Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1267: Motor vehicles; increase penalties for certain offenses; provisions
Last action March 4, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would raise fines and criminal penalties for license plate and odometer fraud, limit dealers' personal use of dealer plates, and shift licensing of used car dealers from a state board to the Department of Revenue.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law already makes it illegal to fake license plates, alter odometers, or misuse dealer tags, but this bill raises the stakes. It turns the crime of making or selling fake license plates and knowingly tampering with an odometer into felonies instead of misdemeanors, and it sets new minimum fines (often $750) for offenses like covering a plate to dodge cameras or improperly transferring a plate between vehicles. The bill also tightens rules on dealer license plates: employees can only use a dealer plate for personal driving for up to six months per vehicle, and by 2027 those plates must be made of stamped metal. Separately, the bill abolishes the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers and moves its licensing and enforcement duties to the Department of Revenue, using a temporary advisory council to manage the handoff. Most changes take effect July 1, 2026, but the licensing transfer only happens in 2028 and only if the legislature specifically funds it.
What the bill does
- Raises the crime of illegally manufacturing, selling, or issuing license plates from a misdemeanor to a felony.
- Sets new minimum fines of $750 (up from lower or no set minimums) for offenses like transferring plates between vehicles, obscuring a plate from cameras, and willfully removing or altering a plate.
- Turns knowingly tampering with a vehicle's odometer into a felony and raises the minimum civil damages for odometer fraud from $1,500 to $10,000.
- Limits dealership employees to six months of personal use per vehicle on a dealer's license plate and requires dealer plates be made of stamped metal starting January 1, 2027.
- Abolishes the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers and transfers its licensing and enforcement powers to the Department of Revenue.
- Creates a five-member advisory council to help the Department of Revenue take over used car dealer licensing and report recommendations to the Governor and legislature.
Who it affects
Georgia drivers who could face stiffer penalties for license plate crimes, people convicted of odometer fraud, new and used car dealers and their employees who use dealer plates, the State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers, and the Department of Revenue, which would gain new licensing duties.
Why it matters
Georgians caught tampering with plates or odometers would face felony records and larger fines instead of misdemeanor penalties. Car dealership employees would lose the ability to use dealer plates for personal driving indefinitely, and used car dealers would eventually answer to the Department of Revenue instead of a dedicated licensing board.
Key provisions
- Section 1-1 raises the penalty for making, selling, or issuing fake license plates from a misdemeanor to a felony (O.C.G.A. 40-2-4).
- Section 1-2 raises the minimum fine for improperly transferring or using another vehicle's plate from $500 to $750 (O.C.G.A. 40-2-5).
- Section 1-6 requires temporary operating permits to include the vehicle's identification number and requires the Department of Revenue to report annually on dealer fraud (O.C.G.A. 40-2-8.1).
- Section 1-8 caps personal use of a dealer's license plate by employees at six months per vehicle and requires stamped metal dealer plates starting January 1, 2027 (O.C.G.A. 40-2-38).
- Section 1-10 makes odometer-related title fraud, including falsifying odometer readings, a felony offense (O.C.G.A. 40-3-90).
- Section 1-12 raises minimum civil damages for intentional odometer tampering from $1,500 to $10,000 and makes the underlying offense a felony (O.C.G.A. 40-8-5).
- Part II creates a Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers Licensing Authority Transfer Advisory Council to help move licensing duties to the Department of Revenue.
- Part V sets most provisions effective July 1, 2026, but delays the licensing transfer to July 1, 2028, contingent on the General Assembly specifically appropriating funds for it.
From the bill
“Any person who violates any provision of this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and when he or she is found to have violated this Code section for the purposes of willfully concealing or obscuring the information on a license plate, he or she shall be punished by a fine of not less than $750.00 or by confinement of not more than 12 months, or both.”
