---
title: HB 1563. Pike County; ad valorem tax; increase amount of homestead exemption for residents who are senior citizens
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1563
cite_as: HB 1563, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1563
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1563.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1563/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74118
date: 2026-05-11
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 926
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1563.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1563
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Beth Camp
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1563/2025
upstream_id: 2134546
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - property taxes
  - homestead exemption
  - Pike County
  - senior citizens
  - local referendum
---

# HB 1563. Pike County; ad valorem tax; increase amount of homestead exemption for residents who are senior citizens

## Text

House Bill 1563 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representative Camp of the 135th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act providing a homestead exemption from Pike County ad valorem taxes for
county purposes for certain residents of that county who are 65 years of age or over,
approved May 13, 2002 (Ga. L. 2002, p. 5736), so as to increase the amount of the
homestead exemption for residents of Pike County who are senior citizens; to provide for
increased amounts of homestead exemptions for certain residents who have resided in the
county for a certain amount of time; to provide for compliance with constitutional
requirements; to provide for a referendum, effective dates, automatic repeal, mandatory
execution of election, and judicial remedies regarding failure to comply; to provide for
applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act providing a homestead exemption from Pike County ad valorem taxes for county
purposes for certain residents of that county who are 65 years of age or over, approved
May 13, 2002 (Ga. L. 2002, p. 5736), is amended by revising subsection (a) of Section 2 as
follows:
"(a)(1) Each resident of Pike County who is a senior citizen is granted an exemption on
that person's homestead from all Pike County ad valorem taxes for county purposes as
follows:
(A) For all residents of Pike County who are senior citizens, in the amount of
$15,000.00 of the assessed value of that homestead;
(B) Beginning the 2028 taxable year, for residents of Pike County who are senior
citizens and 70 years of age or older who have resided in the county for five to nine
years, $20,000.00 of the assessed value of that homestead;
(C) Beginning the 2031 taxable year, for residents of Pike County who are senior
citizens and 75 years of age or older who have resided in the county for ten to 19 years,
$30,000.00 of the assessed value of that homestead; and
(D) Beginning the 2035 taxable year, for residents of Pike County who are senior
citizens and 80 years of age or older who have resided in the county for 20 years or
more, $50,000.00 of the assessed value of that homestead.
(2) For the purpose of this subsection, the amount of time residing in the county is the
total amount of time a senior citizen has lived in the county and need not be consecutive."
SECTION 2.
In accordance with the requirements of Article VII, Section II of the Constitution of the State
of Georgia, this Act shall not become law unless it receives the requisite two-thirds' majority
vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
SECTION 3.
The election superintendent of Pike County shall call and conduct an election as provided in
this section for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of Pike County for approval
or rejection. The election superintendent shall conduct the election on the Tuesday following
the first Monday in November, 2026, and shall issue the call and conduct that election as
provided by general law. The election superintendent shall cause the date and purpose of the
election to be published once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof
in the official organ of Pike County. The ballot shall have written or printed thereon the
words:
"( ) YES Shall the Act be approved which increases the homestead exemption for
senior citizens to $15,000.00 for all senior citizens, $20,000.00 for senior
( ) NO citizens 70 years of age or older who have resided in the county for five to
nine years, $30,000.00 for all senior citizens 75 years of age or older who
have resided in the county for ten to 19 years, and $50,000.00 for all senior
citizens 80 years of age or older who have resided in the county for 20 or
more years?"
All persons desiring to vote for approval of the Act shall vote "Yes," and all persons desiring
to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on
such question are for approval of the Act, Section 1 of this Act shall become of full force and
effect on January 1, 2027. If the Act is not so approved or if the election is not conducted
as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective, and this Act shall
be automatically repealed on the 365th calendar day following the election date provided for
in this section. The expense of such election shall be borne by Pike County. It shall be the
election superintendent's duty to certify the result thereof to the Secretary of State. The
provisions of this section shall be mandatory upon the election superintendent and are not
intended as directory. If the election superintendent fails or refuses to comply with this
section, any elector of Pike County may apply for a writ of mandamus to compel the election
superintendent to perform his or her duties under this section. If the court finds that the
election superintendent has not complied with this section, the court shall fashion appropriate
relief requiring the election superintendent to call and conduct such election on the date
required by this section or on the next date authorized for special elections provided for in
Code Section 21-2-540 of the O.C.G.A.
SECTION 4.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 3 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon
its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.
SECTION 5.
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 1563 would raise the senior citizen homestead property tax exemption in Pike County, with the amount growing over time based on age and how long a resident has lived in the county, pending voter approval.

### Plain-language summary

Pike County currently gives senior citizens a homestead exemption (a break on property taxes for a primary home) from county property taxes. This bill increases that exemption in stages. Starting immediately, all senior citizens get a $15,000 exemption. Beginning in the 2028 tax year, residents 70 or older who have lived in the county five to nine years get $20,000. Beginning in 2031, residents 75 or older who have lived there ten to 19 years get $30,000. Beginning in 2035, residents 80 or older with 20 or more years of residency get $50,000.
Because this changes local tax law, the bill requires a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly and must be approved by Pike County voters in a November 2026 referendum. If voters approve, the changes take effect January 1, 2027. If they reject it or no election is held, the bill is automatically repealed a year after the election date.

### What it does

- Raises the Pike County senior citizen homestead exemption to $15,000 for all qualifying seniors, replacing the prior amount.
- Adds a $20,000 exemption starting in 2028 for seniors 70 or older who have lived in the county five to nine years.
- Adds a $30,000 exemption starting in 2031 for seniors 75 or older who have lived in the county ten to 19 years.
- Adds a $50,000 exemption starting in 2035 for seniors 80 or older who have lived in the county 20 or more years.
- Requires a countywide referendum in November 2026 before the changes can take effect, with automatic repeal if voters reject it or no election occurs.
- Clarifies that years of residency in the county do not need to be consecutive to count toward the exemption thresholds.

### Who it affects

Senior citizen homeowners in Pike County, especially long-term residents, whose property tax bills would be reduced by larger exemptions. Pike County government and the county election superintendent are also affected, since the county funds and administers the required referendum.

### Why it matters

Eligible senior homeowners in Pike County would owe less in county property taxes, with the biggest breaks going to older residents who have lived in the county the longest. The change depends entirely on voters approving it in a November 2026 referendum.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 rewrites subsection (a) of Section 2 of the 2002 Pike County homestead exemption law to set the new tiered exemption amounts and age/residency requirements.
- Section 2 requires a two-thirds majority vote in both the Georgia House and Senate for the Act to become law, per the state constitution.
- Section 3 mandates a Pike County referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, sets the ballot language, and makes Section 1 effective January 1, 2027 if approved.
- Section 3 also provides that if voters reject the measure or the election is not held, the Act is automatically repealed 365 days after the election date.
- Section 3 allows any Pike County elector to seek a court order (writ of mandamus) forcing the election superintendent to hold the election if they fail to do so.
- Section 4 sets the general effective date as upon the Governor's approval, except where Section 3 controls the referendum timing.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Beth Camp
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74118

> The history, votes, and amendments (926 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1563.md?full=1