---
title: HB 1083. Madison County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1083
cite_as: HB 1083, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72589
date: 2026-05-11
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 886
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1083
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
  - Rob Leverett
  - Alan Powell
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1083/2025
upstream_id: 2102360
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - Madison County
  - magistrate court fees
  - court technology
  - local legislation
---

# HB 1083. Madison County; Magistrate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee

## Text

House Bill 1083 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Leverett of the 123rd and Powell of the 33rd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To authorize the assessment and collection of a technology fee by the Magistrate Court of
Madison County; to identify the authorized uses of such technology fee; to provide for the
termination of such technology fee and dedication of residual funds; to provide for a
contingent effective date and automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
(a) The clerk of the Magistrate Court of Madison County is hereby authorized to charge and
collect a technology fee to be set by the chief magistrate in an amount not to exceed $10.00
for the filing of each civil action with the court and not to exceed $10.00 as a surcharge upon
each fine assessed by the court. Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide
for technological needs of the Magistrate Court of Madison County. Such uses shall include
only the following:
(1) Computer hardware, software, and accessory purchases;
(2) Lease, maintenance, and installation of computer hardware;
(3) Purchase, lease, maintenance, and installation of imaging, scanning, facsimile,
communications, projection, and printing equipment and software; and
(4) Procurement of services or equipment for the conversion of court records and archives
to digital content for public access.
(b) Funds collected pursuant to this section shall be maintained in a segregated account by
the clerk of the magistrate court and shall be used only for the purposes authorized in this
section.
(c) The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to this Act shall terminate on
July 1, 2031, and any residual funds remaining in the account established by subsection (b)
of this section shall remain dedicated to general Madison County technology uses.
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, provided that an Act to amend Article 5 of
Chapter 10 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to fees and costs
of magistrate courts, is enacted and approved providing that sums and fees collected by
magistrate courts that are authorized by law are in addition to other fees required by such
article. If such Act is not so enacted and approved, this Act shall not become effective and
shall be automatically repealed on July 1, 2026.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

A local bill would let the Madison County Magistrate Court charge a technology fee of up to $10 on civil filings and up to $10 as a surcharge on fines, with the money set aside for court technology.

### Plain-language summary

This bill applies only to the Magistrate Court of Madison County, Georgia. It lets the clerk of that court charge and collect a technology fee, set by the chief magistrate, of no more than $10 for filing a civil case and no more than $10 as a surcharge added to any fine the court assesses.

The money can only be used for specific technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and converting court records to digital form for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account. The fee authority ends on July 1, 2031, with any leftover money going to general Madison County technology uses. The bill only takes effect July 1, 2026 if a separate statewide bill on magistrate court fees is also enacted; otherwise it is automatically repealed on that date.

### What it does

- Authorizes the Madison County Magistrate Court clerk to charge up to $10 per civil filing and up to $10 as a surcharge on fines, set by the chief magistrate.
- Restricts use of the collected fees to specific technology purchases, leases, maintenance, and digitizing court records for public access.
- Requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account used only for these authorized purposes.
- Ends the fee authority on July 1, 2031 and directs any leftover funds to general Madison County technology uses.
- Makes the whole Act contingent on a separate statewide magistrate court fee bill being enacted, and automatically repeals it on July 1, 2026 if that does not happen.

### Who it affects

People who file civil actions in the Madison County Magistrate Court, people fined by that court, the court's clerk and chief magistrate, and Madison County government, which would receive any leftover technology funds after 2031.

### Why it matters

Residents and businesses using the Madison County Magistrate Court for civil cases or facing fines could pay up to $20 more in combined fees, money earmarked to modernize the court's computers, scanning, and digital record systems rather than going toward the county's general budget.

### Key provisions

- Section 1(a) sets the fee caps at $10 for civil filings and $10 as a fine surcharge, with amounts set by the chief magistrate.
- Section 1(a) lists the only allowed uses: computer hardware/software, imaging and communications equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Section 1(b) requires the fees to be kept in a segregated account used only for these purposes.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2031, with leftover funds dedicated to general Madison County technology needs.
- Section 2 makes the Act's effective date of July 1, 2026 contingent on passage of a related statewide magistrate court fee law, and provides automatic repeal if that law is not enacted.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Rob Leverett, Alan Powell
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72589

> The history, votes, and amendments (886 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1083.md?full=1