HB 1388: Buildings; traffic impact analysis required to obtain a building permit be completed within 36 months of the project's substantial completion; require

Georgia counties and cities can require developers to complete a traffic impact analysis, a study of how a new project will affect roads and traffic, before issuing a building permit. Currently there is no state rule tying the timing of that analysis to when construction actually finishes. This bill amends Georgia's building code law (O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26) to add a new rule. Starting January 1, 2027, any local government that requires a traffic impact analysis for a permit must make sure that analysis is completed no more than 36 months before the project reaches substantial completion, meaning the point where construction is finished enough for the owner to use it as intended. If a project takes longer than 36 months to reach that point after its traffic study, the developer must redo the traffic impact analysis and then finish construction within another 36 months of that new study.

• Adds a new subsection to Georgia's building code law (O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26) governing local building permits.
• Requires that any traffic impact analysis a county or city requires for a permit be completed within 36 months of the project's substantial completion.
• Forces developers to redo the traffic impact analysis if construction is not substantially completed within 36 months of the original study.
• Sets an effective start date of January 1, 2027 for the new requirement.
• Defines 'substantial completion' and 'traffic impact analysis' for purposes of this rule.

Real estate developers seeking building permits, county and municipal governments that require traffic impact studies as part of permitting, and local planning and building departments that enforce permit requirements would all be affected by this change.

Developers would face a firmer deadline linking traffic studies to actual construction timelines, potentially forcing costly repeat studies on delayed projects. Local governments would need to track and enforce this 36-month window when reviewing permits that require traffic impact analyses.

• Section 1 adds subsection (h) to O.C.G.A. § 8-2-26, defining 'substantial completion' as when construction is finished enough for the owner to occupy and use the project as intended.
• Section 1 defines 'traffic impact analysis' as an assessment of how a proposed development will affect transportation.
• Section 1 requires that beginning January 1, 2027, any county or municipality requiring a traffic impact analysis for a permit must ensure it is completed no more than 36 months before substantial completion.
• Section 1 requires a developer to complete a new traffic impact analysis if the project is not substantially completed within 36 months of the original analysis.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-24House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-20House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-19House Hopper (House)

• Mary Ann Santos (D, HD-117)Primary sponsor
• Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)
• Jordan Ridley (R, HD-022)
• Billy Mitchell (D, HD-088)
• Mike Cameron (R, HD-001)

• building permits
• traffic impact studies
• local government regulation
• real estate development