--- title: HB 875. Property; tenant seeking to limit public access to records of the court relating to dispossessory actions to be sealed under certain circumstances; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb875 cite_as: HB 875, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb875 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb875.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb875/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71842 date: 2025-04-02 status: introduced 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/hb874.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb876.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb875.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 875 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-03-28 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Robert Flournoy - Karlton Howard - Arlene Beckles - Mary Ann Santos - Yasmin Neal - Spencer Frye text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB875/2025 upstream_id: 2016624 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - eviction records - tenant rights - court records access - landlord-tenant law - housing --- # HB 875. Property; tenant seeking to limit public access to records of the court relating to dispossessory actions to be sealed under certain circumstances; provide ## Text 25 LC 62 0192 House Bill 875 By: Representatives Flournoy of the 74th, Howard of the 129th, Beckles of the 96th, Santos of the 117th, Neal of the 79th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Cod e of Georgia Annotated,1 relating to dispossessory proceedings, so as to provide for a t enant seeking to limit public2 access to records of the court relating to dispossessory action s to be sealed under certain3 circumstances; to provide for exemptions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting4 laws; and for other purposes.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:6 SECTION 1.7 Article 3 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Geor gia Annotated, relating to8 dispossessory proceedings, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:9 "44-7-60.10 (a) When a tenant prevails in a dispossessory action, such tenant may seek to limit public11 access to his or her dispossessory action records, and the court may, in its discretion, order12 that all records of the court relating to the dispossessory pro ceeding be sealed and13 unavailable to the public.14 H. B. 875 - 1 - 25 LC 62 0192 (b) A tenant who has entered into a settlement agreement with a landlord to resolve a15 dispossessory action may petition the court to seal all records of the court relating to the16 dispossessory proceeding and made unavailable to the public when:17 (1) The tenant meets all conditions of the settlement agreement; or18 (2) The landlord receives funds from a local, state, or federa l government agency or a19 nonprofit agency.20 (c) Three years after a dispossessory action concluded, a tenant who did not prevail in such21 dispossessory action may petition the court to seal all records of the court relating to the22 dispossessory proceeding and made unavailable to the public when:23 (1) The dispossessory action occurred during a period of a public health emergency;24 (2) Extraordinary hardships beyond the tenant's control result ed in the dispossessory25 action; or26 (3) No other dispossessory actions are pending against the tenant at the time the petition27 is filed.28 (d) Within 30 days after the date of filing of the court's ord er to seal the record of a29 dispossessory action, the clerk of the court shall cause every document in connection with30 the dispossessory proceeding, physical or electronic, in its custody, possession, or control31 of the court to be sealed and made unavailable to the public.32 (e) Nothing in this Code section shall prohibit access to the records of the dispossessory33 action by the landlord, tenant, or attorney of any party to the original dispossessory action.34 (f) A court may permit access to dispossessory action records sealed pursuant to this Code35 section, only when such access is for academic purposes includi ng data aggregation or36 research."37 SECTION 2.38 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. 39 H. B. 875 - 2 - ## 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 875 would let Georgia tenants ask courts to seal public records of eviction (dispossessory) cases after they win, settle, or wait three years, under specific conditions. ### Plain-language summary Right now, Georgia court records of eviction cases, known legally as dispossessory actions, generally stay open to the public even if the tenant wins or the case is resolved. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7) letting tenants ask a judge to seal those records so the public can't see them. A tenant who wins the case outright can ask a judge to seal the records, at the judge's discretion. A tenant who settles with the landlord can petition to seal the records if they meet the settlement terms, or if the landlord got government or nonprofit funding. A tenant who lost the case can wait three years and then petition to seal the records if the case happened during a public health emergency, resulted from hardship beyond their control, or if they have no other pending eviction cases. Once a judge orders records sealed, the court clerk has 30 days to seal every related document. Landlords, tenants, and their attorneys can still see the sealed records, and courts can allow access for academic research. ### What it does - Creates a new Georgia Code section allowing tenants who win a dispossessory (eviction) case to ask a judge to seal the court records from public view. - Allows tenants who settled an eviction case to petition to seal records if they met the settlement terms or if the landlord received government or nonprofit funding. - Lets tenants who lost an eviction case petition, three years later, to seal records if the case involved a public health emergency, extraordinary hardship, or no other pending eviction cases. - Requires court clerks to seal all physical and electronic documents related to a case within 30 days of a sealing order. - Preserves access to sealed records for the landlord, tenant, or their attorneys, and allows courts to permit access for academic research or data aggregation. ### Who it affects The bill directly affects tenants involved in eviction cases in Georgia courts, landlords who filed those cases, court clerks who manage case records, and judges who decide whether to seal records. Researchers and academics who study eviction data are also affected through the research access exemption. ### Why it matters Eviction records can follow tenants for years, making it harder to rent again even after winning a case or resolving it through settlement. By allowing certain records to be sealed, the bill could change what shows up when landlords or others check a tenant's rental history in Georgia. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds new Code section 44-7-60, giving courts discretion to seal records when a tenant prevails in a dispossessory action. - Subsection (b) allows tenants who settled a case to petition for sealing if they met settlement terms or if the landlord received government or nonprofit funds. - Subsection (c) allows tenants who lost a case to petition after three years if the case involved a public health emergency, extraordinary hardship, or no other pending evictions against them. - Subsection (d) requires the court clerk to seal all related documents, physical or electronic, within 30 days of a sealing order. - Subsection (e) preserves access to sealed records for the landlord, tenant, or an attorney involved in the original case. - Subsection (f) allows courts to permit access to sealed records for academic purposes, including research and data aggregation. - Section 2 repeals conflicting laws. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-28) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-04-02) - Sponsors: Robert Flournoy, Karlton Howard, Arlene Beckles, Mary Ann Santos, Yasmin Neal, Spencer Frye - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71842 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb875.md?full=1