IN GENERAL

Batesville Code of Ordinances ch. 11, art. I

in effect

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-1 Obstructing waterways.

Sec. 11-1. - Obstructing waterways. It shall be unlawful for any person willfully to put into any ditch opened or maintained by the city, or into any natural waterway in the city, and log, chunk, brush, dirt or other obstruction. (Ord. No. 83-11, § 1, 6-7-04)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-2 Fortune tellers; palmistry.

Sec. 11-2. - Fortune tellers; palmistry. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to operate, carry on or operate the business or profession of fortune telling or palmistry within the corporate limits of the city (section 131, Chapter 491, Laws 1950). (Ord. No. 83-75, 12-1-53)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-3 Junkyards.

Sec. 11-3. - Junkyards. It shall be unlawful for any person to establish and/or operate a junkyard in the corporate limits of the city, in which is stored or kept junked automobiles, scrap iron and other items commonly known as junk. (Ord. No. 83-92, § 1, 10-1-57)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-4 Unlawful public conduct.

Sec. 11-4. - Unlawful public conduct. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to conduct or participate in any parade or marching on the sidewalks or streets or other public places of the city, or to move or stand on such places carrying banners, placards, signs or the like, or to sit, kneel or lie on the sidewalks or streets or curbs of the city, without the written permission of the chief of police and the mayor. (Ord. No. 83-110, § 1, 4-7-64)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-5 Abusing members of police and fire departments.

Sec. 11-5. - Abusing members of police and fire departments. It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to curse, insult, deride, ridicule, or use abusive language towards the chief of police, a member of the police department or a member of the fire department while the chief of police, member of the police department or member of the fire department is properly performing his official duties. (Ord. No. 83-111, § 1, 4-7-64)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-6 Public address systems.

Sec. 11-6. - Public address systems. It shall be unlawful for any person to operate and use a stationary public address system with amplifier or loudspeaker on, in or around the public square and business section of the city, without a permit from the mayor and board of aldermen. (Ord. No. 83-69, § 1, 12-4-51)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-7 Use of weapons.

Sec. 11-7. - Use of weapons. Except in the lawful defense of person or property, or during the course of law enforcement, or as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful for any person to willfully discharge any pistol, rifle, air rifle, shotgun, bow and arrow (including a crossbow) or other deadly weapon of like character within the city except that same may be discharged by a person who is engaged in hunting game, within the legal season for hunting such game, and such hunting and discharge occur under the following conditions: (1) The hunting occurs on property owned in whole or in part by the hunter; (2) If the hunter owns no interest in said property, then the hunter shall have written permission to hunt thereon from an owner of an interest therein; (3) The property consists of at least twenty (20) contiguous acres; (4) The discharge of such firearm does not occur within one hundred fifty (150) feet of a dwelling or occupied building; (5) The said discharge does not occur within one hundred (100) feet of a public road or highway; (6) The said discharge does not occur within one-fourth of a mile of a church on Sunday; and (7) The person discharging the firearm has complied with all applicable state and federal laws pertaining to such hunting. (Ord. No. 83-66, § 1, 7-5-50; Ord. No. 96-09-516, 9-13-96)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-8 Carnivals or other transient amusement troupes or organizations employing gambling devices or games of chance.

Sec. 11-8. - Carnivals or other transient amusement troupes or organizations employing gambling devices or games of chance. (a) No carnival, or other professional troupe or organization traveling from town to town on a regular transient basis shall be allowed to conduct any activities within the corporate limits of the City of Batesville, Mississippi, which activities include any games, devices, amusement machines, cane or knife racks, or other gambling devices or games of chance whether for gain by the players or amusement, where any fee or price is charged for such device, game, or similar thing. (b) Any and all carnivals, troupes, or transient amusement organizations employing any such game of chance or similar amusement device shall be and the same are hereby prohibited from establishing their grounds on any temporary or transient basis within the corporate limits of the City of Batesville, Mississippi. (c) Violation of this section by any individual or organization shall constitute a misdemeanor punishable by fine or imprisonment as to each such individual or organization within the maximum amounts and penalties provided for the Municipal Court of the City of Batesville, Mississippi, by this Code of Ordinances. The chief of police and the City of Batesville Police Department are hereby authorized and instructed to enforce this section as to any individual or organization violating or attempting to violate the same by setting up or establishing any temporary location within the City of Batesville, Mississippi, for any carnival or similar device. (d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the conduct by schools or other charitable or nonprofit organizations or amateur amusements or fundraisers conducted solely by personnel or affiliates of said school or other charitable organization, and not by any professional organization, entity or person, where said fundraisers are conducted solely upon the premises of said school or other charitable organization. Neither shall this section in any way prohibit or suppress any carnival or other amusement troupe or organization from conducting its activities for profit or otherwise outside the city limits of the City of Batesville, Mississippi. (Ord. No. 90-10-394, §§ 1—4, 10-16-90)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-9 Municipal court surcharge.

