SB252: SB252 Real and Personal Property; conveyance of municipal property interests to independent school systems; provide

Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 36-37-6.1) lets big cities, those with more than 300,000 residents under the 1960 census or later counts, sell, lease, or grant easements over parks, playgrounds, golf courses, and swimming pools for recreational purposes, with protections against losing dedicated public parkland. This bill adds a new option: such a municipality can lease, grant an easement over, or convey (transfer ownership of) that recreational property to an independent school system operating within the city, if both the city government and the school board agree it serves their best interests and the school system will use it for education. If the property is actually conveyed (not just leased), the city must replace it with other land of equal or greater acreage and similar or greater benefit to residents. Earlier land swaps between the city and school system can count toward that replacement requirement, and the law requires that these deals never cause a net loss of park acreage citywide.

• Adds a new authority letting large Georgia municipalities (population over 300,000) convey, lease, or grant easements over park and recreational property directly to independent school systems operating in the city.
• Requires that any conveyed property be replaced by the municipality with land of equal or greater acreage and similar or greater benefit to residents.
• Allows earlier property conveyances between the city and school system to count as credit against future replacement obligations.
• Requires that the combined effect of these property transfers never produce a net loss of park acreage owned by the municipality.
• Keeps in place existing rules protecting dedicated public parks from being sold off in ways that violate prior deeds or abandon their public use.

This applies to Georgia's largest cities (currently only Atlanta meets the population threshold), their independent school systems, and residents who use municipal parks, playgrounds, golf courses, and swimming pools that could be transferred for school use.

City leaders and school boards in Georgia's biggest municipalities gain a formal legal path to swap or transfer park land for school facilities, potentially speeding development of school buildings, but the acreage replacement rule means residents are meant to keep the same overall amount of parkland even as specific parcels change hands.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 36-37-6.1(c)(3) to authorize municipalities with over 300,000 residents to lease, grant easements over, or convey recreational property to an independent school system for a valuable consideration.
• The transfer requires mutual agreement that it serves the best interests of both the municipality and the school system and that the property will be used for educational purposes.
• If land is conveyed outright, the municipality must replace it with property of equal or greater acreage and equal or greater benefit to residents, considering the city's current uses and needs.
• Prior independent conveyances between the city and school system can be credited toward the replacement requirement for later conveyances.
• The cumulative effect of these transactions may not result in a net loss of park acreage owned by the municipality.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-14Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-14Act 295
3. 2025-05-14Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2025-03-20House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-03-20House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)

• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)Primary sponsor
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
• Jason Esteves (D, SD-035)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• Betsy Holland (D, HD-054)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2025

   56 yea, 0 nay

   Passage: Senate Vote #199

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 20, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 8 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #289

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

   52 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #311

• municipal property
• public parks
• school facilities
• local government law
• land use