Mississippi Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
Mississippi rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: No landlord-specific statute. It is a felony to photograph, film, videotape or record someone's image with lewd, licentious or indecent intent, without permission, where they would be undressed and reasonably expect privacy, including private dwellings, bathrooms and bedrooms. Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-63; § 41-29-531(e)
The rules in Mississippi
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. It is a felony to photograph, film, videotape or record someone's image with lewd, licentious or indecent intent, without permission, where they would be undressed and reasonably expect privacy, including private dwellings, bathrooms and bedrooms. The penalty for an adult is up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents, unless done to commit a crime or tort. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (FindLaw, code current as of January 1, 2025). § 41-29-531: https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-41-public-health/ms-code-sect-41-29-531/. The landlord-tenant act has no landlord-entry provision. |
|---|---|
| Guests & occupants | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. The tenant must make guests on the premises behave so as not to disturb neighbors, and must not knowingly let others damage the premises. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (FindLaw, code current as of January 1, 2025). |
| Service & support animals (state law) | A blind, mobility-impaired or hearing-impaired person, or a veteran diagnosed with PTSD, who uses a specially trained support animal is entitled to full and equal access to public conveyances, hotels, lodging places and other public accommodations. No fee or charge may be imposed for the animal. The statute does not expressly cover private rental housing. No state statute sets documentation rules or a misrepresentation penalty for assistance animals in housing. The federal Fair Housing Act governs, including reasonable accommodation for emotional support animals and no pet fees. Official code not freely readable online; text verified on a public code mirror (FindLaw, code current as of January 1, 2025). Source: Miss. Code Ann. § 43-6-155 |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
Mississippi vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | No landlord-specific statute. It is a felony to photograph, film, videotape or record someone's image with lewd, licentious or indecent intent, without permission, where they would be undressed and reasonably expect privacy, including private dwellings, bathrooms and bedrooms. The penalty for an adult is up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents, unless done to commit a crime or tort. Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-63; § 41-29-531(e) | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. The tenant must make guests on the premises behave so as not to disturb neighbors, and must not knowingly let others damage the premises. Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-25(e)-(f); §§ 89-8-1 to 89-8-45 (checked) | A blind, mobility-impaired or hearing-impaired person, or a veteran diagnosed with PTSD, who uses a specially trained support animal is entitled to full and equal access to public conveyances, hotels, lodging places and other public accommodations. No fee or charge may be imposed for the animal. The statute does not expressly cover private rental housing. No state statute sets documentation rules or a misrepresentation penalty for assistance animals in housing. The federal Fair Housing Act governs, including reasonable accommodation for emotional support animals and no pet fees. Miss. Code Ann. § 43-6-155 |
| Alabama | No landlord-specific statute. General criminal laws apply: using a device to overhear or record private communications without the consent of at least one party is criminal eavesdropping (Class A misdemeanor); installing an eavesdropping device in a private place without permission of the owner and any tenant is a Class C felony; secret surveillance while trespassing in a private place is a crime; and photographing or filming a person's intimate areas without consent where they expect privacy is voyeurism. Ala. Code §§ 13A-11-30 to 13A-11-33, 13A-11-41, 13A-11-42; § 35-9A-303 | No statute — lease governs. Alabama law sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit, or roommate right. The tenant must make guests on the premises behave so they do not disturb the neighbors, and the tenant is responsible for damage guests cause. Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-301(6)-(7), 35-9A-204(f) | Alabama's Assistance and Service Animal Integrity in Housing Act lets a landlord with a no-animals policy ask for reliable documentation, from the person's medical provider, of a disability and the disability-related need for an assistance animal, but only when these are not readily apparent or known. Documentation must be kept confidential. Misrepresenting a disability or need, making false statements to obtain documentation, creating or providing false documents, or putting a vest or sign on a pet to pass it off as an assistance or service animal is punishable by a $500 civil penalty or a Class C misdemeanor for a first offense, and a Class B misdemeanor after that. A tenant may not be charged extra for a service animal but is liable for damage it causes; the landlord may ask for proof of vaccinations. Ala. Code §§ 24-8A-1 to 24-8A-5; § 21-7-9(c) |
| Arkansas | No landlord-specific statute. Using a camera or other image-recording device to secretly observe or record a person in a private area of a residence where they expect privacy, without consent, is video voyeurism (a felony). Security monitoring run by or at the direction of the residence's occupant is exempt. Recording a conversation is legal only if the recorder is a party or one party consents. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-16-101, 5-60-120 | No statute — lease governs. Arkansas sets no guest-versus-tenant rule, state occupancy limit or roommate right. The tenant must make people on the premises with the tenant's permission behave so as not to disturb other tenants, and is responsible if they damage the premises. Ark. Code Ann. § 18-17-601(6)-(8) | Arkansas law guarantees people with visual, hearing or other physical disabilities full and equal access to rental housing, and makes interfering with that right a misdemeanor. Misrepresenting an animal as a service animal to a public accommodation carries a civil penalty of up to $250 per violation. Arkansas has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or pet-fee limits in housing; the federal Fair Housing Act governs those requests. Ark. Code Ann. §§ 20-14-302, 20-14-305, 20-14-310 |
