Bill > SB2684

This bill aims to streamline the process for acquiring marketable title to properties that have been forfeited to the state, particularly those deemed "blighted." It first defines "blight" or "blighted" to include conditions such as dilapidation, abandonment, unsanitary or unsafe conditions, unrepaired disaster damage, uncorrected code violations, nuisance conditions, environmental hazards, and general neglect. The bill then requires the Secretary of State to determine if lands forfeited to the state for unpaid taxes are blighted, upon a petition from the tax sale purchaser and payment of a fee up to $500. Crucially, for lands officially declared blighted by the Secretary of State, the period of "adverse possession" – the legal principle where someone can claim ownership of land by openly occupying it for a statutory period – is reduced from the usual ten years to just one year, allowing for quicker acquisition of clear ownership for these properties.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/SB/SB2684.xml