HB 590: Professions and businesses; regulation of trailer manufacturers; provide

Georgia currently does not license trailer manufacturers the way it licenses many other trades. House Bill 590 would add a new chapter to Title 43 of Georgia's professional licensing laws creating the State Board of Trailer Manufacturers, a nine member board made up of manufacturers, industry association members, a public member, and the commissioners of public safety and driver services (or their designees). The board would issue licenses to manufacturers who maintain an established place of business, carry required insurance, have federal safety identifiers, and meet building codes. Licensees would pay a $150 application fee and a $1,500 annual fee, keep records of vehicle identification numbers and sales for five years, and submit annual sales reports. The board could inspect facilities, suspend or revoke licenses, and go to court to stop unlicensed manufacturing. Manufacturing trailers without a license would be a misdemeanor crime.

• Creates the State Board of Trailer Manufacturers, a nine member body appointed mostly by the Governor, to license and regulate trailer builders in Georgia.
• Makes it illegal to manufacture or advertise as a trailer manufacturer in Georgia without a state license, punishable as a misdemeanor.
• Sets licensing requirements including a $150 application fee, insurance coverage, a federal manufacturer identifier, and compliance with building codes.
• Requires licensees to pay a $1,500 annual fee, keep five years of production and sales records, and report vehicle identification numbers to the board yearly.
• Gives the board authority to inspect manufacturing facilities, require continuing education for license renewal, and suspend or revoke licenses for violations.
• Allows the board to sue in court to stop unlicensed trailer manufacturing anywhere in the state.

Trailer manufacturers and businesses that build or assemble trailers in Georgia, the state association of trailer manufacturers, the Governor's office (which appoints board members), the commissioners of public safety and driver services, and any person who might build trailers without a license.

Trailer builders in Georgia would face a new licensing system with fees, insurance requirements, recordkeeping, and inspections. Operating without a license would become a crime, and the state could go to court to shut down unlicensed manufacturers, changing how the industry is allowed to operate.

• Code Section 43-45A-3 establishes the nine member board, including three manufacturers, three industry association members, one public member, and two state officials.
• Code Section 43-45A-7 makes it unlawful to operate as a manufacturer or advertise as one without a board issued license.
• Code Section 43-45A-8 sets application requirements including a $150 fee, insurance, a federal manufacturer identifier, and building code compliance.
• Code Section 43-45A-10 sets an annual $1,500 licensing fee deposited into the state general fund and allows inspections of records and facilities.
• Code Section 43-45A-11 requires licensees to keep vehicle identification and sales records for five years and report them annually to the board.
• Code Section 43-45A-12 allows the board to seek a court injunction against unlicensed manufacturing and makes unlicensed manufacturing a misdemeanor; violators get 90 days to fix problems before a one-year license suspension.

1. 2026-01-16House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
2. 2025-02-26House Second Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-24House First Readers (House)
4. 2025-02-21House Hopper (House)

• Jaclyn Ford (R, HD-170)Primary sponsor
• James Burchett (R, HD-176)
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)
• Lauren McDonald (R, HD-026)
• Marcus Wiedower (R, HD-121)
• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)

• trailer manufacturing
• business licensing
• professional regulation
• occupational licensing boards