Scooters, Mopeds, Etc... in Mississippi

Before you hit the road with your motor scooter, you need the proper license or endorsement with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS) and registration with the Department of Revenue’s (DOR) Motor Vehicle Licensing Bureau.

You also need to know whether your cycle is actually a motor scooter or just a toy vehicle.

Mississippi Motor Scooters

Mississippi defines a motor scooter as a vehicle with:

  • 2 wheels.
    • 1 wheel must be 10 inches or more in diameter.
  • A step-through chassis.
  • A seat for the operator.
  • A motor with 2.7 brake HP or fewer (if the motor is an internal combustion engine).
  • An engine displacement of 55 CC or fewer.

In Mississippi law, the term “motorcycle” includes motor scooters. As such, you must have a motorcycle license or endorsement to ride a motor scooter in MS. You’ll also need to register your motor scooter with the MVS the same way you would register a standard motorcycle.

You MUST wear a helmet that meets American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) criteria whenever you ride your motor scooter.

NOTE: If your motor scooter was manufactured in 1980 or later, it must have a vehicle identification number (VIN) with 17 digits and an attached decal verifying the VIN conforms to National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standards.

Toy Vehicles

If your cycle doesn’t meet the federal safety requirements or the above criteria for motor scooters, the state considers it a “toy vehicle” and you can’t title or register it, meaning you CANNOT operate it on public roadways. Certain mopeds, electric bicycles, and other cycles can fall into this “toy vehicle” category if they don’t meet the criteria.

Autocycles

An autocycle is a type of motorcycle that has:

  • 3 wheels.
  • Automotive controls.
  • Seat belts.
  • A roll cage or roll bar that encloses it.

GENERALLY, you need a license and registration to operate an autocycle. Contact the Mississippi DPS at (601) 987-1212 to find out the type of license you need and the Motor Vehicle Licensing Bureau (601) 923-7200 at (601) 923-7200 to learn about autocycle titling and registration requirements.

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