HB 1512: Crimes and offenses; enhanced penalties when certain offenses are committed against public safety officers or code enforcement officers; provide

Georgia law already sets harsher penalties for simple assault, battery, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery when committed against police, firefighters, correctional officers, and other 'public safety officers.' This bill adds a new category, 'code enforcement officer,' defined as anyone employed or contracted by a county or municipality with authority to enforce health, safety, or welfare rules and issue citations. It then folds code enforcement officers into the enhanced-penalty provisions for simple assault, aggravated assault, simple battery, battery, and aggravated battery, alongside the existing list of protected public safety officers. The bill also changes the state's obstruction law (O.C.G.A. § 16-10-24) and the separate obstruction laws covering firefighters and emergency medical workers. It specifies that throwing an object at a listed officer or at a vehicle they are riding in counts as obstruction by violence, a felony with escalating prison terms for repeat convictions. It also adds code enforcement officers to the list of officials protected under the general obstruction statute.

• Creates a new legal definition of 'code enforcement officer' covering county or municipal employees or contractors who enforce health, safety, or welfare rules.
• Adds code enforcement officers to the list of people covered by enhanced penalties for simple assault, aggravated assault, simple battery, battery, and aggravated battery (O.C.G.A. §§ 16-5-19 through 16-5-24).
• Specifies that throwing an object at a covered officer, or at a vehicle they occupy, counts as felony obstruction by violence under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-24.
• Extends the same 'throwing an object' rule to the separate obstruction laws covering firefighters and emergency medical workers (O.C.G.A. §§ 16-10-24.1 and 16-10-24.2).
• Adds code enforcement officers to the general list of officials protected from obstruction and hindering under O.C.G.A. § 16-10-24.

County and municipal code enforcement officers gain new legal protections. People accused of assaulting, battering, or obstructing police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, EMS workers, probation officers, or code enforcement officers would face the penalties this bill sets, including anyone who throws an object at these officers or their vehicles.

Code enforcement officers, who inspect properties and issue citations, would gain the same enhanced criminal protections long given to police and firefighters. Anyone who throws an object at a covered officer or their vehicle, even without physical contact, could now face felony obstruction charges with mandatory prison time for repeat offenses.

• Section 1 rewrites the definitions in O.C.G.A. § 16-5-19 to add 'code enforcement officer,' defined as a county or municipal employee or contractor with health, safety, or welfare enforcement authority who can issue citations.
• Sections 2 and 5 activate previously 'Reserved' subsections to punish simple assault and battery against a public safety officer or code enforcement officer as a high and aggravated misdemeanor.
• Sections 3 and 6 add code enforcement officers to aggravated assault and aggravated battery provisions; aggravated battery carries 10 to 20 years with a 3 year mandatory minimum for offenders 17 or older.
• Section 4 adds code enforcement officers to the simple battery enhancement and replaces older wording ('police officer, correction officer, or detention officer') with 'public safety officer.'
• Section 7 amends the obstruction statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-10-24) to add code enforcement officers to the protected list and defines throwing an object at an officer or their vehicle as felony obstruction by violence, punishable by one to five years for a first offense, two to ten for a second, and three to fifteen for a third or subsequent conviction.
• Sections 8 and 9 add the same 'throwing an object' rule to the obstruction laws covering firefighters and emergency medical technicians or professionals.
• Section 10 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-09House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-06House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-04House Hopper (House)

• Reynaldo Martinez (R, HD-111)Primary sponsor

• code enforcement officers
• assault and battery penalties
• obstruction of officers
• public safety officers
• criminal sentencing