--- title: HB 358. Agriculture; prohibiting acquisition of possessory interest in certain land by certain foreign persons and entities; provide for a definition collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb358 cite_as: HB 358, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb358 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb358.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb358/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70120 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/hb357.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb359.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1031 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb358.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 358 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: - Vance Smith - David Huddleston - Debbie Buckner - David Jenkins - Randy Robertson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB358/2025 upstream_id: 1964614 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - foreign land ownership - military installations - property law - national security --- # HB 358. Agriculture; prohibiting acquisition of possessory interest in certain land by certain foreign persons and entities; provide for a definition ## Text 25 LC 33 9770/AP House Bill 358 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Smith of the 138 th, Huddleston of the 72 nd, Buckner of the 137 th, and Jenkins of the 136th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 2-1-7 of the Official Code of Georgia Ann otated, relating to1 prohibiting the acquisition of possessory interest in certain land by certain foreign persons2 and entities, so as to provide for a definition; to provide for related matters; to repeal3 conflicting laws; and for other purposes.4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:5 SECTION 1.6 Code Section 2-1-7 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, r elating to prohibiting the7 acquisition of possessory interest in certain land by certain f oreign persons and entities, is8 amended by adding a new paragraph to subsection (a) to read as follows:9 "(2.1) 'Military installation' means a facility owned and opera ted by the United States10 Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Space Force, or Coast Guard tha t shelters military11 equipment and personnel and facilitates training and operations for such organizations."12 SECTION 2.13 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.14 H. B. 358 - 1 - ## 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 358 adds a legal definition of "military installation" to Georgia's law restricting certain foreign persons and entities from acquiring land, likely land near military bases. ### Plain-language summary Georgia already has a law, O.C.G.A. § 2-1-7, that stops certain foreign persons and entities from acquiring a possessory interest (the legal right to hold or use property) in certain land in the state. That existing law refers to land near military installations, but it did not spell out what counts as a "military installation." House Bill 358 adds that missing definition. It says a military installation means a facility owned and operated by the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Space Force, or Coast Guard that shelters military equipment and personnel and supports training and operations. The bill does not change who is restricted or what land is covered; it only clarifies this one term used in the existing restriction. It also repeals any conflicting laws. ### What it does - Adds a new definition of "military installation" to Georgia's foreign land acquisition law (O.C.G.A. § 2-1-7). - Defines a military installation as a facility owned and operated by the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Space Force, or Coast Guard. - Specifies the facility must shelter military equipment and personnel and support training and operations to qualify. - Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new definition. ### Who it affects The change most directly affects how Georgia courts and state officials interpret the existing restriction on foreign persons and entities acquiring land near military installations, since it clarifies a key term in that law rather than creating new restrictions on any group. ### Why it matters Because the underlying law restricts certain foreign persons and entities from acquiring land tied to military installations, a clear definition of that term reduces ambiguity about which facilities trigger the restriction, affecting how the existing prohibition is applied and enforced. ### Key provisions - Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 2-1-7 by adding paragraph (2.1) to subsection (a), defining "military installation." - The definition covers facilities owned and operated by the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Space Force, or Coast Guard. - The facility must shelter military equipment and personnel and facilitate training and operations to meet the definition. - Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-14) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-07-01 (2025-05-14) - Sponsors: Vance Smith, David Huddleston, Debbie Buckner, David Jenkins, Randy Robertson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70120 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,031 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb358.md?full=1