--- title: HB 648. College Park, City of; ad valorem tax for municipal purposes; homestead exemption; remove income cap collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb648 cite_as: HB 648, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb648 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb648.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb648/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70847 date: 2025-05-13 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/hb647.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb649.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 884 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb648.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 648 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Kim Schofield - Rhonda Burnough - Tanya Miller - Derrick Jackson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB648/2025 upstream_id: 1985836 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - property taxes - homestead exemption - College Park - senior citizens - local referendum --- # HB 648. College Park, City of; ad valorem tax for municipal purposes; homestead exemption; remove income cap ## Text 25 LC 47 3162/AP House Bill 648 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Schofield of the 63 rd, Burnough of the 77 th, Miller of the 62 nd, and Jackson of the 68th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend an Act providing a homestead exemption from City of College Park ad valorem1 taxes for municipal purposes for the full amount of the assessed value of the homestead for2 certain residents of that city who are disabled or who are 65 years of age or older, approved3 May 1, 2023 (Ga. L. 2023, p. 3696), so as to remove the income cap from such exemption;4 to provide for compliance with constitutional requirements; to provide for a referendum,5 effective dates, automatic repeal, mandatory execution of elect ion, and judicial remedies6 regarding failure to comply; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:8 SECTION 1.9 An Act providing a homestead exemption from City of College Par k ad valorem taxes for10 municipal purposes for the full amount of the assessed value of the homestead for certain11 residents of that city who are disabled or who are 65 years of age or older, approved May 1,12 2023 (Ga. L. 2023, p. 3696), is amended in Section 1 by repealing and reserving paragraph13 (4) of subsection (a) and by revising subsection (b) and paragr aph (2) of subsection (c) as14 follows:15 H. B. 648 - 1 - 25 LC 47 3162/AP "(b) Each resident of the City of College Park who is disabled or who is a senior citizen16 is granted an exemption on that person's homestead from City of College Park ad valorem17 taxes for municipal purposes for the full amount of the assessed value of that homestead."18 "(2) A person shall not receive the homestead exemption granted by subsection (b) of this19 section unless such person or person's agent files an applicati on with the governing20 authority of the City of College Park, or the designee thereof, giving the person's age and21 such additional information relative to receiving such exemptio n as will enable the22 governing authority of the City of College Park, or the designe e thereof, to make a23 determination regarding the initial and continuing eligibility of such person for such24 exemption. The governing authority of the City of College Park, or the designee thereof,25 shall provide application forms for this purpose."26 SECTION 2.27 In accordance with the requirements of Article VII, Section II of the Constitution of the State28 of Georgia, this Act shall not become law unless it receives the requisite two-thirds' majority29 vote in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.30 SECTION 3.31 The municipal election superintendent of the City of College Park shall call and conduct an32 election as provided in this section for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of33 the City of College Park for approval or rejection. The munici pal election superintendent34 shall conduct such election on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, 2025, and35 shall issue the call and conduct that election as provided by g eneral law. The municipal36 election superintendent shall cause the date and purpose of the election to be published once37 a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date thereof in the official organs of Fulton38 and Clayton counties. The ballot shall have written or printed thereon the words:39 H. B. 648 - 2 - 25 LC 47 3162/AP "( ) YES40 41 ( ) NO42 43 44 Shall the Act be approved which removes the income cap from a homestead exemption from City of College Park ad valorem taxes for munici pal purposes for the full amount of the assessed value of the homes tead for certain residents of that city who are disabled or who are 65 years of age or older?" All persons desiring to vote for approval of the Act shall vote "Yes," and all persons desiring45 to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on46 such question are for approval of the Act, Section 1 of this Act shall become of full force and47 effect on January 1, 2026. If the Act is not so approved or if the election is not conducted48 as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective, and this Act shall49 be automatically repealed on the 365th calendar day following the election date provided for50 in this section. The expense of such election shall be borne by the City of College Park. It51 shall be the municipal election superintendent's duty to certif y the result thereof to the52 Secretary of State. The provisions of this section shall be ma ndatory upon the municipal53 election superintendent and are not intended as directory. If the municipal election54 superintendent fails or refuses to comply with this section, any elector of the City of College55 Park may apply for a writ of mandamus to compel the municipal election superintendent to56 perform his or her duties under this section. If the court fin ds that the municipal election57 superintendent has not complied with this section, the court shall fashion appropriate relief58 requiring the municipal election superintendent to call and conduct such election on the date59 required by this section or on the next date authorized for special elections as provided for60 in Code Section 21-2-540 of the O.C.G.A.61 SECTION 4.62 Except as otherwise provided in Section 3 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon63 its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.64 H. B. 648 - 3 - 25 LC 47 3162/AP SECTION 5.65 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.66 H. B. 648 - 4 - ## 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 648 would remove the income limit on College Park's homestead property tax exemption for senior and disabled residents, pending voter approval in a November 2025 referendum. ### Plain-language summary In 2023 the Georgia General Assembly gave College Park residents who are disabled or 65 and older a full exemption from the city's ad valorem (property) taxes for municipal purposes, but only if their income fell below a certain cap. This bill removes that income cap entirely, so any College Park resident who is disabled or a senior citizen would qualify for the full homestead exemption regardless of income. Because the change affects property taxation, the Georgia Constitution requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers, which the bill states it received, and it must also be approved by College Park voters in a referendum set for the November 2025 election. If voters approve it, the change takes effect January 1, 2026. If voters reject it or the election is not held as required, the bill is automatically repealed 365 days after the election date. ### What it does - Removes the income cap from College Park's homestead exemption for residents who are disabled or 65 years or older, letting all such residents qualify regardless of income. - Grants those residents an exemption for the full assessed value of their homestead from City of College Park ad valorem (property) taxes for municipal purposes. - Requires applicants to file an application with the city's governing authority or its designee providing age and other eligibility information. - Requires the City of College Park to hold a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2025 for voters to approve or reject the change. - Sets the effective date of January 1, 2026 if voters approve, and provides for automatic repeal 365 days after the election if they do not. ### Who it affects College Park residents who are disabled or 65 years of age or older and own a homestead there, the city's governing authority which processes exemption applications, and the municipal election superintendent who must run the November 2025 referendum. ### Why it matters Currently only lower-income disabled or senior College Park homeowners get the full property tax exemption; removing the cap would let all such residents, regardless of income, avoid paying municipal property taxes on their home if voters approve the change in the November 2025 referendum. ### Key provisions - Section 1 repeals the income cap provision and revises the law so any disabled or senior resident of College Park gets a full homestead exemption from municipal ad valorem taxes. - Section 1 also revises application requirements, requiring residents or their agents to file with the city's governing authority or its designee. - Section 2 requires the bill to receive a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate to comply with the Georgia Constitution's tax provisions. - Section 3 requires a referendum in College Park on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2025, with the ballot language specified in the bill. - Section 3 states the change becomes effective January 1, 2026 if approved, and the Act is automatically repealed 365 days after the election if not approved or if the election is not held. - Section 4 sets the bill's general effective date as upon the Governor's approval or becoming law without approval, except for the referendum provisions. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Kim Schofield, Rhonda Burnough, Tanya Miller, Derrick Jackson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70847 > The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb648.md?full=1