These Georgia Laws Will Go Into Effect Starting July 1

July 1 is an important date in Georgia because it is when many bills passed during the Georgia General Assembly legislative session officially become law.

Unless lawmakers include a different effective date in a bill, new laws typically begin on July 1. That timing is closely connected to Georgia’s fiscal year, which runs from July through June, a structure used by many states.

For 2026, the new laws cover a wide range of issues, including feral hog hunting, cash rounding rules if the penny is discontinued, tougher penalties for pimping and pandering, a new statute of limitations for clergy abuse cases, faster delivery robots, new restrictions on bingo games, changes to education, healthcare, public safety, transportation and more.

How the New Laws Were Reviewed

Each year after the legislative session, the state Legislative Services Committee and the Office of Legislative Counsel publish a summary of bills passed by lawmakers.

Using the 2026 summary, more than 120 laws were identified as taking effect on July 1, 2026. From that group, laws with broader public impact were filtered out from more routine or highly technical measures, such as judicial circuit renamings or narrow insurance and tax provisions.

The resulting list included 63 new laws expected to matter most to Georgia residents. These laws were then checked against the official legislative summary to ensure they were accurately described.

Aviation

Airport Safety and Land Use Rules

HB 1434 requires airport sponsors to identify areas affected by airport operations. Local governments must then create and enforce height and land-use regulations to protect airspace from obstructions. The Georgia Department of Transportation may assist, and the law includes a variance process.

Banking and Finance

Financial Exploitation and Virtual Currency Kiosk Protections

HB 945 allows financial institutions to place holds of up to 15 business days on transactions if they suspect financial exploitation of elderly or disabled customers. The law also requires notice to a trusted contact and adds new consumer protections for virtual-currency kiosks, including warnings, transaction limits and fraud refund rights.

Commerce and Trade

Cash Rounding Rules if the Penny Is Discontinued

HB 1112 creates rules for rounding cash purchases if the penny is discontinued. Merchants must accept exact change when offered, and sales tax must be calculated before rounding takes place.

Senior Living Referral Agency Rules

SB 439 requires referral agencies for senior-living facilities and personal care homes to give important disclosures to prospective residents and obtain acknowledgment of those disclosures. It also limits when agencies can charge facilities referral fees and gives the Attorney General enforcement authority.

Conservation and Natural Resources

Prescribed Burning for Forestry

HB 983 exempts certain silviculture-related prescribed burns from some notice and permit requirements. The law defines silviculture as the science and practice of managing forest growth, health, quality and composition.

Building Permit and Inspection Updates

SB 447 revises building inspection report procedures and permit issuance rules. It also requires local governments to provide real-time updates on the status of building permit applications.

Courts

Magistrate Court Jurisdiction Increase

HB 999 raises the civil jurisdiction limit for magistrate courts from $15,000 to $25,000. It also updates fee-collection rules and fixes a drafting issue in a previous magistrate election law. One section takes effect later, on January 1, 2027.

Crimes and Offenses

Pimping and Pandering Become Automatic Felonies

SB 547 makes pimping and pandering automatically punishable as felonies in Georgia.

Pharmacy Supervision and Drug Definition Updates

HB 382 requires pharmacists to be physically present when supervising pharmacy technicians, while allowing some technical tasks to be done remotely. The law also changes the pharmacist-to-intern or extern supervision ratio from 1:2 to 1:6 and updates several drug-related definitions. Certain provisions involving lysergide tartrate and crystalline-polymorph psilocybin will only take effect if the FDA approves the substances and they are added to federal drug schedules.

Signal Jammer Ban

SB 470 creates a new crime for possessing, making, selling or using cellular, GPS, radio or wireless signal jammers. The law includes mandatory penalties when public safety or critical infrastructure systems are affected. It also makes signal jammers contraband subject to forfeiture.

Clergy Sexual Abuse Offenses

SB 542 creates first-degree and second-degree offenses for improper sexual contact by a clergy member. It also sets a 15-year statute of limitations for those cases.

Abuse Victim Location Orders and Animal Cruelty Database

SB 587 allows courts to order the location of an alleged abuse victim in certain child and elder abuse cases. It also creates a statewide animal cruelty database.

Highway and Sidewalk Obstruction Penalties

SB 443 increases the penalty for obstructing a highway or street from a misdemeanor to an aggravated misdemeanor. Obstructing a sidewalk becomes a standard misdemeanor, and the law allows civil damages claims.

Disruption of Religious Services and Funerals

SB 591 makes disrupting a religious service, memorial or funeral a misdemeanor. The offense becomes an aggravated misdemeanor if it happens at a military funeral or memorial.

Gift Card Theft and Fraud

HB 447 creates new felony offenses for gift card theft, gift card forgery and gift card fraud.

Medical Cannabis Language and Rules

SB 220 replaces the term “low THC oil” with “medical cannabis” throughout Georgia law. It reduces criminal exposure for lawful possession, updates the list of eligible medical conditions for registration cards and revises duties for the Medical Cannabis Commission.

