HB 648: College Park, City of; ad valorem tax for municipal purposes; homestead exemption; remove income cap

College Park currently exempts disabled residents and residents 65 or older from city property taxes on their homes, but only if they meet an income limit. This bill would eliminate that income cap, so any qualifying senior or disabled homeowner in College Park could get a full exemption on their home's assessed value for city property taxes, regardless of income. The change would not take effect automatically. Because it affects local ad valorem taxes, the bill requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly and must also be approved by College Park voters in a referendum set for November 4, 2025. If voters approve, the change takes effect January 1, 2026. If voters reject it or the election is not held, the bill is automatically repealed 365 days after the election date.

• Removes the income cap that currently limits which disabled or senior College Park residents qualify for a full homestead property tax exemption.
• Rewrites the application process so residents must file with the College Park governing authority or its designee to prove eligibility, without an income test.
• Requires a citywide referendum on November 4, 2025, letting College Park voters approve or reject the change.
• Sets the change to take effect January 1, 2026 only if voters approve it, and automatically repeals the bill 365 days after the election if they do not.

Disabled residents and residents age 65 or older who own homes in the City of College Park and currently qualify, or previously did not qualify due to income, for the municipal homestead property tax exemption. College Park's city government and election officials are also affected as administrators of the exemption and the referendum.

Removing the income cap means more senior and disabled homeowners in College Park, including those with higher incomes, could pay no city property tax on their homes. Whether this actually happens depends on College Park voters approving the change at the ballot box in November 2025.

• Section 1 repeals the income cap provision (former paragraph (4) of subsection (a)) and rewrites subsection (b) to grant the full exemption to any disabled or senior resident without an income limit.
• Section 1 also revises the application requirement in subsection (c)(2), requiring residents to file with the city or its designee to establish eligibility based on age and other information.
• Section 2 requires the Act to pass by a two-thirds majority vote in both the Georgia House and Senate under the state constitution's local tax provisions.
• Section 3 mandates a College Park referendum on November 4, 2025, with the exemption taking effect January 1, 2026 if approved, or the Act being automatically repealed 365 days after the election if not.
• Section 4 sets the general effective date as upon the Governor's approval, except for the referendum-related terms in Section 3.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 209
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-20Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-20Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Kim Schofield (D, HD-63)Primary sponsor
• Rhonda Burnough (D, HD-77)
• Tanya F. Miller (D, HD-62)
• Derrick Jackson (D, HD-68)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #148

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 20, 2025

   51 yea, 0 nay (4 not voting, 1 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #250

• property taxes
• homestead exemption
• College Park
• senior citizens
• local referendum