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House · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

HB 957: Motor vehicles; operation of miniature on-road vehicles on certain highways; provide

Last action March 31, 2026 · Senate Tabled

House Bill 957 would create a new Georgia vehicle category called 'miniature on-road vehicles', covering imported small vehicles like Japanese kei trucks, and set rules for registering, licensing, taxing, and driving them on local roads.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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 Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Currently Georgia law does not have a specific category for small imported vehicles built for roads in other countries, such as Japanese kei trucks and similar mini vehicles. This bill defines a 'miniature on-road vehicle' as an imported vehicle that can carry people, travels between 25 and 65 miles per hour, is no wider than 80 inches, has four or more wheels, a steering wheel, a non-straddle seat, and weighs less than 4,000 pounds, and is not a golf cart, ATV, or off-highway vehicle. The bill allows these vehicles to be registered and titled under rules similar to those for multipurpose off-highway vehicles, requires license plates identifying them as such, sets an annual license fee of $20, and applies a flat ad valorem (property) tax based on a $100 valuation, similar to antique vehicles. It requires safety equipment such as headlights, brake lights, taillights, a rearview mirror, and safety belts, limits operation to municipal and county roads (with authority to cross state highways), and lets local governments ban their use on local roads as long as they post notice. Most provisions take effect October 1, 2026, except a license plate size provision that takes effect January 1, 2032.

What the bill does

  • Creates a legal definition for 'miniature on-road vehicles' (small imported vehicles like kei trucks) in Georgia's motor vehicle code (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1).
  • Allows these vehicles to be registered and issued license plates without a certificate of title, similar to other unconventional vehicles.
  • Sets an annual license fee of $20.00 for miniature on-road vehicles, the same as for motorcycles and multipurpose off-highway vehicles.
  • Applies a flat property tax based on a $100 valuation to these vehicles, similar to how antique or hobby vehicles are taxed.
  • Requires the vehicles to have headlights, brake lights, taillights, a rearview mirror, and safety belts, and limits where they can be driven.
  • Gives local governments the power to ban these vehicles from local roads, provided they post warning signs at the affected roads.

Who it affects

Owners and importers of small foreign-market vehicles such as kei trucks and mini vans, the Department of Revenue and county tag offices that handle registration and taxes, local city and county governments that can restrict where the vehicles are driven, and drivers sharing the road with these vehicles.

Why it matters

People who import small foreign vehicles for personal or work use would get a clear legal path to register, plate, and drive them on Georgia roads, something not clearly addressed before. Local governments would also gain explicit authority to keep these vehicles off certain roads if they choose.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 adds a detailed definition of 'miniature on-road vehicle' to O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1, covering speed, width, weight, wheel count, and steering requirements.
  • Section 2 exempts miniature on-road vehicles more than 25 years old, or newer ones certified as federally compliant by a registered importer, from standard certificate of registration rules.
  • Sections 3 through 5 require distinct license plates for these vehicles and set a January 1, 2027 deadline for the state to make those plates available, with a related plate-size rule change effective January 1, 2032.
  • Section 6 sets the annual license fee at $20.00, matching motorcycles and multipurpose off-highway vehicles.
  • Section 8 requires safety equipment (headlights, brake lights, taillights, mirror, seat belts) and restricts operation to municipal and county roads, allowing crossing of state highways.
  • Section 9 lets local governments prohibit miniature on-road vehicles on local roads, provided they post traffic-control signs at affected roads or intersections.
  • Section 10 applies a flat ad valorem tax based on a $100.00 valuation to these vehicles, similar to the treatment of antique and hobby vehicles.
  • Section 11 sets the general effective date as October 1, 2026, with the license plate size change in Section 4 delayed until January 1, 2032.

From the bill

“'Miniature on-road vehicle' means any motorized vehicle designed and manufactured for use upon roadways in another country that has been imported into the United States with a valid certificate of title or registration from the exporting country”

This is the bill's core definition of the new vehicle category, aimed at imported small vehicles.

“Miniature on-road vehicles shall be operated only on highways that are part of a municipal street system or county road system, provided that such operation has not been prohibited through ordinance or resolution within a local jurisdiction”

This sets where the vehicles may legally be driven and lets local governments ban them.

