HB 1230: Aviation; prohibit operation of unmanned aircraft systems over a place of incarceration

In plain language

What the bill does

Who it affects

Why it matters

Key provisions

From the bill

Discussed in meetings (17)

The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.

1. House Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee, February 11, 2026

   From 0:23:36 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair, presenting HB 1230, said corrections officials and sheriffs reported drones delivering phones and drugs into prisons and jails with outdoor areas. The chair said the bill would prohibit launching, landing or operating drones over those facilities and adjacent state-owned land, with required notices intended to distinguish restricted areas from neighboring agricultural operations. The chair said the FAA had confirmed state authority to regulate those areas. One member questioned how operators would be caught and whether drones had been captured. The chair could not confirm any captures and emphasized that the bill would not authorize taking drones down. That member suggested electronic boundaries that could stop drones from entering. The chair raised concerns about harming lawful agricultural drones and offered to explore stronger enforcement. A second member described another state’s experience with electronic boundaries and manufacturer concerns about liability. A third member questioned whether a misdemeanor was sufficient. The chair welcomed possible stronger penalties and said the Public Safety Committee had been invited to a joint discussion the following week. The bill received a hearing only, with no vote.

2. House Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee, February 18, 2026

   From 0:19:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said the bill aims to stop drone deliveries of contraband by restricting launches and landings on prison and jail property. A Prosecuting Attorneys' Council prosecutor proposed placing stronger restrictions in existing criminal law, covering people who knowingly allow launches from private property, exempting lawful operations, authorizing seizure and forfeiture, and allowing interception of threatening drones. The prosecutor said Operation Sky Hawk had seized hundreds of drones and led to nearly 200 arrests, and requested felony penalties consistent with existing contraband laws. Members questioned penalties, federal airspace authority, interception methods, accidental flights, landowners unaware of launches, and protections for journalism, utilities and agriculture. Council representatives said the intent was to target criminal conduct, not accidents or legitimate work. A council legal representative agreed the draft should require knowing and intentional conduct. The chair also discussed broadening an exception to cover federally compliant operators who are not peace officers. A member requested separating misdemeanor restrictions involving ticketed events from felony prison-contraband provisions. The chair held the bill without a vote so legislative counsel and the council could prepare revised language, possibly as two bills.

3. House Technology and Infrastructure Innovation Committee, February 23, 2026

   From 0:23:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair presented the substitute for HB 1230 as combining provisions previously discussed separately under Titles 42 and 6. The chair said section one incorporated all recommendations from PAC concerning Title 42, while the Title 6 provisions had moved to section two without changing. The presentation did not explain the underlying restrictions or their purpose. No members asked questions or discussed the substitute. The committee approved it by voice vote, with no numerical count announced.

4. House Rules Committee, February 25, 2026

   From 1:23:38 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1230 would make delivering contraband by drone into jails, prisons and other places of incarceration a felony. The sponsor described drone deliveries as a significant problem and reported support from the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and Department of Corrections. No questions or scheduling decision followed.

5. House floor session, March 3, 2026 (legislative day 26, PM)

   From 4:23:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1746

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1230 would strengthen criminal restrictions on drones over prisons and jails and refine drone legislation enacted the previous year. The sponsor said drones were being used hundreds of times a year to record facilities, land and deliver contraband. The sponsor cited support from the Department of Corrections, the Georgia Sheriffs' Association and several local governments, including Atlanta. No questions were asked. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 166-2.

6. House Rules Committee, March 3, 2026

   From 0:04:40 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 1743

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee agreed to place HB 1230 on the day's second supplemental calendar under modified structure. The motion was made and seconded, and no opposition was heard. There was no discussion of the bill's contents.

7. Senate Transportation Committee, March 18, 2026

   From 1:37:08 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1230 responds to drones launched from nearby properties to deliver contraband into jails and prisons. The sponsor described restrictions on flights over incarceration facilities, with exceptions for authorized activities, and felony provisions covering pilots and people arranging drone deliveries of contraband. The sponsor said the Department of Corrections, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, counties and the City of Atlanta supported the proposal. Asked about enforcement, the sponsor pointed to provisions allowing law enforcement to deter flights and act on reasonable suspicion. The chair asked about a second section addressing ticketed events. The sponsor described it as updating local-government authority and distance language to match legislation passed the previous year. The chair also asked whether contraband deliveries were already illegal. The sponsor confirmed they were and said the bill would reach people hiring pilots as well as the drone activity itself. The committee unanimously approved the substitute.

8. Senate Rules Committee, March 20, 2026

   From 0:43:41 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member pointed out that the bill had been skipped during the consideration-list review. The chair and members identified it as concerning drones over prisons, jails and other places of incarceration. No further explanation, substantive questions or calendar decision followed.

9. Senate Rules Committee, March 23, 2026

   From 0:10:12 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

   Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1230 would prohibit drone operations over jails and prisons for delivering contraband and restrict operators on adjacent land. The sponsor described the goal as disrupting the entire contraband supply chain and said the Department of Corrections, Georgia Sheriffs' Association, City of Atlanta, counties and cities supported the bill. In response to the chair, the sponsor clarified that language about eliminating participants in the supply chain was figurative. No vote was shown.

10. Senate Rules Committee, March 25, 2026

    From 0:42:14 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: A committee member selected HB 1230 for the calendar. No provisions were discussed. The committee unanimously approved the calendar package containing the bill.

11. Senate floor session, March 27, 2026 (legislative day 38)

    From 9:23:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Tabled)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1230 would prohibit drone activity over jails and prisons, impose penalties, classify drones used improperly as contraband and authorize law enforcement to capture or disable them. The sponsor described drones delivering food, phones, drugs and weapons to inmates, and said the bill also addressed improper video recording from nearby property. The sponsor said officers would use controlled methods rather than firearms. The sponsor reported that prosecutors were already handling a couple of hundred drone cases and expected prosecutions to rise five- to tenfold under the bill. No substantive questions or opposition followed. The Senate passed the bill 45-0.

• Read aloud: House floor session, February 9, 2026 (legislative day 15), 0:22:35
• Read aloud: House floor session, February 10, 2026 (legislative day 16), 0:42:48
• Read aloud: House floor session, February 24, 2026 (legislative day 23), 0:55:26
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 4, 2026 (legislative day 27), 0:44:55
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 19, 2026 (legislative day 34), 0:42:37
• Read aloud: Senate floor session, March 20, 2026 (legislative day 35), 0:39:05

Status timeline

Sponsors

Votes

Topics