HB883: HB883 Commerce and trade; standards for display of electricity dispensed by electric vehicle charging stations; revise and provide

Currently, Georgia law already asks electric vehicle charging stations to measure and display how much electricity they deliver, but this bill rewrites those requirements in more detail and adds new enforcement tools. Charging stations that charge money for electricity would have to measure delivery per kilowatt-hour and register annually with the state Commissioner (through the Department of Agriculture), paying a $250 yearly fee. Free alternating-current stations installed before January 1, 2026 would pay a smaller $50 fee and only need to show when a vehicle has received enough charge. The bill also gives inspectors power to test accuracy, seal compliant stations, seek a court injunction against stations that keep shorting customers, and condemn unsafe stations, following a court process through the probate court and sheriff similar to existing weights-and-measures law. Separately, it changes Georgia's motor fuel tax law so that electricity from free AC charging stations operating before January 1, 2026 is not taxed as motor fuel. The changes take effect January 1, 2026.

• Requires all electric vehicle charging stations that charge a fee to accurately measure and prominently display electricity delivered per kilowatt-hour, with meters recording total kilowatt-hours dispensed.
• Requires free alternating-current charging stations operating before January 1, 2026 to display when a vehicle has received its maximum needed charge, rather than a per-kilowatt-hour measurement.
• Creates annual registration with the state Commissioner, requiring station location, payment status, start date, manufacturer information, and a compliance certification, with a $250 fee for paid stations and $50 for free AC stations.
• Authorizes state inspectors to test charging stations for accuracy, seal compliant ones, and ask a superior court for an injunction against stations that keep shorting customers on electricity.
• Allows inspectors to condemn and shut down unsafe charging stations, following a probate court and sheriff process to forfeit, confiscate, and sell a station found to have been operated unlawfully.
• Exempts electricity delivered by free alternating-current charging stations operating before January 1, 2026 from Georgia's motor fuel excise tax.

Owners and operators of electric vehicle charging stations in Georgia, including businesses that charge drivers for electricity, the Department of Agriculture and its inspectors, superior and probate courts and county sheriffs involved in enforcement, and the Department of Revenue, which administers the motor fuel tax exemption.

Drivers using paid charging stations would get clearer, standardized information about how much electricity they are buying, backed by state inspections and penalties for inaccurate meters. Charging station operators would face new registration fees, paperwork, and the risk of court action or shutdown for unsafe or inaccurate equipment.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 10-1-222 to set separate measurement and display rules for paid stations versus free AC stations installed before January 1, 2026, and details the annual registration process and $250/$50 fees.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 10-1-224 to give inspectors authority to seal accurate stations, seek injunctions against stations delivering inaccurate measures, and condemn unsafe stations through a probate court forfeiture process.
• Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-9-2 to exclude free AC charging stations operating before January 1, 2026 from the definition of taxable motor fuel use.
• Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 48-9-3 to exempt electricity from those same free AC stations from the motor fuel excise tax and related exemption certificate rules.
• Section 5 sets the effective date of the Act as January 1, 2026.
• Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-04-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-04-02House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-03-31House Hopper (House)

• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)Primary sponsor

• electric vehicles
• EV charging stations
• motor fuel tax
• consumer protection
• weights and measures