Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 106: Landlord and Tenant; Code Section 44-7-19; repeal

Last action January 13, 2026 · Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted

A Georgia Senate bill would repeal the state law that currently bars cities and counties from adopting rent control ordinances, opening the door for local governments to regulate rent if they choose.

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In plain language

Georgia law currently includes a provision, O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19, that prevents cities and counties from enacting rent control or otherwise regulating how much landlords can charge for rent. This bill would repeal that section entirely, removing the statewide restriction. The bill does not create any new rent control program itself. It simply eliminates the legal barrier that has stopped local governments from passing their own rent regulation ordinances. Section 1 repeals Code Section 44-7-19 and marks it as reserved (a placeholder in the code where the repealed law used to be). Section 2 repeals any other laws that conflict with this change. The bill does not specify an effective date beyond the standard process for bills that become law.

What the bill does

Repeals Code Section 44-7-19, which currently prohibits local governments in Georgia from regulating rent charged by landlords.
Designates the repealed code section as reserved, meaning the section number remains in the code but is left blank.
Repeals any other Georgia laws or parts of laws that conflict with this change.

Who it affects

Local governments (cities and counties) across Georgia, which would gain new authority they currently lack; landlords who rent residential or commercial property; and tenants, whose rent could become subject to local regulation depending on what, if anything, local governments later decide to do.

Why it matters

If passed, Georgia cities and counties would no longer be legally barred from adopting rent control measures. Whether any local government actually does so is a separate decision, but landlords and tenants in those areas could eventually face new local rules affecting rent increases and lease terms.

Key provisions

Section 1 repeals Code Section 44-7-19 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, which currently restricts local governments from regulating rent.
Section 1 also designates that code section as reserved, a technical drafting step that keeps the numbering intact without a replacement law.
Section 2 repeals any other existing Georgia laws that conflict with this change.

From the bill

“is amended by repealing Code Section 44-7-19, relating to restrictions on rent regulation by local governments, and designating said Code section as reserved.”
This is the bill's core action: eliminating the state law that bars local rent regulation.

Status timeline

2026-01-13Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (Senate)
2025-02-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2025-02-05Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

rent control
landlord and tenant law
local government authority
housing policy

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