--- title: HB 676. Property; fine for any frivolous mechanic lien filed; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb676 cite_as: HB 676, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb676 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb676.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb676/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70977 date: 2026-03-23 status: engrossed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 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/hb675.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb677.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 674 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb676.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 676 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-02-09 last_action: Senate Read Second Time sponsors: - Rob Clifton - Stan Gunter - Matt Reeves - Marcus Wiedower - Holt Persinger - Matthew Gambill - Ed Setzler text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB676/2025 upstream_id: 1987911 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - mechanic's liens - property law - construction contractors - frivolous lawsuits - property owners' rights --- # HB 676. Property; fine for any frivolous mechanic lien filed; provide ## Text House Bill 676 By: Representatives Clifton of the 131st, Gunter of the 8th, Reeves of the 99th, Wiedower of the 121st, Persinger of the 119th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Part 3 of Article 8 of Chapter 14 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mechanics and materialmen relative to liens, so as to provide for a fine for any frivolous mechanic lien filed; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Part 3 of Article 8 of Chapter 14 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mechanics and materialmen relative to liens, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "44-14-361.6. Any lien filed pursuant to Code Section 44-14-361 that is made without substantial justification or that is not made in good faith or that is made with malice or a wrongful purpose, as such terms are defined in Code Section 51-7-80, shall be subject to a fine of $1,500.00 per lien filed, in addition to any attorney's fees or court costs." SECTION 2. This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval. SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## 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. A Georgia House bill would impose a $1,500 fine on anyone who files a frivolous mechanic's lien against a property, on top of any attorney's fees or court costs. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, contractors and material suppliers can file a mechanic's lien (a legal claim against a property) when they haven't been paid for work or materials. This bill adds a new section to that law targeting liens filed without a legitimate basis. Specifically, it says any mechanic's lien that is filed without substantial justification, not in good faith, or with malice or a wrongful purpose, using definitions already found in Georgia's law on frivolous litigation (O.C.G.A. § 51-7-80), would trigger a $1,500 fine per lien. That fine would come on top of any attorney's fees or court costs the filer might already owe. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it, or automatically if it becomes law without his signature. ### What it does - Adds a new Code section (44-14-361.6) creating a $1,500 fine for each mechanic's lien filed that lacks substantial justification, isn't made in good faith, or is filed with malice or a wrongful purpose. - Ties the definitions of bad faith, malice, and wrongful purpose to an existing Georgia statute (O.C.G.A. § 51-7-80) rather than creating new definitions. - Makes the $1,500 fine additional to, not a replacement for, any attorney's fees or court costs already owed. - Sets the effective date as the moment the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without his signature. ### Who it affects Contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers who file mechanic's liens against Georgia properties; property owners who are targets of such liens; and attorneys and courts handling lien disputes, since the fine adds a new financial consequence to frivolous filings. ### Why it matters Property owners facing baseless liens would gain a specific financial penalty they can point to beyond existing legal fees, which could discourage contractors or suppliers from filing liens without a real basis. Those who do file frivolous liens would face an added $1,500 cost per lien. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds new Code Section 44-14-361.6, creating the $1,500 per-lien fine for frivolous mechanic's liens filed under O.C.G.A. § 44-14-361. - The fine applies when a lien is filed without substantial justification, not in good faith, or with malice or wrongful purpose, using definitions from O.C.G.A. § 51-7-80. - The $1,500 fine is imposed in addition to any attorney's fees or court costs already recoverable. - Section 2 sets the effective date as the date of the Governor's approval or the date the bill becomes law without approval. - Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2026-02-09) - Last action: Senate Read Second Time (2026-03-23) - Sponsors: Rob Clifton, Stan Gunter, Matt Reeves, Marcus Wiedower, Holt Persinger, Matthew Gambill, Ed Setzler - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70977 > The history, votes, and amendments (674 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb676.md?full=1