---
title: SB 135. "Coastal Island Preservation Act"; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb135
cite_as: SB 135, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb135
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb135.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb135/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70092
date: 2025-02-11
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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previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb134.md
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb135.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 135
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-10
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Donzella James
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB135/2025
upstream_id: 1964503
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- coastal development
- property rights
- land use
- environmental preservation
- island housing
---
# SB 135. "Coastal Island Preservation Act"; enact
## Text
Senate Bill 135
By: Senator James of the 28th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions regarding parks, historic areas, memorials, and recreation, so
as to restrict development of residential structures on certain coastal islands; to provide for
a short title; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Coastal Island Preservation Act."
SECTION 2.
Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions regarding parks, historic areas, memorials, and recreation, is amended by
adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"12-3-13.
In furtherance of the protection of the cultural heritage and preservation of the natural
resources, environment, and vital areas of this state, on the coastal islands of this state that
are not accessible by bridge, it shall be unlawful for any person to construct, assemble, or
otherwise erect any new single-family residential structure exceeding the square footage
of the largest such structure existing on any such island as of July 11, 1995."
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 Senate bill would cap the size of new single-family homes built on coastal islands that are not reachable by bridge, limiting them to no larger than the biggest home already on the island as of July 11, 1995.
### Plain-language summary
This bill targets Georgia's coastal islands that cannot be reached by a bridge, aiming to protect their cultural heritage and natural resources. It adds a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 12-3-13) that makes it illegal to build a new single-family home on one of these islands if the home would be larger, in square footage, than the largest single-family home that already existed on that same island as of July 11, 1995.
The bill gives itself a short title, the 'Coastal Island Preservation Act,' and repeals any existing laws that conflict with this new rule. It does not create a new agency or enforcement mechanism beyond declaring the construction unlawful, and it does not set a specific effective date beyond the standard process for a bill becoming law.
### What it does
- Makes it illegal to build a new single-family home on a bridgeless Georgia coastal island if it exceeds the size of the largest existing home there as of July 11, 1995.
- Applies the size cap specifically to coastal islands that lack bridge access, leaving bridge-connected islands unaffected by this restriction.
- Adds this restriction as a brand-new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 12-3-13) rather than rewriting existing park and recreation law.
- Repeals any prior state laws that conflict with the new size restriction.
### Who it affects
Property owners and developers who own or want to build on undeveloped or lightly developed coastal islands in Georgia that have no bridge access, as well as real estate buyers interested in those islands. Coastal conservation groups and state land-use regulators may also be affected.
### Why it matters
For islands without bridge access, this would set a hard ceiling on how large a new house can be, tied to whatever the largest home was back in 1995. That could limit future development options and property values on these islands while aiming to preserve their existing character and natural resources.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the bill the 'Coastal Island Preservation Act' as its official short title.
- Section 2 adds new Code section 12-3-13, making it unlawful to construct a new single-family home on a bridgeless coastal island larger than the biggest such home existing there as of July 11, 1995.
- Section 3 repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new restriction.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-10)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-11)
- Sponsors: Donzella James
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70092
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb135.md?full=1