Georgia CommonsHB 992: State parks; free admission on certain public and legal holidays; provide
Last action January 27, 2026 · House Second Readers
A Georgia House bill would waive state park entrance fees for Georgia residents on official public and legal holidays, adding a new section to state parks law.
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 LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law, the Board of Natural Resources sets fees for using or occupying state parks, historic sites, and recreational areas. This bill would add a new Code section, 12-3-9.2, to Georgia's parks law that waives those fees for Georgia residents on any day recognized as a public and legal holiday under O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1 (the state's official holiday list). The bill defines 'fee' as the charge set by the Board of Natural Resources for using or occupying a state park, historic site, or recreational area. It then bars charging that fee to Georgia residents on the listed holidays. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a specific effective date beyond the standard process for bills that become law.
What the bill does
- Adds a new Code section, 12-3-9.2, to Georgia's parks law creating free admission for residents on public and legal holidays.
- Defines 'fee' as the charge the Board of Natural Resources sets for using or occupying a state park, historic site, or recreational area.
- Bars charging Georgia residents that fee on any day listed as a public and legal holiday under O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new free-admission rule.
Who it affects
Georgia residents who visit state parks, historic sites, or recreational areas, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and its Board of Natural Resources, which sets and collects the admission fees affected by this change.
Why it matters
Georgia residents would be able to visit state parks, historic sites, and recreational areas without paying admission fees on official holidays like Labor Day or Thanksgiving, potentially reducing revenue the parks system collects on those specific days.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code Section 12-3-9.2 to Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 12, covering state parks, historic areas, and recreation.
- Subsection (a) defines 'fee' as the charge the Board of Natural Resources sets for use or occupancy of a state park, historic site, or recreational area.
- Subsection (b) prohibits charging that fee to Georgia residents on any public and legal holiday listed in O.C.G.A. § 1-4-1.
- Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the new free-admission provision.
From the bill
“No fee shall be charged to any resident of this state for admission to any state park, historic site, or recreational area on any public and legal holiday provided for by Code Section 1-4-1.”
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- David Wilkerson (D, HD-038)
- Debbie Buckner (D, HD-137)
- Scott Holcomb (D, HD-101)
- Solomon Adesanya (D, HD-043)
- Al Williams (D, HD-168)
- Eric Bell (D, HD-075)
Topics
- state parks
- park fees
- Georgia holidays
- outdoor recreation