| Louisiana | No landlord-specific statute. Video voyeurism is a crime. It means using any camera or image-recording device, including a drone, to observe, photograph or film a person without consent to that specific instance, either for a lewd or lascivious purpose or in certain intimate circumstances where the person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Recording conversations is lawful if the person recording is a party or one party gave prior consent, unless it is done to commit a crime, tort or other injurious act. La. R.S. 14:283(A); La. R.S. 15:1303(C)(4) | No statute on guests versus tenants or occupancy limits — the lease governs. Under the Civil Code, the lessee has the right to sublease and assign unless the lease expressly prohibits it. A lease clause prohibiting one of these is deemed to prohibit the others unless a contrary intent is expressed, and otherwise is construed strictly against the lessor. The lessee is responsible for damage caused by people on the premises with the lessee's consent. La. C.C. arts. 2713, 2692 | The Louisiana Support and Service Animal Integrity Act (2024) sets strict rules for support-animal documentation. A health care provider may issue documentation only if licensed in Louisiana (or through a licensure compact) and qualified to diagnose disabilities, and only after a disability assessment. The provider must have a therapeutic relationship of at least 30 days and at least 2 sessions (in person or remote), and must do a clinical evaluation at least 30 days before. The letter must show its effective date, the provider's license number and license type. Online letter mills don't qualify. Individuals may not falsely claim a disability-related need for a support animal or misrepresent an animal as a service dog to a residential landlord. Fines are up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second and $2,500 for later offenses. Sellers of support animals or certificates must give written notices. The Act doesn't limit fair housing accommodation rights. La. R.S. 46:1971-1978 (Acts 2024, No. 558, HB 407) |
| Tennessee | No landlord-specific statute. Unlawful photography: it is an offense to knowingly photograph (including by video) a person who has a reasonable expectation of privacy, without prior effective consent, if the image would offend or embarrass an ordinary person and was taken for sexual gratification, or includes the person's unclothed intimate areas or sexual activity. Tennessee is a one-party consent state for audio interception. Tenants may not unreasonably refuse landlord entry for inspection or repairs; entry without consent is allowed in an emergency. T.C.A. § 39-13-605; § 39-13-601(b)(5); § 66-28-403 | No statute — no statewide occupancy limit or guest rule; the lease governs. The tenant must require other persons on the premises with the tenant's or other occupants' consent to act so as not to disturb neighbors, and may not let anyone damage the premises. In URLTA counties, an unauthorized occupant who refuses to leave is grounds for termination on 3 days' written notice. T.C.A. § 66-28-401(4)-(5); § 66-28-517(a) | A tenant or applicant with a disability may request an exception to a no-pet policy or pet fees for a service animal (trained dog or miniature horse) or support animal (prescribed or recommended by a health care provider, including for emotional support). If the disability is not apparent, the landlord may request reliable documentation of the disability and the disability-related need; if the disability is apparent but the need is not, only of the need. 'Reliable documentation' must come from a health care provider, licensed disability service provider, caregiver or other reliable third party with actual knowledge — not from a website whose main function is selling animal certificates or registrations. The landlord may verify documentation (but not obtain protected medical records) and may deny the request if accurate documentation is not provided. Misrepresenting a disability or need, or providing documentation falsely stating an animal is a service or support animal, is a material default allowing termination and recovery of damages and attorney's fees. Landlords are not liable for injuries caused by an animal permitted as a reasonable accommodation. T.C.A. § 66-7-111 |
More Mississippi rental law
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- Landlord Entry Rules in Mississippi
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- Mississippi Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
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- Mississippi Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
- Mississippi Landlord Selling the House
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- Mississippi Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All Mississippi landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Mississippi
Compare privacy, guests & animals in all 50 states and DC →
Mississippi Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in Mississippi?
No landlord-specific statute. It is a felony to photograph, film, videotape or record someone's image with lewd, licentious or indecent intent, without permission, where they would be undressed and reasonably expect privacy, including private dwellings, bathrooms and bedrooms. The penalty for an adult is up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine. Recording conversations is lawful if the recorder is a party or one party consents, unless done to commit a crime or tort. (Miss. Code Ann. § 97-29-63; § 41-29-531(e))
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in Mississippi?
No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. The tenant must make guests on the premises behave so as not to disturb neighbors, and must not knowingly let others damage the premises. (Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-25(e)-(f); §§ 89-8-1 to 89-8-45 (checked))
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in Mississippi?
A blind, mobility-impaired or hearing-impaired person, or a veteran diagnosed with PTSD, who uses a specially trained support animal is entitled to full and equal access to public conveyances, hotels, lodging places and other public accommodations. No fee or charge may be imposed for the animal. The statute does not expressly cover private rental housing. No state statute sets documentation rules or a misrepresentation penalty for assistance animals in housing. The federal Fair Housing Act governs, including reasonable accommodation for emotional support animals and no pet fees. (Miss. Code Ann. § 43-6-155)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.