HB155: HB155 Local government; selection and objection to arbitrators; revise procedures

When a Georgia city tries to annex land and a county objects, state law sends the dispute to a panel of arbitrators. This bill changes how those arbitrators are picked, how long the process takes, how panels report their findings, and how arbitrators are paid, including a new flat $100 payment on top of standard per diem and expenses. The bill also stops county development authorities in counties that are almost entirely covered by cities from taking property for tax incentive projects inside certain cities, unless that city agrees. Separately, it rewrites Georgia's zoning law so that a superior court's final ruling on a zoning decision can be appealed directly to the Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court, and it removes some administrative and quasi-judicial permitting authority from local boards. Different parts of the bill take effect January 1, 2026 or July 1, 2025.

• Changes how the state Department of Community Affairs selects annexation arbitration panels, expanding the initial pool of candidates to 11 names and setting new deadlines and strike rules for cities and counties.
• Sets a firm 60 day deadline (extendable once by 10 business days) for arbitration panels to decide annexation disputes, while allowing a mutual 180 day pause for settlement talks.
• Adds a flat $100 payment for arbitrators on top of their existing per diem and expenses for serving on a panel.
• Bars county development authorities in counties almost entirely covered by cities (called 'massively municipalized counties') from buying property for tax incentive projects inside certain cities if that city objects by resolution.
• Creates a new category of directly appealable superior court rulings for zoning decisions, letting parties go straight to the Georgia Court of Appeals or Supreme Court.
• Removes language authorizing administrative officers and quasi-judicial boards to decide on special administrative permits and conditional permits, narrowing what local zoning boards can independently decide.

Georgia cities and counties involved in annexation disputes, arbitrators serving on annexation panels, county development authorities and the cities that host their projects, local zoning boards and quasi-judicial permitting bodies, property owners seeking zoning changes or permits, and Georgia's appellate courts.

Cities and counties fighting over annexations would face faster, more structured arbitration with clearer rules for picking judges and reporting decisions. Property owners and local governments involved in zoning disputes would gain a more direct path to appellate court, and some cities would gain new leverage to keep county development authorities out of their tax incentive deals.

• Section 1-1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 36-36-114 so the department picks 11 potential arbitrators (not just names for a five-member panel), with cities and counties each getting limited strikes before a final five-member panel is set.
• Section 1-2 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-36-115, setting a 60 day decision deadline for arbitration panels, adding a $100 payment for arbitrators, and requiring the panel's written findings to include each member's vote.
• Section 1-3 adds new O.C.G.A. § 36-62-4.1, defining 'massively municipalized county' and barring its development authority from acquiring property for tax incentive projects in certain cities that object by resolution, unless the project was approved before January 1, 2026.
• Section 2-1 amends O.C.G.A. § 5-6-34 to add final judgments reviewing a 'zoning decision' to the list of rulings that can be directly appealed to Georgia's appellate courts.
• Section 2-3 and 2-4 amend O.C.G.A. §§ 36-66-2 and 36-66-3, revising definitions of 'quasi-judicial officers, boards, or agencies' and 'zoning decision' and removing prior references to special administrative and conditional use permits.
• Section 2A-1 revises O.C.G.A. § 36-36-20's definition of 'contiguous area' for municipally owned property being annexed, adding a county referendum requirement for certain annexations by length of a street, creek, or railroad right of way.
• Section 3-1 sets staggered effective dates: Part I (arbitration changes) takes effect January 1, 2026; Part II (zoning appeals) takes effect July 1, 2025 and applies to zoning and quasi-judicial decisions from that date; Parts IIA and III take effect July 1, 2025.

1. 2025-05-12Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-12Act 128
3. 2025-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-04-04House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2025-04-04Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub As Amended (Senate)
7. 2025-04-02House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub As Amended (House)
8. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)

• Victor Anderson (R, HD-010)Primary sponsor
• John LaHood (R, HD-175)
• Charles Cannon (R, HD-172)
• Brad Thomas (R, HD-021)
• Brent Cox (R, HD-028)
• Joseph Gullett (R, HD-019)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 20, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #55

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   44 yea, 7 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #356

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   54 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #358

4. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2025

   47 yea, 4 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Adoption Of Amendment #1 By The Senator From The 50th: Senate Vote #357

5. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2025

   130 yea, 35 nay (5 not voting, 10 absent)

   Agree To Senate Sub As Am: House Vote #396

6. PassedHouse voteApril 4, 2025

   117 yea, 49 nay (2 not voting, 12 absent)

   Agree To Senate Amend To Ham To Ssub: House Vote #451

7. PassedSenate voteApril 4, 2025

   36 yea, 17 nay (1 not voting, 2 absent)

   Agree To House Amendment To Senate Substitute As Amended By Am #2: Senate Vote #468

• annexation disputes
• local government arbitration
• zoning appeals
• development authorities
• municipal boundaries