HB 1134: Property; repossessors of motor vehicles; revise notice requirements

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 44-14-411.1), someone who repossesses a car becomes an involuntary caretaker of any personal property left inside it. That person must notify the owner within ten days of repossession, wait 30 days, then send a second notice if the property still isn't claimed, and wait another 30 days before disposing of the property. This bill removes the second-notice step. After the single initial notice, if the owner does not reclaim the property within 30 days, the repossessor may dispose of it. The bill also adds a new rule saying that a repossession is presumed complete, unless proven otherwise, once the vehicle is hooked to a tow truck or loaded onto a carrier, once the repossessing party enters the vehicle, or once the vehicle has been moved. This helps establish a clear starting point for the notice timeline and other legal questions tied to when repossession occurs.

• Removes the requirement for a second notice to vehicle owners before repossessors can dispose of personal property left in a repossessed car.
• Keeps the single ten-day notice requirement but shortens the overall waiting period since the second notice step is eliminated.
• Creates a rebuttable presumption (a legal assumption that can be disproven with evidence) about when a repossession is legally complete.
• Specifies three events that trigger this presumption: the vehicle being attached to a tow truck or carrier, the repossessing party entering the vehicle, or the vehicle being moved.

This bill affects people whose cars are repossessed, particularly if they leave personal belongings inside; auto lenders and repossession companies that carry out repossessions; and courts or parties in disputes over exactly when a repossession legally occurred.

Car owners would get one fewer notice before their leftover belongings can be disposed of, speeding up that process for repossessors but shortening the window for owners to reclaim items. The new presumption about when a repossession is complete could also affect disputes over ownership timing, such as during a vehicle's sale or a loan default.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 44-14-411.1, keeping the ten-day notice requirement in subsection (b) for notifying an owner of intent to dispose of personal property.
• Section 1 deletes the former subsection (c), which required a second notice if property was not redeemed within 30 days of the first notice.
• Section 1 revises the disposal rule so property can be disposed of 30 days after the single notice, rather than 30 days after a second notice.
• Section 1 adds new subsection (c), establishing a rebuttable presumption that repossession is complete when the vehicle is attached to a tow truck or carrier, entered by the repossessing party, or moved.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

1. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
2. 2026-03-31Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
3. 2026-03-27Senate Tabled (Senate)
4. 2026-03-19Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
5. 2026-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
6. 2026-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
7. 2026-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)
8. 2026-03-04House Third Readers (House)

• Kimberly New (R, HD-040)Primary sponsor
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)
• Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Vance Smith (R, HD-138)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2026

   139 yea, 16 nay (9 not voting, 13 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #630

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2026

   26 yea, 22 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #835

• vehicle repossession
• consumer protection
• property law
• auto loans