Georgia CommonsHB 1594: Riceboro, City of; revise corporate limits
Last action May 12, 2026 · Effective Date 2026-05-12
A Georgia House bill expands the City of Riceboro's official boundaries by adding a roughly 809-acre area described by surveyed coordinates, updating the city's 1992 charter.
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
Riceboro operates under a city charter first approved by the Georgia General Assembly in 1992. This bill amends that charter to add a new area, about 809.33 acres, to the city's corporate limits. The added land is described through a detailed legal survey, a series of directional and distance measurements starting from the intersection of U.S. Highway 17 (South Coastal Highway) and Retreat Road. The bill inserts this new boundary description as a new subsection of Section 1.11 of the city's charter, alongside the areas already described elsewhere in that section. It also repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change. The bill does not alter city services, taxes, or governance rules; it only redraws where the city limits sit.
What the bill does
- Adds a new subsection to Section 1.11 of the City of Riceboro's charter that expands the city's corporate limits to include a newly surveyed area.
- Defines the newly annexed area using a specific metes-and-bounds survey description covering approximately 809.33 acres.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this boundary change.
Who it affects
Residents, landowners, and businesses within the newly described 809-acre area near U.S. Highway 17 and Retreat Road, who would become part of the City of Riceboro. City officials in Riceboro and Liberty County government are also affected by the shift in jurisdiction.
Why it matters
People and property within the newly annexed area would come under Riceboro's city government instead of remaining solely in the unincorporated county, which can affect which local government provides services, enforces ordinances, and levies property taxes going forward.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds subsection (c.1) to Section 1.11 of Riceboro's 1992 charter, describing a new area brought into the city limits using a detailed boundary survey beginning at U.S. Hwy 17 and Retreat Road.
- Section 1 states the described tract contains 809.33 acres and marks a second numbered item as 'Reserved,' leaving room for future additions.
- Section 2 repeals any prior laws that conflict with this charter amendment.
From the bill
“In addition to the areas described in subsections (a) and (c) of this section, the corporate limits shall also include the following area”
“Described tract contains 809.33 acres.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date 2026-05-12
- Act 690
- 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
- Al Williams (D, HD-168)
- Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
Votes
- House voteMarch 27, 2026
153 yea, 0 nay (20 not voting, 3 absent)
- Senate voteApril 2, 2026
49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)
Topics
- city annexation
- Riceboro
- municipal charter
- local government boundaries
- Liberty County