Mississippi: Is it legal to put a train horn on a car?
Mississippi bars any horn from making an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle, which a train horn likely breaks.
Every car needs a horn audible from 200 feet, but no horn may make an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle. Sirens, whistles and bells are allowed only where the statute permits them, mainly on emergency vehicles. Air horns and train horns aren't named, so this is not an express ban, but a typical train horn likely fails the loudness rule.
Conditions
- Horn must not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle
- Horn may be used only when reasonably necessary for safe operation
What the law says
Every motor vehicle when operated upon a highway shall be equipped with a horn in good working order and capable of emitting sound audible under normal conditions from a distance of not less than two hundred (200) feet. The driver of a motor vehicle shall, when reasonably necessary to ensure safe operation, give audible warning with his horn but shall not otherwise use such horn upon a highway. No horn or other warning device shall emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle.
Sources
- Miss. Code Ann. § 63-7-65 (FindLaw, current as of Jan. 1, 2025) Mirror of official text · codes.findlaw.com
- Miss. Legislature, 2014 HB 589 (reproduces § 63-7-65) Official · billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
Confirm with the state
- Agency
- Mississippi Highway Patrol (Department of Public Safety)
- Phone
- 601-987-1212
- Website
- dps.ms.gov
How bordering states compare
- Alabama Allowed with limitsAlabama has no train horn ban, but it is a crime to make an unnecessary or unreasonably loud or harsh sound with a horn.
- Arkansas Allowed with limitsArkansas has no train horn ban, but no horn may make an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle.
- Louisiana Allowed with limitsLouisiana bans horns that make an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle, which a typical train horn likely fails.
- Tennessee Allowed with limitsTennessee bans sirens and exhaust, compression or spark plug whistles, and forbids unreasonably loud or harsh horn sounds, without naming air horns.
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