Is a Kei Truck Street Legal in Mississippi?

What does Mississippi law say about Kei Trucks?

Kei Trucks are street legal in Mississippi in the sense that nothing in state law stops them. No statute or regulation mentions Kei Trucks or mini trucks, and the Department of Revenue (DOR) title rules, found in Title 35, Part VII of the state's administrative code, set no federal-safety-standard condition for cars or trucks. The DOR, which oversees the titles that county tax collectors issue, publishes a document checklist for vehicles imported from another country.

That is permission by silence rather than a written Kei policy, so the county tax collector who handles your file has room to ask questions. Call before the truck ships. To see how Mississippi compares with its neighbors, use the Kei Truck law map.

Is there a 35 mph limit for Kei Trucks in Mississippi?

No. The 35 mph figure in online lists traces back to statewide low-speed vehicle (LSV) bills that never became law. House Bill 1043 (2015), House Bill 1446 (2017) and Senate Bill 2121 (2020) each would have kept LSVs off roads posted above 35 mph, and each died in committee. A 2024 bill on UTVs and side-by-sides, House Bill 837, died the same way.

Mississippi law does let cities allow golf carts and LSVs on some local streets. An LSV in that setting is a vehicle with a top speed between 20 and 25 mph, built to the federal LSV equipment standard, and the DOR titles one only when it carries an LSV-specific VIN from its maker. A Kei Truck is not an LSV, so those local rules are not its route, and no speed cap applies to it.

What does Mississippi need to title a Kei Truck?

The DOR import checklist for county tax collectors covers three groups of paper:

• Ownership: the foreign ownership documents, the most recent registration certificate and a notarized bill of sale
• Federal import forms: the CBP 7501 entry summary, DOT's HS-7 and an EPA declaration the DOR prints as 3520-8
• A manufacturer's certificate of origin

A used Japanese truck has no US-style certificate of origin, so ask which items your office expects. Anything written in Japanese needs a certified translation into English.

What about the bonded title some lists mention? Mississippi does offer one when a buyer cannot get a title, using a surety bond for one and a half times the vehicle's average trade-in value, plus an affidavit of ownership and a bill of sale. It fixes a truck bought in the US without proper papers. It is not the normal path for a fresh import, and it is not a flat $100 fee.

1. Call the county tax collector

   Ask which items on the DOR import checklist the office expects for a used Japanese vehicle with no US certificate of origin, and how it will value the truck for county tax.

2. Get certified translations

   Have the Japanese export certificate and any other Japanese documents translated into English by a certified translator. The DOR requires a certified translation for anything not in English.

3. Assemble the import file

   Bring the notarized bill of sale, the export certificate as your foreign ownership document, the CBP 7501 entry summary, the HS-7 with box 1 marked and the EPA import declaration.

4. Title and register on time

   Apply at the county tax collector within the DOR deadline of 30 business days after purchase, and pay the title fee, registration fee and taxes.

5. Keep it road-spec

   Present the truck as the road vehicle it is, on highway tires, so nobody mistakes it for a recreational off-highway vehicle, a class Mississippi will not title.

Our guide to importing a Kei Truck explains each federal form, including the HS-7 (the DOT declaration of safety-standard status) and the EPA emissions declaration, and the 25-year rule page shows how to confirm the build month.

What inspection, fees and taxes apply?

Mississippi repealed its motor vehicle safety inspection law effective July 1, 2015 (House Bill 982), and the DOR says emissions testing is not a condition of registration. The DOR lists a $9 title fee, $14 for a first registration and $12.75 to renew, with privilege tax and county ad valorem tax on top. Liability insurance is still required, so set it up before you drive.

No inspection means nobody else will check the truck. Before it goes to work, look over the brakes, lights, cooling system and belts, and keep the air conditioning healthy for Mississippi summers. Our maintenance guide has the service list, and Oiwa Garage stocks brake parts and air conditioning parts for all five makes.

What should you avoid when titling a Kei Truck in Mississippi?

Keep it from being treated as an off-road vehicle. DOR rule 35.VII.6.03 refuses titles to anything that started life as a recreational off-highway vehicle, which the rule describes as built only for off-road use, 65 inches wide or less, 2,000 pounds or less unladen, and riding on nonhighway tires (four or more). A Kei Truck is narrow and light enough to fall inside two of those numbers.

What keeps it out of that class is its purpose: it was built and registered for roads, and it runs highway tires. Save aggressive tires and other changes from our off-road guide until after the title is issued, and bring the Japanese registration history to the counter.