MS HB549

Creates Section 41-3-9 to allow persons with relatives buried in a cemetery or graveyard that has been publicly used for 20+ years to acquire a right-of-way not exceeding 15 feet in width over intervening land to reach the nearest public road or highway if the cemetery is not adjacent to any public road.

Creates Section 41-43-11 requiring owners and lessees of private land containing cemeteries, graves, or burial sites to allow reasonable access to family members, friends, descendants, cemetery plot owners, and persons conducting genealogical, historical, or cultural research who provide reasonable notice.

Grants landowners and lessees the right to designate reasonable frequency, hours, duration, and access routes for cemetery visitors.

Makes persons accessing the cemetery responsible for any damage they cause to the private land, cemetery, or burial site.

Provides immunity from civil liability to landowners and lessees absent gross negligence or willful misconduct for injuries or incidents arising from the authorized access.