---
title: HB 205. Board of Homeland Security; development of a list of approved unmanned aircraft systems; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb205
cite_as: HB 205, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb205
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb205.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb205/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69721
date: 2025-02-24
status: engrossed
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: 492
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb205.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 205
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-21
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
  - David Clark
  - Houston Gaines
  - Todd Jones
  - Clint Crowe
  - Gerald Greene
  - Kimberly New
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB205/2025
upstream_id: 1949664
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - drone regulation
  - homeland security
  - government procurement
  - open records law
  - local government authority
---

# HB 205. Board of Homeland Security; development of a list of approved unmanned aircraft systems; provide

## Text

House Bill 205 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By: Representatives Clark of the 100th, Gaines of the 120th, Jones of the 25th, Crowe of the
118th, Greene of the 154th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 6 and Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 38 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to aviation and organization and
administration of emergency management, respectively, so as to provide for the development
of a list of approved unmanned aircraft systems for use in this state by the Georgia
Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency; to provide for definitions; to
provide for standards for the development of such list; to authorize local ordinances relating
to unmanned aircraft systems on such list in certain instances; to authorize the operation of
unmanned aircraft systems in this state on such approved list in or on public property; to
encourage the purchase of unmanned aircraft systems from such approved list and prohibit
the purchase of unmanned aircraft systems not on such approved list by state agencies or
local governments after a certain date; to exempt records relating to the development of an
approved unmanned aircraft system list from open records requirements; to provide for
related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 1 of Title 6 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions
relative to aviation, is amended by revising Code Section 6-1-4, relating to unmanned aircraft
system defined, preemption for unmanned aircraft systems, and operations, as follows:
"6-1-4.
<del>(a)(1)</del> As used in this Code section, the term:
<ins>(1) 'Approved unmanned aircraft system' means an unmanned aircraft system approved
by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency pursuant to
Code Section 38-3-39.
(2) 'Unmanned</ins> <del>'unmanned</del> aircraft system' means a powered, aerial vehicle <ins>that is not a
satellite and</ins> that:
(A) Does not carry a human operator and is operated without the possibility of direct
human intervention from within or on the aircraft;
(B) Uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift;
(C) Can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely; and
(D) Can be expendable or recoverable.
<del>(2) Such term shall not include a satellite.
</del> (b) Any ordinance, resolution, regulation, or policy of any county, municipality, or other
political subdivision of this state regulating the testing or operation of unmanned aircraft
systems shall be deemed preempted and shall be null, void, and of no force and effect;
provided, however, that a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state
may:
(1) Enforce any ordinance that was adopted on or before April 1, 2017;
(2) Adopt an ordinance that enforces Federal Aviation Administration restrictions; <del>or
</del> (3) Adopt an ordinance that <del>provides for or</del> prohibits the launch or intentional landing
of an unmanned aircraft system from or on its public property <del>except with respect to the
operation of an unmanned aircraft system for commercial purposes;</del> <ins>or
</ins>
<ins>(4) Adopt an ordinance that provides for the launch or intentional landing of an approved
unmanned aircraft system from or on its public property.
</ins> (c) The state, through agency or departmental rules and regulations, may <del>provide for or
</del> prohibit the launch or intentional landing of an unmanned aircraft system from or on its
public property. <ins>The state, through agency or departmental rules and regulations, may
provide for the launch or intentional landing of an approved unmanned aircraft system from
or on its public property.
(d) To the extent practicable, a state agency or county, municipality, or other political
subdivision of this state shall purchase or acquire only approved unmanned aircraft
systems; provided, however, that, on and after January 1, 2028, no state agency or county,
municipality, or other political subdivision of this state shall purchase or acquire an
unmanned aircraft system that is not an approved unmanned aircraft system."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Article 2 of Chapter 3 of Title 38 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
organization and administration of emergency management, is amended by adding a new
Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"38-3-39.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'unmanned aircraft system' shall have the same
meaning as set forth in Code Section 6-1-4.
(b) No later than December 1, 2025, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland
Security Agency shall develop a list of unmanned aircraft systems approved for use within
this state. Such list shall be developed in coordination with the Department of
Administrative Services, be developed after consultation with experts in the field of data
collection and privacy, and include unmanned aircraft systems determined by the Georgia
Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to:
(1) Be compliant with Federal Aviation Administration standards;
</ins>
<ins>(2) Have been cleared for use by the United States Department of Defense;
(3) Be compliant with requirements of the federal National Defense Authorization Act
of 2024, P.L. 118-31;
(4) Be designed in a manner that prevents the transmission of data to unauthorized
persons or entities under normal operating conditions; and
(5) Present no threat to the security of this state.
(c) The list developed pursuant to this Code section shall be published upon the Georgia
Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency public website.
(d) The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency shall review
and update the list compiled pursuant to this Code section every six months. Any records
of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency relative to the
development of such list shall be exempt from Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50, relating
to open records."
</ins> 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 205 would direct Georgia's homeland security agency to create an approved list of drones for government use, and after 2028 would bar state agencies and local governments from buying drones not on that list.