Sec. 11-9. - Municipal court surcharge. (a) The municipal court of the city shall assess, as an additional surcharge, the sum of ten dollars ($10.00) on each person upon whom the court imposes a fine or other penalty for each violation of Title 63, Miss. Code Ann. 1972, except offenses relating to vehicular parking or registration. (b) The proceeds from said surcharge shall be collected, administered, deposited, disbursed, and otherwise handled in the manner provided by Chapter 569, House Bill 469, Mississippi Legislature, 2001 Regular Session, Section 12(1), and by the Policies and Procedures for House Bill 469 established by the department of public safety's office of public safety planning and approved and adopted by the mayor and board of aldermen of the city on January 15, 2002, and by the inter-governmental public safety wireless radio communications and related computer equipment program inter-governmental agreement approved by the mayor and board of aldermen on January 15, 2002. (Ord. No. 02-01-619, §§ 1, 2, 1-15-02; Ord. No. 2021-04-887, 4-6-21)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-10 Carriers, conveyances and vehicles in downtown park.

Sec. 11-10. - Carriers, conveyances and vehicles in downtown park. (a) No person shall ride any carrier, conveyance, or vehicle with one (1) or more wheels in the downtown park in the city. Examples of such carriers, conveyances, and vehicles are skateboards, roller skates, unicycles, tricycles and bicycles. There is excluded and excepted from these provisions wheelchairs, walkers, baby buggies, baby strollers, and other carriers, conveyances, and vehicles for the transportation of infants, elderly persons and disabled persons. (b) Any person convicted of violating the provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined at least fifty dollars ($50.00) but not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each offense. (Ord. No. 06-07-675A, §§ 1, 2, 7-18-06)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-10.5 Carriers, conveyances, and vehicles in city parks or at the Indian Mounds.

Sec. 11-10.5. - Carriers, conveyances, and vehicles in city parks or at the Indian Mounds. No person shall ride any carrier, conveyance, or vehicle, with one (1) or more wheels at the city parks or at the Indian Mounds except in the places specifically designated as a place where carriers, conveyances, and such vehicles may travel or park. Examples of such carriers, conveyances, and vehicles are skateboards, roller skates, unicycles, tricycles, bicycles, four wheelers, motorcycles, and any and all other means of transportation of persons or things. There is excluded and excepted from these provisions wheelchairs, walkers, baby buggies, baby strollers, and other carriers, conveyances, and vehicles for the transportation of infants, elderly persons, and disabled persons. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section or pleading guilty or nolo contendere to a violation of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100.00) for such offense. (Ord. No. 2019-12-872, §§ 1, 2, 12-3-19)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-11 Public indecency.

Sec. 11-11. - Public indecency. Public indecency is prohibited as follows: (1) A person commits the offense of public indecency when he or she performs any of the following acts in a place where a person should reasonably expect to be in view of the public: a. An actual or simulated act of sexual intercourse or masturbation; b. Exposure of the genitals; c. A lewd appearance in a state of partial or complete nudity; d. A lewd caress or indecent fondling of the body of another person; e. A lewd caress or indecent fondling of the sexual organs of any person, including oneself; f. Urination or defecation; or g. Appears wearing pants or skirts more than three (3) inches below the top of the hips (crest of the ilium) exposing the skin or undergarments. (2) Fines and penalties. A citation shall be issued to the offender and upon conviction, a guilty plea, or a plea of nolo contendere, the offender shall be fined fifty dollars ($50.00) for the first offense, one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the second offense, and one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for the third offense within one (1) year of the date of the first offense. In addition to or in lieu of a fine, the court may order a person to participate in up to eight (8) hours of court approved community service activities for the first offense, sixteen (16) hours for the second offense, and twenty-four (24) hours for the third offense within one (1) year of the date of the first offense. Alleged violators shall not be subject to arrest or imprisonment for violation of the section, however, a ticket or citation shall be issued to such person. (Ord. No. 2012-10-778, § 1, 10-19-12)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-12 Soliciting in public rights-of-way; prohibited.

