--- title: HB 270. Eviction Service and Airplane Evictions Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb270 cite_as: HB 270, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb270 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb270.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb270/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69931 date: 2025-05-14 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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/hb269.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb271.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1057 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb270.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 270 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-14 last_action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 sponsors: - Matt Reeves - Rob Leverett - Beth Camp - Deborah Silcox - David Jenkins - Trey Kelley - Bo Hatchett text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB270/2025 upstream_id: 1955680 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - evictions - landlord-tenant law - court process serving - housing --- # HB 270. Eviction Service and Airplane Evictions Act; enact ## Text 25 LC 48 1536S/AP House Bill 270 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Reeves of the 99th, Leverett of the 123rd, Camp of the 135th, Silcox of the 53rd, Jenkins of the 136th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 44-7-51 of the Official Code of Georgia A nnotated, relating to1 issuance of summons, service, time for answer, and defenses and counterclaims, so as to2 provide for service by an approved process server; to provide for related matters; to provide3 a short title; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Eviction Service Act."7 SECTION 2.8 Code Section 44-7-51 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to issuance of9 summons, service, time for answer, and defenses and counterclaims, is amended by revising10 subsection (a) as follows:11 "(a) When the affidavit provided for in Code Section 44-7-50 is made, the judge of the12 superior court, the state court, or any other court with jurisdiction over the subject matter13 or the judge, clerk, or deputy clerk of the magistrate court shall grant and issue a summons14 to the sheriff or his or her deputy, or to any lawful constable of the county where the land15 H. B. 270 - 1 - 25 LC 48 1536S/AP is located, or an approved process server . A copy of the summons and a copy of the16 affidavit shall be personally served upon the defendant. If th e sheriff, constable, or17 approved process server is unable to serve the defendant personally, service may be ha d18 by delivering the summons and the affidavit to any person who is sui juris residing on the19 premises or, if after reasonable effort no such person is found residing on the premises, by20 posting a copy of the summons and the affidavit on the door of the premises and, on the21 same day of such posting, by enclosing, directing, stamping, and mailing by first-class mail22 a copy of the summons and the affidavit to the defendant at his or her last known address,23 if any, and making an entry of this action on the affidavit filed in the case."24 SECTION 3.25 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.26 H. B. 270 - 2 - ## 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 270 changes who can legally deliver eviction paperwork in Georgia, allowing an approved process server, not just a sheriff, deputy, or constable, to serve eviction summonses on tenants. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, when a landlord files an eviction (called a dispossessory proceeding) against a tenant, the court issues a summons that must be delivered by a sheriff, a deputy, or a county constable. House Bill 270, called the 'Eviction Service Act,' amends that law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51) to also let an approved process server deliver the summons and the affidavit that starts the case. The bill keeps the existing backup delivery rules: if the sheriff, constable, or process server cannot hand the papers to the tenant directly, they can leave them with another adult living on the property, or, if no one is home, post the notice on the door and mail a copy by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date, so it would take effect under Georgia's standard rules for newly signed legislation. ### What it does - Adds 'an approved process server' as a person legally allowed to deliver eviction summonses and affidavits, alongside sheriffs, deputies, and constables. - Keeps the existing fallback delivery method: leaving papers with an adult resident of the property if the tenant cannot be found. - Keeps the existing fallback of posting the summons on the door and mailing a copy by first-class mail if no resident is found. - Names the law the 'Eviction Service Act' as its official short title. - Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this change. ### Who it affects Landlords and property owners filing eviction cases, tenants facing eviction, sheriffs and county constables who currently serve eviction papers, and private process servers who would gain new legal authority to deliver these court documents. ### Why it matters Landlords in Georgia often wait on sheriffs' offices, which handle many types of legal paperwork, to serve eviction notices. Allowing approved process servers to do this could speed up how quickly tenants are formally notified of eviction proceedings against them. ### Key provisions - Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the 'Eviction Service Act.' - Section 2 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51 to add 'an approved process server' to the list of people who can serve an eviction summons, alongside the sheriff, deputy, or a county constable. - Section 2 preserves the existing rule that if personal service fails, papers can be left with a resident adult on the premises or posted on the door with a mailed copy sent the same day. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-14) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-14) - Sponsors: Matt Reeves, Rob Leverett, Beth Camp, Deborah Silcox, David Jenkins, Trey Kelley, Bo Hatchett - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69931 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,057 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb270.md?full=1