Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 779: Property; require landlords and managers of apartment buildings or complexes to provide local police and fire departments certain information
Last action March 21, 2025 · House Second Readers
House Bill 779 would require landlords and managers of apartment buildings or complexes in Georgia to give local police and fire departments after hours contact numbers, with fines for noncompliance.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Currently, Georgia law does not require apartment landlords or managers to share after hours contact information with local emergency responders. House Bill 779 would add a new section to Georgia's landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.2) requiring landlords or managers of apartment buildings or complexes to give local police and fire departments current after hours maintenance and management phone numbers. Landlords who fail to provide this information would face a $2,000 fine per violation, plus additional fines every five days the violation continues. If police or fire departments contact a landlord or manager and get no response within one hour, the landlord or manager would be fined $5,000. All fines collected under this section would go to the Clayton County Public Schools Homeless Education Department. The law would take effect July 1, 2025, and apply to violations occurring on or after that date.
What the bill does
- Requires landlords and managers of apartment buildings or complexes to give local police and fire departments current after hours maintenance and management phone numbers.
- Sets a $2,000 fine per violation for failing to provide this contact information.
- Adds an additional fine for every five days a landlord or manager remains in violation.
- Requires landlords or managers to respond to police or fire department communications within one hour or face a $5,000 fine.
- Directs all fines collected under this section to be paid into the Clayton County Public Schools Homeless Education Department.
- Sets an effective date of July 1, 2025, applying to violations occurring on or after that date.
Who it affects
Landlords and managers of apartment buildings or complexes across Georgia, local police and fire departments who would receive the contact information, and indirectly the Clayton County Public Schools Homeless Education Department, which would receive any fines collected.
Why it matters
Emergency responders would have a guaranteed way to reach someone responsible for a building during off hours, which could speed up responses to fires, break-ins, or maintenance emergencies. Landlords and managers who ignore the requirement or fail to respond quickly could face significant financial penalties.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 44-7-14.2 requiring apartment landlords or managers to give local police and fire departments after hours maintenance and management phone numbers.
- Subsection (b) sets a $2,000 fine per violation for not providing the required contact information.
- Subsection (c) adds a recurring fine for every five days a landlord or manager continues to be in violation.
- Subsection (d) requires a response within one hour to communications from police or fire departments, with a $5,000 fine for failing to respond.
- Subsection (e) directs that all fines collected under this section go to the Clayton County Public Schools Homeless Education Department.
- Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2025, applying only to violations occurring on or after that date.
From the bill
“The landlord or manager of any apartment building or complex shall provide local police and fire departments with current and up to date: (1) After hours maintenance telephone numbers; and (2) After hours management telephone numbers.”
“All fines collected pursuant to this Code section shall be paid into Clayton County Public Schools Homeless Education Department.”
Discussed in meetings (1)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Governmental Affairs Committee, February 25, 2026
From 1:46:17 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 779 would require apartment properties to provide emergency management contacts because police and firefighters sometimes cannot reach anyone after responding to overnight problems. The sponsor described substitute provisions placing contacts in dispatch systems and providing information through leases, postings or annual distribution. Asked whether this replaced calling 911, the sponsor said it applied after responders arrived. A Georgia Realtors witness questioned one-hour response requirements and penalties of up to $2,000 or $5,000, particularly for small landlords. Members debated whether the wording covered single-family rentals. One member supported sanctions for poorly managed complexes; others questioned missed messages, response deadlines and whether both owners and managers could face misdemeanor charges. The sponsor said clarifying amendments were possible. A Georgia Apartment Association witness argued that existing licensing and inspection tools already provide contacts and oversight, and opposed criminal penalties for missing the response deadline. The sponsor said the association had declined requests to help revise the proposal; the witness disputed that account. The chair made the discussion hearing only and said the bill would return to subcommittee. No vote occurred, and the chair later announced the committee had lost the attendance needed to conduct business.
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Yasmin Neal (D, HD-79)
- Eric Bell (D, HD-75)
- Demetrius Douglas (D, HD-78)
- Robert Flournoy (D, HD-74)
- Sandra Scott (D, HD-76)
- Rhonda Burnough (D, HD-77)
Topics
- landlord tenant law
- apartment safety
- emergency response
- rental housing regulation