Mississippi's sole Tesla store plays by different rules than traditional car dealers in the state. A new state law is changing that

• Like the rest of the US, Mississippi has laws that restrict car dealerships from selling directly to consumers.

• But Tesla has skirted those regulations by calling its lone location in the state a "store" instead of a "dealership."

• A new law that closes the loophole was passed by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Tuesday.

A Mississippi Tesla store gets to play by different rules than its counterparts in the traditional auto dealership industry. But a new state law is set to level the playing field.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday that would force electric vehicle manufacturers to enter into franchise agreements in order to sell cars at brick-and-mortar stores, the Associated Press reported. The law will place EV companies under the same regulations as traditional carmakers.

Tesla currently has one store operating in the state, which has skirted regulations that face traditional car manufacturers by classifying itself as a "store" and not a "dealership," the AP reported.

"Almost 200 small businesses in communities across our state are seeking assurances that big manufacturers can't just destroy their businesses. That's fair!" Reeves wrote in a tweet Tuesday.

According to State Sen. Daniel Sparks, the law would not force the closure of the existing Tesla store in Mississippi — instead, the store would be grandfathered in under the law, but others like it would be prevented from opening, per the AP.

"We're saying if you choose to have a brick-and-mortar dealership, you have to follow the same laws that everyone else has to follow," Sparks said, per the Associated Press. "Please don't tell me Tesla's car doesn't identify as a car."