“provided that such use shall be for no more than six months per vehicle”
Discussed in meetings (10)
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.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 17, 2026
From 0:15:35 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a substitute targeting temporary tag fraud and consumer harm. The sponsor said 50 dealers with no corresponding title applications issued 24,500 temporary permits. A recorded police presentation linked fraudulent tags to stolen vehicles and other crimes; a news report described alleged odometer fraud. The sponsor said the substitute would increase plate-related penalties, make counterfeiting and certain title and odometer offenses felonies, tie permit access to sales, require stamped metal dealer plates, strengthen investigations and reporting, change the licensing board, raise dealer bonds to $50,000, and require identifying information in advertisements. The sponsor said dealers without room to display five vehicles would be classified as e-dealers, not required to obtain lots. One member questioned repeat-offense penalties; the sponsor said the bill did not increase them. Another raised felony consequences and county-name stickers; the sponsor agreed to review both. Other members questioned insurance-response deadlines, odometer damages and advertising requirements. The sponsor agreed to consider business-day deadlines and graduated penalties for blank title assignments, and clarified that a VIN need not appear in every text. A supporting member argued stronger penalties were necessary. The sponsor also anticipated reducing the registration-related penalty and revisiting effective dates. No vote occurred. Testimony was deferred until Friday, and a member requested Department of Revenue comments.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 20, 2026
From 0:17:05 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair said revised language was not ready and outlined changes intended to address fraud identified during study committee hearings. The chair discussed penalties for counterfeit plates, odometer tampering and title falsification, restoring misdemeanor treatment for blank-title violations with revised fines, adding vans to TOPS, and retaining insurance notification language while changing terminology to cancellation or expiration. One committee member proposed moving used-car dealer licensing from the Secretary of State to the Department of Revenue, arguing that divided oversight complicated enforcement and burdened legitimate dealers. Another member warned that unintended effects could harm small businesses before lawmakers could return to fix them, citing a family business with 720 employees. The chair said planned revisions addressed concerns received. A third member urged preserving online vehicle-buying options while addressing dealer-tag abuse. The Secretary of State's chief of staff supported consolidating oversight in one agency, but said resources must follow the responsibilities and current staffing could not adequately handle the proposed enforcement. No amendment or bill vote occurred. The chair planned further discussion with the Secretary of State's office.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 2, 2026
From 0:59:27 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HB 1267 would be on the agenda for the next morning's meeting. No presentation, debate, or vote occurred.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 3, 2026
From 0:10:12 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a substitute retaining felony penalties for counterfeiting plates or decals, odometer tampering and false title information, while removing proposed felony treatment for blank titling. The sponsor said it would eliminate the used-vehicle and used-parts dealer board, transfer oversight to the Department of Revenue only if funded, and create a five-member industry advisory council lasting 180 days. The sponsor cited a $5.7 million implementation estimate. Supporters said consolidation would improve access to records, investigations and licensing. A committee member who operates franchise dealerships described manufacturer requirements as a reason not to add used-car-board oversight. Dealer witnesses supported fighting fraud but warned that costs, stricter office requirements and losing industry oversight could hurt small businesses. Several urged more time for earlier reforms to work. The sponsor said existing office requirements would not change. A Secretary of State representative said the agency was neutral but raised transition concerns. Disputing claims that inspections occurred only after complaints, the representative reported 3,657 inspections last year and favored retaining the board within Revenue. Revenue said it could administer the changes if funded. Approval failed 6-5. Reconsideration passed, but a later motion to set the bill aside failed 6-6. No subsequent approval was recorded.
House Motor Vehicles Committee, March 4, 2026
From 0:14:59 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor presented a revised substitute for HB 1267, saying it addressed concerns raised before reconsideration. The sponsor said an advisory council would help transfer rulemaking and other authority to the Department of Revenue, review existing rules and identify needed changes. Council members would serve three-year terms. The sponsor said the transfer would take effect July 1, 2028, if funding was provided. Asked whether the existing board under the Secretary of State would remain during the transition, the sponsor said it would stay until that date, allowing two years to address gaps. Another member asked about council appointments and online sellers. The sponsor said the revenue commissioner would appoint five members from the used-car business qualified to hold dealer or parts-dealer licenses, and that online sellers use the same unchanged used-motor-vehicle dealer license. A member offered an amendment placing the existing board under the Georgia Administrative Procedures Act, explaining that rules would be reported to the legislature for review. The committee adopted that amendment and a second amendment correcting a legal cross-reference. It then approved the substitute as amended by voice vote, with no opposition heard.
House Rules Committee, March 5, 2026
From 0:30:55 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1267 resulted from a study committee on fraud and abuse involving dealer tags and temporary operating permits. A committee member asked how the bill treated online auto dealers and raised possible concerns from those dealers. The sponsor said the bill would not affect them and that a previous year's bill addressed them. The chair said the bill was not yet in members' packets and deferred action.
House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026
From 0:45:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2140
Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1267 on the day’s supplemental floor calendar under modified structure following a motion and second, with no opposition stated. No substantive discussion occurred.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- John Corbett (R, HD-174)
- Jason Ridley (R, HD-6)
- Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
- Danny Mathis (R, HD-133)
Topics
- license plate laws
- odometer fraud
- car dealer regulation
- motor vehicle penalties
- used car dealer licensing