Georgia CommonsHB 1550: Byron, City of; change corporate limits
Last action May 12, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-06-01
House Bill 1550 would expand the corporate limits of the City of Byron to include a stretch of land along Housers Mill Road, but only if the General Assembly also passes a separate bill removing that land from Fort Valley's city limits.
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 amends the City of Byron's charter to add a new area to the city's official boundaries. The added land runs along Housers Mill Road, starting at its intersection with the southern line of Land Lot 15 in the 5th Land District, extending north to the Georgia Highway 247 connector, then east and south back to the starting area, forming a defined boundary loop. The change is conditional. It only takes effect on June 1, 2026 if the General Assembly separately passes and the Governor approves (or allows to become law) a companion bill removing this same land from the City of Fort Valley's charter. If that Fort Valley deannexation bill does not pass, this bill will not take effect and will automatically repeal itself on June 1, 2026. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.
What the bill does
- Adds a new paragraph to Byron's city charter (Section 2.1) defining a specific boundary along Housers Mill Road as part of the city's corporate limits.
- Describes the new boundary using a metes-and-bounds survey description covering roughly 5,220 feet along Housers Mill Road up to the Georgia Highway 247 connector.
- Makes the annexation effective only if a companion bill deannexing the same land from the City of Fort Valley's charter is enacted in the same 2026 session.
- Sets an automatic repeal of this Act on June 1, 2026 if the Fort Valley deannexation bill does not pass and get approved.
Who it affects
Residents and property owners along the affected stretch of Housers Mill Road, and the city governments of Byron and Fort Valley, whose overlapping boundary claims to this land would be resolved through these two coordinated bills.
Why it matters
If both this bill and the companion Fort Valley bill pass, residents and property in this area would shift from being governed by Fort Valley's city laws and services to Byron's, affecting things like municipal taxes, zoning, and city services. If the Fort Valley bill fails, nothing changes and this bill disappears automatically.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new subsection (6) to Section 2.1 of Byron's charter, defining the exact metes-and-bounds boundary of the newly annexed land along Housers Mill Road.
- Section 2 sets a contingent effective date of June 1, 2026, conditioned on a companion Fort Valley deannexation bill also being enacted in the 2026 session.
- Section 2 also provides for automatic repeal of this Act on June 1, 2026 if the companion Fort Valley bill is not enacted and approved.
- Section 3 repeals any laws that conflict with this Act.
From the bill
“This Act shall become effective on June 1, 2026, provided that an Act to amend an Act providing a new charter for the City of Fort Valley, approved August 22, 1907 (Ga. L. 1907, p. 651), as amended, so as to deannex the right of way is enacted in the 2026 regular session of the General Assembly”
“if such deannexation Act is not so enacted and approved, this Act shall not become effective and shall be automatically repealed on June 1, 2026.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-06-01
- Act 645
- 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
- Robert Dickey (R, HD-134)
- Bethany Ballard (R, HD-147)
Votes
- House voteMarch 23, 2026
158 yea, 0 nay (12 not voting, 6 absent)
- Senate voteMarch 31, 2026
45 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)
Topics
- city annexation
- municipal boundaries
- Byron Georgia
- Fort Valley Georgia
- local government