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House · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 1465: Motor vehicles; repeal requirement to display a revalidation decal as evidence of annual motor vehicle registration renewal

Last action March 9, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

HB 1465 would eliminate Georgia's annual revalidation decal (the small sticker on license plates) as proof of registration renewal, removing dozens of related references from the state motor vehicle code, effective January 1, 2027.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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 currently requires vehicle owners to affix a revalidation decal to their license plate each year as visible proof that registration has been renewed. HB 1465 repeals that requirement. It amends more than two dozen sections of Title 40 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, striking references to revalidation decals from laws covering unregistered vehicles, mail-in renewals, license plate design, tag agent commissions, lost or stolen plates, fleet vehicles, digital license plates, prestige plates, and specialty plates for veterans, legislators, firefighters, and other groups. In place of the decal, most sections simply require that the vehicle's registration be renewed, without a physical sticker serving as evidence. A related change to the title ad valorem tax fee law (O.C.G.A. § 48-5C-1) also drops references to the decal. The bill also removes decal-related fines and fees tied to failing to display a valid decal. The changes would take effect January 1, 2027.

What the bill does

  • Repeals the legal requirement that vehicle owners display a revalidation decal on their license plate as proof of annual registration renewal.
  • Removes decal-related language from the criminal penalty for driving with an invalid or missing decal, since the decal requirement itself is eliminated.
  • Strikes revalidation decal references from license plate manufacturing, mail purchase, transfer, and replacement procedures across dozens of Code sections.
  • Updates specialty license plate laws (for veterans, legislators, judges, firefighters, and Gold Star family members) to remove decal issuance requirements while keeping annual renewal and fee obligations.
  • Removes the decal-based compliance option for digital license plates and fleet vehicle plates, since decals will no longer exist.
  • Sets the effective date for all these changes as January 1, 2027.

Who it affects

All Georgia vehicle owners who currently must apply revalidation decals to their license plates each year, county tag agents who issue plates and decals, the Department of Revenue, and holders of specialty plates such as veterans, legislators, judges, firefighters, and Gold Star family members whose renewal procedures reference decals.

Why it matters

Drivers would no longer need to peel and affix a small sticker to their plate each year to show current registration; renewal would rely on other means of verification. This changes how law enforcement and drivers demonstrate valid registration, and removes fines tied specifically to missing or invalid decals.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 removes the ban on making, selling, or issuing a revalidation decal, since decals will no longer exist.
  • Section 2 rewrites the misdemeanor offense for operating a vehicle without a valid license plate, dropping the decal validation requirement and removing a $25 fine exception tied to having obtained a decal.
  • Section 5 strikes multiple subsections of O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31 describing how revalidation decals are manufactured, issued, and affixed to plates.
  • Sections 14 through 25 update specialty and prestige license plate laws to replace 'obtaining a revalidation decal' with plain renewal language for groups like legislators, veterans, and firefighters.
  • Section 27 removes 'revalidation decal' from the title ad valorem tax fee law (O.C.G.A. § 48-5C-1) so vehicles under that system are no longer described as needing one.
  • Section 28 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
  • Section 29 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to make, sell, or issue any license plate”

The bill keeps this ban on unauthorized plates but drops the parallel ban on making or selling revalidation decals.

“No fee shall be required for the renewal of a registration for”

Replaces language about issuing free renewal decals with a simpler no-fee renewal rule for Gold Star family members.

Discussed in meetings (8)

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 Motor Vehicles Committee, March 2, 2026

    From 0:20:01 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1465 would eliminate annual registration decals while retaining registration renewal requirements. The sponsor argued that electronic checks made decals unnecessary and would reduce county labor and storage costs. A Department of Revenue witness estimated savings of $4.6 million to $4.9 million based on 2025 decal spending. The chair said owners would also save a dollar annually, which the sponsor confirmed. Answering members, the sponsor said renewal kiosks would remain usable, no replacement barcode or plate redesign was planned, and commercial trucks were excluded. A former legislator supported the change, citing Florida's move toward electronic verification. A Georgia Sheriffs' Association witness expressed concerns, but did not formally oppose the bill. The witness said few patrol vehicles had plate readers and that expired decals provided a visible reason for a traffic stop. Members debated equipment availability, checks through dispatch, and whether decals helped identify uninsured vehicles. One member argued that electronic records already reveal insurance cancellations. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote; the chair reported two votes against.

  2. House Rules Committee, March 4, 2026

    From 1:02:27 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1465 would eliminate annual license plate decals while retaining vehicle registration requirements. The sponsor estimated $5 million in state savings, plus county savings in labor and other costs. No questions or decision followed.

  3. House floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, PM, part 2)

    From 4:31:26 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2298

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1465 would end the requirement to display an annual registration decal on a vehicle's license plate. The sponsor said annual registration would remain mandatory, with verification through electronic systems already used by the Department of Revenue and law enforcement. The sponsor estimated annual state savings of $5 million and said the change would remove an unnecessary step for drivers. No questions were asked. The House adopted the committee substitute and passed the bill 158-8.

  4. House Rules Committee, March 6, 2026

    From 1:25:57 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 2179

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 1465 on the supplemental floor calendar under modified structured rules. No substantive discussion occurred.

  5. Senate Public Safety Committee, March 16, 2026

    From 0:06:54 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair assigned HB 1465 to the First Responders Subcommittee and said a hearing would be scheduled. There was no presentation, debate or vote on the bill.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
  3. 2026-03-06House Third Readers (House)
  4. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
  5. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
  6. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
  7. 2026-02-25House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Derrick McCollum (R, HD-30)Primary sponsor
  • Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
  • John Corbett (R, HD-174)
  • Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
  • Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
  • Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

    158 yea, 8 nay (1 not voting, 10 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #684

Topics

  • motor vehicle registration
  • license plates
  • DMV rules
  • vehicle decals
  • transportation law

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Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1465.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp