HB663: HB663 Conservation and natural resources; fee for motor vehicle emissions inspections; revise provisions

Georgia law lets the Board of Natural Resources set fees that emissions inspection stations charge drivers for the annual vehicle emissions inspections required in some counties. Currently that fee must fall between $10.00 and $25.00 per inspection, based on the actual cost of running the inspection, including equipment, labor, training, record keeping, and other overhead. This bill rewrites part of that law (O.C.G.A. § 12-9-46) to raise the upper limit on that fee from $25.00 to $35.00. The minimum stays at $10.00, and the fee can still be adjusted each year to keep pace with inflation or deflation, measured by the federal Consumer Price Index. The bill does not set a specific new fee; it only changes the range the Board of Natural Resources can choose from when it sets the fee by rule or regulation.

• Raises the maximum allowable per-inspection emissions testing fee that inspection stations may charge from $25.00 to $35.00.
• Keeps the minimum allowable fee at $10.00 per inspection, unchanged from current law.
• Leaves in place the requirement that the fee reflect actual costs like equipment, testing, labor, training, record keeping, and reporting.
• Preserves the existing rule allowing annual fee adjustments tied to the Consumer Price Index published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with this change.

Drivers in Georgia counties that require vehicle emissions inspections, the private emission inspection stations that perform those tests, and the Board of Natural Resources, which sets the actual fee within the new range.

If the fee cap rises to $35, inspection stations could charge drivers more for required emissions tests in counties where inspections are mandatory, increasing the cost of getting or renewing vehicle registration for many Georgia drivers.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 12-9-46(a)(9) to change the fee ceiling for motor vehicle emissions inspections from $25.00 to $35.00 while keeping the $10.00 floor.
• Section 1 keeps the requirement that fees be based on the actual cost of performing inspections, including equipment, labor, training, and administrative costs.
• Section 1 keeps the option for annual fee adjustments based on the Consumer Price Index or its successor index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision clearing away inconsistent existing statutes.

1. 2026-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2025-03-03House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-28House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-27House Hopper (House)

• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)Primary sponsor
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)

• vehicle emissions inspections
• car registration fees
• environmental regulation
• Board of Natural Resources