### Plain-language summary

Georgia law currently defines unmanned aircraft systems (drones) and limits how local governments can regulate them. This bill adds a new category called an 'approved unmanned aircraft system,' meaning a drone the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) has cleared for use in the state. GEMA must build that approved list by December 1, 2025, working with the Department of Administrative Services and outside data privacy experts, and update it every six months. Drones make the list only if they meet Federal Aviation Administration standards, have Department of Defense clearance, comply with a federal defense law, block unauthorized data transmission, and pose no security threat.
The bill lets cities and counties adopt ordinances allowing launch or landing of approved drones on public property, something not previously permitted for local governments generally. It also says state and local governments should buy only approved drones where practical, and starting January 1, 2028, bans them from buying any drone that is not on the approved list. GEMA's records about developing the list are shielded from Georgia's open records law.

### What it does

- Requires GEMA to create, by December 1, 2025, a public list of drones approved for use in Georgia, based on federal safety, defense clearance, and data security criteria.
- Creates a new legal category, 'approved unmanned aircraft system,' defined as a drone on GEMA's approved list.
- Allows counties and cities to pass ordinances permitting launch or landing of approved drones on public property, an option they did not clearly have before.
- Directs state agencies and local governments to prefer approved drones and bans them, starting January 1, 2028, from buying any drone not on the approved list.
- Requires GEMA to update the approved list every six months and to consult data privacy experts and the Department of Administrative Services when building it.
- Exempts GEMA's records about developing the approved drone list from Georgia's open records law (O.C.G.A. § 50-18-70).

### Who it affects

Georgia state agencies and local governments that buy or operate drones, GEMA staff who must build and maintain the approved list, county and municipal governments deciding whether to pass drone ordinances, and drone manufacturers whose products may or may not make the approved list.

### Why it matters

Public agencies across Georgia would eventually be locked into buying only government-vetted drones, which could affect costs, vendor choices, and how quickly agencies can deploy new drone technology. Cities and counties gain clearer authority to allow drone launches on public property, and some GEMA records on the list-building process would no longer be publicly accessible.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 6-1-4 to define 'approved unmanned aircraft system' as one on GEMA's list and clarifies the existing drone definition excludes satellites.
- Section 1 lets local governments adopt ordinances allowing launch or landing of approved drones on public property, adding a fourth exception to state preemption of local drone rules.
- Section 1 lets the state, through agency rules, allow launch or landing of approved drones on state public property.
- Section 1 requires state and local governments to purchase only approved drones 'to the extent practicable' and bans purchase of non-approved drones after January 1, 2028.
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 38-3-39, requiring GEMA to build the approved drone list by December 1, 2025, in coordination with the Department of Administrative Services and privacy experts.
- Section 2 sets five criteria a drone must meet to be listed, including FAA compliance, Department of Defense clearance, compliance with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, data security design, and no state security threat.
- Section 2 requires GEMA to publish and review the list every six months and exempts related GEMA records from the state's open records law.

## Status

- Status: Engrossed (2025-02-21)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-24)
- Sponsors: David Clark, Houston Gaines, Todd Jones, Clint Crowe, Gerald Greene, Kimberly New
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69721

> The history, votes, and amendments (492 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb205.md?full=1