Sec. 11-12. - Soliciting in public rights-of-way; prohibited. (a) No person shall seek or in any way solicit donations of money or other items within any right-of-way of any public street or highway, or within ten (10) feet of any such right-of-way boundary line in the City of Batesville, Mississippi. (b) Violation of this section shall constitute a misdemeanor and any person who is found guilty of violating this section or who pleads no contest to a charge of violating this section, shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100.00) for the first offence and two hundred dollars ($200.00) for any subsequent offense. Each day that a violation occurs shall constitute a separate violation. (c) A car wash as defined in the ordinance adopted by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Batesville, Mississippi, on July 17, 2007, is not prohibited by the section. (Ord. No. 2015-09-824, §§ 1—3, 9-15-15)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-13 Fishing at Indian Mounds prohibited.

Sec. 11-13. - Fishing at Indian Mounds prohibited. No person shall fish at the Batesville Indian Mounds unless such person is participating in an event held by the city. Any person convicted of violating this section or pleading nolo contendere shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00). (Ord. No. 2020-07-877, §§ 1, 2, 7-7-20)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-14 Videoing of city buildings.

Sec. 11-14. - Videoing of city buildings. Before videoing inside any building of the City of Batesville, Mississippi, the city's video registration form must be fully completed and given to the city clerk. The video registration form shall be available at city hall upon request. Any person accompanying the person who is videoing the building shall also be required to complete and sign the video registration form. The video registration form must be completed in a legible manner otherwise it will not be accepted. Failure to register prior to videoing inside any City of Batesville building shall be a misdemeanor and upon conviction the person shall be fined five hundred dollars ($500.00). (Ord. No. 2022-07-897, 7-19-22)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-15 [Trespassing.]

Sec. 11-15 - [Trespassing.] It shall be unlawful for any person: (1) To be present on the real property of another without the permission of the owner or tenant of the real property. (2) To fail or refuse to leave the real property of another immediately when requested to leave by the owner of the tenant of the real property. (3) To move through, or be present at, a place or area in such a way as to conceal or attempt to conceal such a person's presence. (4) To be in a place or area without a lawful purpose reasonably related to the place or area. (5) To be at a place at a time and in a manner that is not usual for law abiding individuals under circumstances that warrant justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of person or property in that place. Any person convicted of, or pleading nolo contendere to, any of the foregoing shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined three hundred ($300.00) or sentenced to jail for ten (10) days, or both fined and jailed. (Ord. No. 2023-08-914, 8-15-23)

Batesville Code of Ordinances § 11-16 [Cleaning of property.]

Sec. 11-16. - [Cleaning of property.] (a) The word "tract" in this section shall mean property or a parcel of land that is located in the city of Batesville ("city") and that is one (1) acre or less in size for which the cost to clean the said property or parcel of land does not exceed two hundred fifty ($250.00), excluding administrative costs. (b) The word "Official" in this section shall mean the chief building official. The Official shall be and is hereby authorized to determine whether the tract is in such a state of uncleanliness as to be a menace to the public health, safety, and welfare of the community. If the Official determines that the tract is in such state of uncleanliness the determination shall be set forth and recorded in the minutes of the Mayor and board of aldermen of the city. Thereafter the Mayor and board of aldermen shall, and the Official is hereby authorized and directed to, take all actions and do all things allowed, authorized, and required Miss. Code Ann. 1972, § 21-19-11(2) as now enacted and as hereafter amended and supplemented from time to time (the "Code") pertaining to or related in any way to the tract. (c) The current period of excessive rain and heat is resulting in the excessive growth of grass and weeds in the city and such growth requires the immediate efforts to mitigate such growth. This section addresses that problem and is for the preservation and the promotion of the public peace, health, and safety and upon the unanimous affirmative vote for this section by all members of the Mayor and board of aldermen this section shall be effective from and after its passage as allowed by Miss. Code Ann. 1972, § 21-13-11 as now enacted and as hereafter amended and supplemented from time to time. (Ord. No. 2023-07-911, 1—3, 7-18-23)

Source: City of Batesville, Mississippi, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ms/batesville/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH11OFIS_ARTIINGEFetched: 10/31/2026