Discussed in meetings (10)

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.

  1. House Motor Vehicles Committee, February 3, 2026

    From 0:43:26 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 957 would allow miniature trucks on county and city roads unless local governments prohibited them, using an approach similar to existing rules for side-by-side vehicles. The sponsor said the original proposal had the governor’s office’s support and was returning after a prior version containing Senate additions was vetoed. Asked about insurance and road equipment, the sponsor said requirements would apply and described the trucks as standard vehicles on a smaller scale. Members asked about the vehicle definition. The sponsor explained that it required ordinary seats and steering wheels rather than motorcycle-style seating, and that three-wheeled vehicles were excluded. Another member pointed to required lights, mirrors and seat belts and asked whether airbags were required. The sponsor said they did not believe airbags were required and said the proposal covered vehicles more than 25 years old, while newer vehicles were subject to federal requirements the state could not change. The sponsor also described a $1 tax treatment for the older vehicles. The committee approved a do-pass motion by voice vote, with no opposition heard.

  2. House Rules Committee, February 9, 2026

    From 0:47:45 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed HB 957 on the February 9 floor calendar after a motion and second, with no opposition voiced. The bill's contents were not discussed.

  3. House floor session, February 9, 2026 (legislative day 15)

    From 1:22:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 482

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 957 would define mini trucks and allow imported vehicles more than 25 years old on county and city roads, following the framework used for side-by-side vehicles. The sponsor said the only change from the version passed by the House the previous year was its effective date. One member asked why the bill concerned imports and how local governments could opt out. The sponsor said domestically manufactured vehicles already must meet federal standards and local governments could prohibit mini trucks. Another member later said a prohibition could be adopted by ordinance or resolution. Asked about the age requirement, the sponsor said it reflected federal requirements for newer vehicles. In response to other questions, the sponsor agreed that the bill followed existing local-road and speed-restriction rules and established minimum safety requirements. The sponsor and several members described constituent support. The House passed the bill 162 to 5.

  4. Senate Public Safety Committee, March 23, 2026

    From 0:07:06 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair initially called HB 957 but postponed the presentation because the sponsor was elsewhere. When the committee returned to it, the sponsor said the bill would allow miniature trucks on county and city roads, similar to an earlier change for side-by-side vehicles. In response to a member's questions, the sponsor confirmed that the vehicles would need required safety features and could not use roads marked to exclude them. The chair proposed changing a January 1, 2026 date to January 1, 2027 because the earlier date had already passed. Members discussed that change separately from other dates in the bill. The committee adopted the amendment and unanimously approved the amended substitute.

  5. Senate Rules Committee, March 30, 2026

    From 0:52:02 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor identified HB 957 as the mini-truck measure and referred to repeated prior hearings, without explaining its operating rules. The chair said this would be its last appearance regardless of the outcome. A member later selected it, and the committee unanimously approved the calendar containing it.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-03-31Senate Tabled (Senate)
  2. 2026-03-25Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  3. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
  4. 2026-02-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  5. 2026-02-09House Passed/Adopted (House)
  6. 2026-02-09House Third Readers (House)
  7. 2026-02-03House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  8. 2026-01-15House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
  1. 2026-01-14House First Readers (House)
  2. 2026-01-13House Hopper (House)

Sponsors

  • Rob Clifton (R, HD-131)Primary sponsor
  • John Corbett (R, HD-174)
  • Holt Persinger (R, HD-119)
  • Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
  • Kimberly New (R, HD-40)
  • Trey Kelley (R, HD-16)
  • Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-32)

Votes

  1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 9, 2026

    162 yea, 5 nay (2 not voting, 8 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #486

  2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

    39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)

    MOTION TO TABLE REMAINING LEGISLATION ON THE RULES CALENDAR: Senate Vote #912

Topics

  • kei trucks
  • vehicle registration
  • license plates
  • motor vehicle law
  • property taxes

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Answers come from this document. Not legal advice.

Machine-readable https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb957.md · https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md · MCP https://mcp.georgiacommons.org/mcp