internal improvement lands, the lands forfeited to 60
the state for nonpayment of taxes after the time allowed by law 61
for redemption shall have expired, and of all other public lands 62
belonging to or under the control of the state. The regulation, 63
sale and disposition of all such lands shall be made through the 64
Secretary of State's office. 65
(2) The Secretary of State shall sign all conveyances and 66
leases of any and all state-owned lands and shall record same in a 67
book kept in his or her office for such purposes. 68
S. B. No. 2684 *SS36/R910* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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(3) Within ninety (90) days after the time allowed by law 69
for redemption shall have expired for the lands forfeited to the 70
state for nonpayment of taxes, the Secretary of State shall make a 71
determination of whether or not such lands are blighted property 72
upon petition of the tax sale purchaser and payment of a fee in an 73
amount to be determined by the Secretary of State, not to exceed 74
Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). 75
SECTION 3. Section 15-1-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 76
amended as follows: 77
15-1-13. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) or (3) of 78
this section, ten (10) years' actual adverse possession by any 79
person claiming to be the owner for that time of any land, 80
uninterruptedly continued for ten (10) years by occupancy, 81
descent, conveyance, or otherwise, in whatever way such occupancy 82
may have commenced or continued, shall vest in every actual 83
occupant or possessor of such land a full and complete title, 84
saving to persons under the disability of minority or unsoundness 85
of mind the right to sue within ten (10) years after the removal 86
of such disability, as provided in Section 15-1-7. However, the 87
saving in favor of persons under disability of unsoundness of mind 88
shall never extend longer than thirty-one (31) years. 89
(2) For claims of adverse possession not matured as of July 90
1, 1998, the provisions of subsection (1) shall not apply to a 91
landowner upon whose property a fence or driveway has been built 92
who files with the chancery clerk within the ten (10) years 93
S. B. No. 2684 *SS36/R910* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Blight; provide procedure for marketable
title for properties forfeited to the state.
required by this section a written notice that such fence or 94
driveway is built without the permission of the landowner. 95
Failure to file such notice shall not create any inference that 96
property has been adversely possessed. The notice shall be filed 97
in the land records by the chancery clerk and shall describe the 98
property where said fence or driveway is constructed. 99
(3) One (1) year's actual adverse possession by any person 100
claiming to be the owner for that time of any land determined to 101
be blighted property by the Secretary of State under Section 102
7-11-11(3) from the date of the determination, uninterruptedly 103
continued for one (1) year by occupancy, descent, conveyance, or 104
otherwise, in whatever way such occupancy may have commenced or 105
continued, shall vest in every actual occupant or possessor of 106
such land a full and complete title. 107
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 108
and after July 1, 2026. 109