HB 986: Motor vehicles; personal delivery devices; revise operation procedures and restrictions

Georgia law already allows small wheeled robots called personal delivery devices to operate on sidewalks and roadways to deliver packages or food. This bill updates two of the safety rules that govern how these devices behave around people. First, it changes when a delivery device must make a warning sound: instead of beeping only when approaching a person or vehicle, it must now emit a sound whenever it is in motion and within six feet of a vehicle, pedestrian, or person in a wheelchair. Second, it raises the maximum speed allowed on sidewalks, shared use paths, safety zones, and crosswalks from four miles per hour to seven miles per hour. The speed limit on bike lanes, shoulders, and roadways stays at 20 miles per hour. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Changes the warning sound requirement so a personal delivery device must beep whenever it is in motion and within six feet of a vehicle, pedestrian, or wheelchair user, not just when approaching them.
• Raises the top speed for delivery devices on sidewalks, shared use paths, and safety zones from 4 miles per hour to 7 miles per hour.
• Raises the top speed allowed within crosswalks from 4 miles per hour to 7 miles per hour, while keeping the 3.5 feet per second minimum.
• Leaves the 20 mile per hour speed limit unchanged for delivery devices operating in bicycle lanes, on shoulders, or on roadways.
• Requires operators of these devices to still follow local ordinances and to yield the right of way to people on foot.

Companies that operate sidewalk delivery robots in Georgia, pedestrians and wheelchair users who share sidewalks and crosswalks with these devices, and local governments that regulate device use through ordinances under existing law.

Pedestrians will encounter these delivery robots moving nearly twice as fast on sidewalks and in crosswalks as before, while the change to the warning sound rule means devices will beep more often near people, even when not directly approaching them.

• Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 40-6-321 so the required warning sound triggers when a device is in motion and within six feet of a person or vehicle, rather than only when approaching.
• Section 2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 40-6-322(b)(2) to raise the sidewalk, shared use path, and safety zone speed cap from 4 to 7 miles per hour.
• Section 2 also rewrites O.C.G.A. § 40-6-322(b)(3) to raise the crosswalk speed cap from 4 to 7 miles per hour, keeping the 3.5 feet per second floor.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting state laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 442
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-19Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-19Senate Third Read (Senate)
7. 2026-03-16Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
8. 2026-03-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)

• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)Primary sponsor
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)
• David Huddleston (R, HD-072)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
• Carter Barrett (R, HD-024)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 11, 2026

   162 yea, 3 nay (4 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #497

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 19, 2026

   44 yea, 2 nay (2 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #752

• personal delivery devices
• sidewalk robots
• pedestrian safety
• traffic law
• motor vehicle regulations