--- title: SB 106. Landlord and Tenant; Code Section 44-7-19; repeal collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sb106 cite_as: SB 106, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb106 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb106.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb106/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69965 date: 2026-01-13 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb105.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb107.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 148 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb106.md?full=1 bill_number: SB 106 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-05 last_action: Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted sponsors: - Donzella James - Harold Jones - Sheikh Rahman - RaShaun Kemp - Jason Esteves - Kenya Wicks - Ed Harbison - Randal Mangham - Tonya Anderson - Nan Orrock - Sonya Halpern - Michael Rhett - Freddie Sims - Gail Davenport text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB106/2025 upstream_id: 1958445 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - rent control - landlord and tenant law - local government authority - housing policy --- # SB 106. Landlord and Tenant; Code Section 44-7-19; repeal ## Text Senate Bill 106 By: Senators James of the 28th, Jones II of the 22nd, Rahman of the 5th, Kemp of the 38th, Esteves of the 35th and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to landlord and tenant in general, so as to repeal Code Section 44-7-19, relating to restrictions on rent regulation by local governments; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to landlord and tenant in general, 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. SECTION 2. 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 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. ### Plain-language summary Georgia law currently includes a provision, O.C.G.A. ยง 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 it 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. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-05) - Last action: Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (2026-01-13) - Sponsors: Donzella James, Harold Jones, Sheikh Rahman, RaShaun Kemp, Jason Esteves, Kenya Wicks, Ed Harbison, Randal Mangham, Tonya Anderson, Nan Orrock, Sonya Halpern, Michael Rhett, Freddie Sims, Gail Davenport - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69965 > The history, votes, and amendments (148 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb106.md?full=1