---
title: HB 994. Crimes and offenses; riot; provide for a felony penalty
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb994
cite_as: HB 994, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb994
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb994.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb994/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72261
date: 2026-01-27
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
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.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb994.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 994
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-01-15
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Mike Cheokas
- Emory Dunahoo
- Charles Cannon
- Lauren McDonald
- Eddie Lumsden
- Steve Tarvin
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB994/2025
upstream_id: 2083434
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- riot laws
- criminal penalties
- bail procedures
- Georgia criminal code
---
# HB 994. Crimes and offenses; riot; provide for a felony penalty
## Text
House Bill 994
By: Representatives Cheokas of the 151st, Dunahoo of the 31st, Cannon of the 172nd,
McDonald III of the 26th, Lumsden of the 12th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Code Section 16-11-30 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to riot,
so as to provide for a felony penalty; to amend Code Section 17-6-1 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to when offenses bailable, procedure, schedule of bails, and
appeal bonds, so as to include the offense of riot; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Code Section 16-11-30 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to riot, is
amended as follows:
"16-11-30.
(a) Any two or more persons who shall do an unlawful act of violence or any other act in
a violent and tumultuous manner commit the offense of riot.
(b) Any persons who violate subsection (a) of this Code section are guilty of a
misdemeanor felony punishable by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 20
years."
SECTION 2.
Code Section 17-6-1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to when offenses
bailable, procedure, schedule of bails, and appeal bonds, is amended in subsection (a) by
revising paragraphs (13) and (14) and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(13) Violating Code Section 16-5-46; and
(14) Violations of Chapter 15 of Title 16; and
(15) Riot."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## 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.
A Georgia House bill would make riot a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, up from a misdemeanor, and add it to the list of offenses subject to Georgia's special bail procedures.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, riot (two or more people committing an act of violence or acting in a violent and tumultuous manner) is a misdemeanor, Georgia's lower-level crime category with lighter penalties. This bill would rewrite that law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-30) so that riot becomes a felony, punishable by one to 20 years in prison.
The bill also amends Georgia's bail law (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1) to add riot to a specific list of offenses that go through a special bail-setting procedure, alongside crimes like certain violations already listed there. This means judges would follow that particular bail schedule process when someone is charged with riot rather than the standard bail process. The bill does not include a stated effective date beyond the standard rule that new laws take effect once signed, and it repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Changes the penalty for riot from a misdemeanor to a felony, with a prison sentence of one to 20 years.
- Adds riot as a new listed offense in Georgia's bail statute (O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1), subjecting it to the special bail procedure that applies to certain other listed crimes.
- Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.
### Who it affects
People arrested or charged with riot in Georgia, defense attorneys and prosecutors handling such cases, judges setting bail, and county jails and courts that process riot charges, since the offense would carry felony-level penalties and different bail rules.
### Why it matters
Someone charged with riot could now face a felony conviction and up to 20 years in prison instead of the shorter jail time and lighter record tied to a misdemeanor. Adding riot to the special bail list also changes how quickly and under what conditions someone charged could be released before trial.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-30(b) so that violating the riot statute is a felony punishable by one to 20 years in prison, replacing the current misdemeanor penalty.
- Section 1 keeps the underlying definition of riot unchanged: two or more people committing an unlawful act of violence or acting in a violent and tumultuous manner.
- Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-6-1(a) by adding riot as new paragraph (15) to the list of offenses subject to the schedule of bails procedure.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting state laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-01-15)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-27)
- Sponsors: Mike Cheokas, Emory Dunahoo, Charles Cannon, Lauren McDonald, Eddie Lumsden, Steve Tarvin
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72261
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb994.md?full=1