Georgia CommonsHB 1485: Union County; Probate Court; authorize assessment and collection of a technology fee
Last action May 11, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-11
A local bill for Union County would let the Probate Court charge a technology fee of up to $5 on civil filings and fines to pay for computer and records equipment, ending automatically in 2036.
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 Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
This bill applies only to the Probate Court of Union County. It authorizes the court's clerk to charge and collect a technology fee, set by the probate judge, of no more than $5.00 on each civil action filed with the court and up to $5.00 as a surcharge on each fine the court imposes. The money can only be spent on the court's technology needs: buying or leasing computer hardware and software, maintaining and installing imaging, scanning, fax, communications, projection, and printing equipment, and converting paper court records into digital files for public access. The funds must be kept in a separate account that the county government's auditor can review. The fee authority ends on July 1, 2036, and whatever money is left over at that point stays dedicated to general Union County technology purposes.
What the bill does
- Authorizes the Probate Court of Union County's clerk to charge a technology fee, capped at $5.00, on each civil case filed and as a surcharge on each fine.
- Limits how the fee money can be spent, restricting it to computer equipment, imaging and printing equipment, and digitizing court records.
- Requires the fee revenue to be kept in a separate account subject to audit by a Union County-approved auditor.
- Sets an end date of July 1, 2036 for the fee, after which leftover funds must go toward general Union County technology uses.
- Repeals any existing laws that conflict with these new rules.
Who it affects
People who file civil cases in the Probate Court of Union County, people who are fined by that court, the probate court clerk and judge who set and collect the fee, and Union County's government, which will audit and eventually receive leftover funds.
Why it matters
Residents and businesses filing civil matters or paying fines in Union County's probate court would pay a small added cost, up to $10 combined in some cases, that funds court technology upgrades like digital record access, rather than relying on general county funds.
Key provisions
- Section 1(a) sets the fee amounts (up to $5.00 per civil filing and up to $5.00 per fine) and limits their use to four specific technology categories.
- Section 1(b) requires the fee revenue be kept in a segregated account and be subject to audit by an auditor approved by Union County's governing authority.
- Section 1(c) terminates the fee authority on July 1, 2036 and dedicates any remaining balance to general county technology uses.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Such technology fees shall be used exclusively to provide for technological needs of the Probate Court of Union County.”
“The authority to assess the technology fee pursuant to this Act shall terminate on July 1, 2036”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-11
- Act 565
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Stan Gunter (R, HD-008)
Votes
- House voteMarch 20, 2026
153 yea, 0 nay (14 not voting, 9 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 25, 2026
50 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- Union County
- probate court fees
- local legislation
- court technology funding