New Bingo Restrictions

HB 455 tightens bingo rules by reducing permitted locations and sessions, capping weekly prize amounts and limiting compensation for people who operate bingo games.

Criminal Procedure

Repeat Misdemeanor Felony Rule

HB 1075 makes a fourth or later qualifying misdemeanor within a 10-year period a felony. The offense is punishable by one to 10 years in prison.

Domestic Relations

Child Fatality Review Expansion

SB 383 expands child fatality review committees by adding members, requiring training and broadening the scope of reviews. It also adds new notification and reporting duties.

Safe-Haven Newborn Law Expansion

HB 350 expands Georgia’s safe-haven newborn law to include public safety vehicles, ambulances and newborn safety devices, including devices with cameras and alarms. It also protects people who help a parent surrender a newborn.

Family Justice Centers

HB 1283 authorizes Family Justice Centers that provide coordinated services to victims of family violence, sexual assault, abuse and trafficking. It also extends evidence-retention timelines in sexual assault cases.

Education

After-School Programs for Pre-K Students

HB 1123 requires schools that offer after-school programs to make those programs available to pre-K students beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. The law includes a waiver process.

New Math Instruction Requirements

HB 1030 creates new math instruction rules, including minimum instructional time in grades 4 and 5. It also sets advanced-course standards with automatic enrollment for grades 8 through 10 and adds new teacher training requirements.

Educator Preparation Program Data

HB 1107 requires the Professional Standards Commission to publish annual performance measures for educator preparation programs, including satisfaction survey results.

Diplomas for Terminally Ill Students

HB 1284 allows local school boards to award high school diplomas to terminally ill students receiving end-of-life care.

Hunting Safety and Outdoor Learning

SB 148 allows hunting safety instruction for students in grades 6 through 12. It also creates a pilot program for outdoor learning spaces, removes the physician-involvement requirement for AED programs and increases accumulated sick leave for teachers.

DREAMS Scholarship and Higher Education Updates

SB 556 creates the DREAMS scholarship, counts advanced fine arts courses toward HOPE eligibility, requires opioid-antagonist availability at university and technical college campuses, adds a medical school scholarship and increases 529 plan contribution limits. One part of the law was already effective on May 11, 2026.

Workforce and Apprenticeship Overhaul

HB 1302 makes major workforce alignment changes. It reconstitutes the Office of Student Achievement as the Office of Education and Workforce Strategy, updates the apprenticeship program and designates the Technical College System as the state apprenticeship agency. One section is delayed until January 1, 2027.

Student Political Expression Rights

SB 552 protects public school students’ right to political expression and equal access to limited public forums and political student groups.

Nontraditional Education and Virtual Student Access

SB 369 requires the State Board of Education to create rules and policies for nontraditional education programs. It allows virtual students to participate in extracurricular activities at their home school, requires total-cost-of-ownership reviews for school technology purchases and creates dropout recovery charter schools.

Computer Science Graduation Requirement

SB 179 makes computer science a graduation requirement beginning in the 2031-2032 school year. It also allows patriotic society representatives to speak to students when requested and classifies virtual-only nonpublic schools as private schools.

Foreign Funding Reports for Schools

HB 1379 requires annual reporting of foreign funding received by Georgia colleges, universities and school systems. The law defines a “foreign source of concern.” One section takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Pre-K, Kindergarten and Crisis Line Information

SB 589 allows 4- and 5-year-olds to enroll in Pre-K, permits eligible first-grade-age children to enroll in kindergarten instead and requires suicide and crisis line information on student ID badges.

Fire Protection and Safety

Truss and I-Joist Building Notices

HB 1086 requires buildings using light-frame truss or engineered I-joist construction to post notice of that construction type. Fire marshals are responsible for enforcement.

Food, Drugs and Cosmetics

Imported Shrimp Disclosure

HB 117 requires restaurants serving foreign-imported shrimp to disclose that information on menus or placards.

Egg Standards Repealed

SB 551 repeals Georgia’s egg standards, labeling and adulteration statute in full.

Game and Fish

Feral Hog Trapping and Drone Use

HB 946 allows feral hog trapping without a license, but hogs must be killed upon capture. The law also allows people to locate hogs using drones.

Reef and Migratory Fish Endorsements

SB 420 adds fees for reef and migratory fish endorsements, creates reporting requirements for endorsement holders and adjusts the effective date for related Department of Natural Resources rule violations.

Handicapped Persons

Service Dog Protections

HB 668 adds criminal penalties and restitution requirements for harming or interfering with service dogs. It also sets training rights and responsibilities and penalizes fraudulent service dog claims.

Health

GLP-1 Drug Administration in Personal Care Homes

HB 659 allows GLP-1 drug administration at personal care homes and adds optometrists to certain grant and loan forgiveness programs.

