--- title: HB 1550. Byron, City of; change corporate limits collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1550 cite_as: HB 1550, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1550 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1550.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1550/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74091 date: 2026-05-12 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1549.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1551.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 887 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1550.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1550 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-05-12 last_action: Effective Date 2026-06-01 sponsors: - Robert Dickey - Bethany Ballard text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1550/2025 upstream_id: 2134498 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - city annexation - municipal boundaries - Byron Georgia - Fort Valley Georgia - local government --- # HB 1550. Byron, City of; change corporate limits ## Text House Bill 1550 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Dickey of the 134th and Ballard of the 147th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act providing a new charter for the City of Byron, approved February 13, 1941 (Ga. L. 1941, p. 1210), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 13, 2001 (Ga. L. 2001, p. 3770), so as to change the corporate limits of the City of Byron; to provide for related matters; to provide a contingent effective date; to provide for automatic repeal; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. An Act providing a new charter for the City of Byron, approved February 13, 1941 (Ga. L. 1941, p. 1210), as amended, particularly by an Act approved April 13, 2001 (Ga. L. 2001, p. 3770), is amended by revising Section 2.1 by adding a new paragraph to read as follows: "(6) Beginning at and including the western right of way of Housers Mill Road at its intersection with the southern land line of Land Lot 15 of the 5th Land District and proceeding in a northerly direction along the western right of way of Housers Mill Road approximately 5,220 feet, more or less, to its intersection with the southwestern right of way line of the Georgia Highway 247 connector; then proceed easterly along the southern right or way line of the Georgia Highway 247 connector to the eastern most right of way line of Housers Mill Road to a point; then proceed in a southerly direction along the eastern most right of way line of Housers Mill Road to its intersection with the southern land line of Land Lot 15 of the 5th Land District; thereafter, proceed due west along the southern line of Land Lot 15 of the 5th Land District to the point of beginning." SECTION 2. 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 and approved by the Governor or becomes law without such approval; 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. SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. 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. ### Plain-language summary 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-12) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-06-01 (2026-05-12) - Sponsors: Robert Dickey, Bethany Ballard - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74091 > The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1550.md?full=1