HB 1277: Conservation and natural resources; increase project cost threshold for public roads or airports requiring environmental evaluations

Under current Georgia law, road or airport projects costing more than $100 million must undergo an environmental evaluation under the state's environmental policy law (O.C.G.A. § 12-16-9). This bill raises that threshold to $200 million and allows the responsible division to adjust it each year starting July 1, 2027 based on inflation, using the federal Consumer Price Index. The bill also rewrites several Department of Transportation reporting and contracting rules in Title 32. It replaces detailed project benchmark reports with a single annual fiscal year report, removes the cap limiting design-build contracts to 50 percent of the prior year's construction awards, and updates reporting recipients and timelines for design-build and alternative contracting projects. It raises the property value threshold for negotiated (rather than bid or auction) sales of surplus road property from $75,000 to $150,000, with similar annual inflation adjustments allowed starting in 2027, and allows online public auctions for surplus property sales. Finally, it updates electric vehicle and charging station definitions and extends the effective date of certain 2023 electric vehicle taxation and regulation provisions to January 1, 2028.

• Raises the project cost threshold that exempts public road and airport projects from environmental evaluation requirements from $100 million to $200 million.
• Allows the threshold to be adjusted annually for inflation starting July 1, 2027, based on the federal Consumer Price Index.
• Replaces detailed Department of Transportation project benchmark and progress reports with a single annual fiscal year report to the Governor and General Assembly.
• Repeals the cap limiting the Department of Transportation to awarding no more than 50 percent of construction funds through design-build contracts.
• Raises the property value threshold allowing negotiated sales of surplus road property from $75,000 to $150,000, with future inflation adjustments allowed.
• Updates the legal definitions of 'electric vehicle' and 'electric vehicle charging station' and delays certain 2023 electric vehicle tax and regulatory provisions to January 1, 2028.

The Department of Transportation, counties, municipalities, and authorities that build roads or airports; real estate brokers and auctioneers involved in state property sales; the Department of Agriculture, which regulates electric vehicle charging; and electric vehicle owners and charging station operators affected by updated definitions and tax timelines.

Fewer road and airport projects would require a full environmental evaluation, since more projects would fall under the new $200 million exemption. Georgia lawmakers and the public would receive a single consolidated transportation report instead of several detailed ones, and the Department of Transportation would face fewer limits on design-build contracting and surplus property sales.

• Section 1 raises the environmental evaluation exemption threshold in O.C.G.A. § 12-16-9 from $100 million to $200 million and adds annual inflation-based adjustments starting July 1, 2027.
• Section 2 replaces the department's detailed construction benchmark and progress reports with a single annual fiscal year report due to the Governor and General Assembly by January 15.
• Section 5 repeals the requirement for biennial public-private partnership reporting under O.C.G.A. § 32-2-79.
• Section 7 repeals the 50 percent cap on design-build contracting and updates who receives the annual design-build project summary.
• Section 8 updates reporting timing and recipients for projects using alternative contracting methods and requires a comparative benefit analysis.
• Section 9 raises the property value threshold for negotiated surplus property sales from $75,000 to $150,000 and allows annual inflation adjustments and online public auctions.
• Section 10 rewrites the definitions of 'electric vehicle' and 'electric vehicle charging station' in O.C.G.A. § 46-2-20.1.
• Section 11 delays the effective date of 2023 electric vehicle regulatory and tax provisions to January 1, 2028.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 454
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-04-02Senate Taken from Table (Senate)

• Matt Barton (R, HD-005)Primary sponsor
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
• Joe Campbell (R, HD-171)
• Leesa Hagan (R, HD-156)
• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 25, 2026

   149 yea, 16 nay (5 not voting, 7 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #563

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

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

   51 yea, 1 nay (0 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #928

4. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   122 yea, 50 nay (3 not voting, 1 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #873

• environmental review
• road construction
• Department of Transportation
• electric vehicles
• public land sales