Pharmacist Access to HIV Prevention Medication

SB 195 allows pharmacists to administer HIV PrEP and PEP. It also allows physicians to prescribe long-acting injectables and creates related training and documentation requirements.

Medicaid Waiver for Mental Health Services

SB 428 directs the Department of Community Health to seek a Medicaid waiver for home and community-based mental health services for adults over 21 who do not require institutional care.

AED and Telephone CPR Training

SB 399 requires AED instructors to complete a nationally recognized course. It also requires communication officers to receive training in telephone CPR and AED guidance.

Labor and Industrial Relations

Portable Benefits for Independent Contractors

HB 987 creates portable benefit accounts for independent contractors.

Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies

First Offender Act Record Sealing

HB 162 changes when First Offender Act records are sealed and keeps them sealed unless first offender status is revoked.

Autism License Plates and Officer Training

SB 433 creates autism and developmental disability license plates. It also requires the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council to develop mandatory basic training for officers on encounters with people with autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities.

Local Government

Ancestral Burial Ground Access

SB 146 creates legal access and visitation rights for ancestral burial grounds located on private land. It also strengthens protections against disturbing those sites and creates new rules for family burial plots.

Mental Health

Background Checks for Care Facilities

HB 1097 requires criminal history and registry checks for caregivers, owners and staff at facilities serving children, elderly people and people with disabilities.

Military, Emergency Management and Veterans Affairs

Veterans Cemetery Eligibility Expansion

HB 985 expands eligibility for burial in Georgia veterans cemeteries to Georgians who served in Hmong or Laotian guerrilla units alongside U.S. forces between 1961 and 1975.

Motor Vehicles and Traffic

Vehicle Registration After Inheritance

HB 1181 allows registration of a vehicle received through inheritance, devise or bequest.

Faster Delivery Robots

HB 986 increases the maximum sidewalk speed for personal delivery robots from 4 mph to 7 mph. The robots must also provide an audible alert near pedestrians.

License Plate Fraud and Odometer Tampering

SB 293 raises penalties for license plate fraud and odometer tampering to felonies. It also adds VIN requirements for temporary tags, requires metal dealer plates, mandates annual dealer fraud reporting and updates used car dealer licensing rules. One part takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Emergency Vehicle and Traffic Stop Rules

HB 1161 updates rules for yielding to emergency vehicles and during traffic stops. It also penalizes fleeing or eluding officers and revises window tint and automated traffic camera rules. The window tint section is delayed until July 1, 2027.

School Zone Speed Camera Rules

HB 651 updates school-zone speed-camera warning sign rules, creates penalties for camera misuse and blocks new camera programs after 2027 unless voters approve them. Two enforcement-related sections take effect on July 1, 2027.

Penal Institutions

Drone Restrictions Near Prisons

HB 1230 tightens restrictions on drones near prisons. It bans drones used to deliver contraband or film for criminal purposes, allows a warden’s prior approval to be used as evidence against criminal intent and permits violating drones to be treated as contraband.

Professions and Businesses

Professional Health Programs

HB 219 allows state counseling, social work and nursing boards to operate professional health programs that monitor and rehabilitate impaired healthcare workers.

Stem Cell Therapy Rules

HB 1275 creates safeguards for human stem cell therapy. It bans the use of cells from aborted fetuses or embryos and restricts non-FDA-approved treatments, with exceptions.

Human Trafficking Training for Lodging Operators

SB 570 requires human trafficking awareness training for inns and short-term rental property managers. It also creates related reporting rules and penalties.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Clinics

HB 717 creates a licensing and oversight structure for psychedelic-assisted therapy clinics. The framework includes hospital affiliation requirements and provider qualifications.

Public Officers and Employees

Paid Maternal Birth Leave

HB 1118 creates 120 hours of paid maternal birth leave for certain state employees. It also bars employers from taking adverse action against employees who use that leave.

Social Services

RSV Information and Sickle Cell Review

HB 334 requires child care providers to share RSV information. It also requires the Department of Human Services to review whether sickle cell disease treatment is adequate for Medicaid recipients and publish a related report.

State Government

Stone Mountain and Jekyll Island Property Rules

HB 1415 updates the Stone Mountain Memorial Association’s property powers. It also requires certain Jekyll Island and Stone Mountain land to be placed into a public benefit trust unless sold for public road right of way.

Waters of the State, Ports and Watercraft

Abandoned Vessel Rules

HB 115 requires law enforcement to check on unattended vessels. It revises procedures for removing abandoned vessels and handling liens, while adding criminal penalties for owners who fail to retrieve abandoned vessels from public waters or property after notice.

Georgia’s new laws taking effect on July 1, 2026, cover a broad range of public issues, from criminal penalties and school rules to healthcare access, transportation changes, consumer protections and environmental regulations. While some measures are technical, many will affect everyday life across the state, including how residents interact with schools, courts, businesses, healthcare providers, law enforcement and local governments.