---
title: HB 248. Income tax; tax credit for certain expenses incurred by taxpayers for certain geothermal machinery installations at residential dwellings; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb248
cite_as: HB 248, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb248
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb248.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb248/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69853
date: 2026-03-31
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: 1110
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb248.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 248
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-06
last_action: Senate Tabled
sponsors:
- Rick Jasperse
- Trey Kelley
- Alan Powell
- Noel Williams
- Beth Camp
- Shawn Still
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB248/2025
upstream_id: 1955723
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- income tax credits
- gun safety
- firearm storage
- state budget caps
---
# HB 248. Income tax; tax credit for certain expenses incurred by taxpayers for certain geothermal machinery installations at residential dwellings; provide
## Text
The Senate Committee on Finance offered the following
substitute to HB 248:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
income taxes, so as to provide for a tax credit for certain eligible expenses incurred for
firearm safe handling instructional courses and firearm secure storage devices; to provide for
an aggregate annual cap; to provide for definitions; to provide for terms and conditions; to
provide for credit preapproval by the department; to prohibit the creation of certain lists or
databases; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for a short title; to provide for
automatic repeal; to provide for an effective date and 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.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage
Tax Credit Act."
SECTION 2.
Chapter 7 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to income taxes,
is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"48-7-29.11A.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Eligible expenses' means expenses incurred by an individual taxpayer during the
taxable year for the:
(A) Purchase of one or more firearm secure storage devices for his or her personal use
or donation; and
(B) Cost of a firearm safe handling instructional course.
(2) 'Firearm' means any handgun, shotgun, rifle, or other weapon that will be converted
or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel single or multiple projectiles by
action of an explosion of a combustible material.
(3) 'Firearm safe handling instructional course' means an in-person training of at least
two hours in duration that includes, but is not limited to, instruction on safe handling, use,
and storage of firearms.
(4) 'Firearm secure storage device' means any device originally manufactured to securely
store or disable a firearm and which may only be unlocked by means of a key, a
combination, a fingerprint or other biometric identifier, or other similar means. Such
term shall include, but shall not be limited to, gun safes, trigger locks, chamber locks, and
cable locks.
(b)(1) Under the terms and conditions of this Code section, an individual taxpayer shall
be allowed a credit against the tax imposed by Code Section 48-7-20 in the amount of
such taxpayer's eligible expenses or $300.00, whichever is less.
(2) In no event shall the aggregate limit of tax credits allowed under this Code section
for any year exceed $10 million.
(c)(1) The department shall develop a procedure to be followed in the preapproval of any
tax credit allowed pursuant to this Code section.
(2) An individual taxpayer seeking a tax credit pursuant to this Code section shall apply
to the department for preapproval of such tax credit. Such taxpayer shall specify the
taxable year for which he or she is seeking a tax credit.
(3) Individual taxpayers that properly apply for preapproval of such tax credit following
the procedure developed by the department shall be approved on a first-come, first served
basis until the aggregate limit for such tax credits is reached for that year.
(4) The department shall preapprove tax credits for each preapproval application within
30 days and in the received order of submitted applications. Such preapproved tax credits
shall be in the amount of $300.00 for each preapproval application.
(5) In the event that an individual taxpayer applies for preapproval and the amount of tax
credits available for the taxable year are not sufficient to fully fund the tax credits
requested, the department shall deny such taxpayer's request and shall not accept any
additional preapproval applications from taxpayers for the taxable year.
(d) For a tax credit allowed pursuant to this Code section, an individual taxpayer shall
maintain receipts for purchases or costs relative to the eligible expenses for three years
following the submission of the taxpayer's tax return claiming such tax credit. Such
receipts shall be made available upon request for review by the commissioner.
(e) In no event shall the total amount of any tax credit under this Code section for a taxable
year exceed the taxpayer's income tax liability. No unused tax credit shall be allowed to
be carried forward to apply to the taxpayer's succeeding years' tax liability. No such tax
credit shall be allowed the taxpayer against prior years' tax liability.
(f) No person shall create any list of names regarding persons who have applied for or
have been allowed a tax credit pursuant to this Code section except for purposes necessary
to the administration of such credit.
(g) The commissioner shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary for
the implementation and administration of the provisions of this Code section.
(h) This Code section shall stand repealed and reserved on December 31, 2031."
SECTION 3.
This Act shall become effective on January 1, 2027, and shall be applicable to taxable years
beginning on or after January 1, 2027.
SECTION 4.
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.
A Senate committee substitute for HB 248 would replace its original geothermal tax credit idea with a new Georgia income tax credit for firearm safety courses and gun storage devices, capped at $10 million a year statewide.
### Plain-language summary
Although HB 248 was originally written to create a tax credit for geothermal heating and cooling installations, the Senate Finance Committee substitute shown here replaces that idea entirely. It creates a new Georgia income tax credit, called the Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage Tax Credit Act, for individual taxpayers who buy a gun safe, trigger lock, or similar secure storage device, or who pay for an in-person firearm safety course lasting at least two hours.
The credit equals a taxpayer's eligible expenses or $300, whichever is less, and taxpayers must apply to the Georgia Department of Revenue for preapproval before claiming it. Credits are awarded first-come, first-served until a statewide $10 million annual cap is reached. The credit cannot exceed a taxpayer's tax bill, cannot carry forward to future years, and the law would repeal itself on December 31, 2031. It would take effect January 1, 2027.
### What it does
- Creates a new Georgia income tax credit for individuals who buy firearm secure storage devices like gun safes, trigger locks, chamber locks, or cable locks.
- Extends the same credit to costs of an in-person firearm safe handling instructional course lasting at least two hours.
- Caps each taxpayer's credit at $300 or actual eligible expenses, whichever is less, and caps total statewide credits at $10 million per year.
- Requires taxpayers to apply to the Department of Revenue for preapproval and get approved within 30 days on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Bars anyone from creating a list or database of people who applied for or received the credit, except as needed to administer it.
- Sets the credit to automatically repeal on December 31, 2031, and makes the law effective January 1, 2027.
### Who it affects
Individual Georgia taxpayers who purchase gun safes or other secure firearm storage devices or pay for firearm safety courses, the Georgia Department of Revenue which must build a preapproval system, and gun safety course providers and storage device retailers whose products or services would qualify.
### Why it matters
Georgians who buy gun safes or take safety courses could get up to $300 off their state income taxes, but only if they apply for preapproval in time, since the $10 million yearly pool runs out on a first-come, first-served basis and unused credit cannot roll over to future years.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the law the 'Firearm Safe Handling and Secure Storage Tax Credit Act.'
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 48-7-29.11A defining eligible expenses, firearms, safety courses, and secure storage devices.
- Subsection (b) sets the credit at the lesser of actual expenses or $300 per taxpayer and caps total annual credits statewide at $10 million.
- Subsection (c) requires taxpayers to apply for preapproval, with the Department of Revenue processing applications within 30 days in the order received until funds run out.
- Subsection (d) requires taxpayers to keep receipts for three years for review by the commissioner.
- Subsection (e) bars carrying unused credit forward or applying it to past tax years, and limits it to no more than the taxpayer's tax liability.
- Subsection (f) prohibits creating lists or databases of applicants or recipients except for administering the credit.
- Subsection (h) sets automatic repeal of the credit on December 31, 2031; Section 3 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-06)
- Last action: Senate Tabled (2026-03-31)
- Sponsors: Rick Jasperse, Trey Kelley, Alan Powell, Noel Williams, Beth Camp, Shawn Still
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69853
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,110 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb248.md?full=1