SB 153: Official Code of Georgia Annotated; revise, modernize, correct errors or omissions in, and reenact the statutory portion of said Code

Each year the Georgia General Assembly passes a bill like this one to keep the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (the official compilation of state statutes) clean and legally current. Senate Bill 153 goes title by title through the Code, fixing small errors: misplaced commas, outdated phrases like 'For purposes of' being standardized to 'As used in,' inconsistent use of 'associate' versus 'associate's degree,' outdated citations to federal law, and repealed or reserved Code sections being properly labeled. It also revises a handful of substantive-sounding but largely clerical provisions, such as clarifying pronoun usage from 'their' to 'his or her,' fixing cross-references between Code sections, and renumbering federal statute citations. The bill's final sections reenact the entire statutory text of the Code as published in 2024, giving it the force of law, while specifying that non-statutory material like case annotations, editorial notes, and indices are not part of the law. This reenactment process is a standard annual housekeeping step required to keep Georgia's official code legally authoritative.

• Corrects typographical, grammatical, and punctuation errors in dozens of Code sections across nearly every title of the Georgia Code.
• Standardizes legal phrasing, such as replacing 'For purposes of' with 'As used in' and changing 'their' to 'his or her' in many statutes.
• Repeals or formally designates as 'reserved' or 'repealed' several Code sections and chapters that are already obsolete or superseded.
• Updates outdated federal law citations, such as changing 'U.S.C.A.' to 'U.S.C.' and updating references to the U.S. Code.
• Revises the unlawful squatting statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.1) with clarifying language about citations, documentation, and court hearings.
• Reenacts the entire statutory text of the 2024 Official Code of Georgia Annotated to give it continued legal force, while excluding annotations and editorial notes from having legal authority.

This bill technically affects everyone subject to Georgia law, since it touches the statutory text itself, but its practical impact falls on lawyers, judges, court clerks, state agencies, and anyone who relies on precise Code language, including landlords dealing with squatting law, election registrars, and licensing boards.

Because the bill mostly fixes typos, punctuation, and outdated terminology rather than changing legal rights or obligations, day-to-day life for most Georgians would not change. However, keeping the Code accurate matters for lawyers, courts, and agencies that depend on precise statutory language when applying the law.

• Section 16 revises the unlawful squatting law (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.1), clarifying citation procedures, documentation requirements, and hearing timelines for people accused of squatting.
• Section 21 revises rules for determining voter residence (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-217), clarifying that voters must update registration after moving and listing factors registrars may consider.
• Section 35 restructures definitions for the Division of Forensic Sciences (O.C.G.A. § 35-3-150), removing outdated references to the 'Board of Public Safety' and 'director' and replacing them with 'bureau.'
• Section 44 revises landlord-tenant eviction procedures (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55), clarifying that sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, constables, or marshals must execute writs of possession within set timeframes.
• Section 46 rewrites definitions in the Telecommunications Marketing Act (O.C.G.A. § 46-5-181) into a numbered list format without changing their substance.
• Section 54 reenacts the entire 2024 statutory text of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated as law, while clarifying that case annotations, editorial notes, and indices carry no legal weight.
• Section 54(e) states that if this bill conflicts with another 2025 law, the other law controls over this bill's provisions.

1. 2025-07-01Effective Date
2. 2025-05-14Act 371
3. 2025-05-14Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
4. 2025-04-07Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
5. 2025-03-27Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
6. 2025-03-20House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
7. 2025-03-20House Third Readers (House)
8. 2025-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)

• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)Primary sponsor
• John F. Kennedy (R, SD-18)
• Harold Jones II (D, SD-22)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-46)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-44)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-19)
• Bill Yearta (R, HD-152)

1. PassedSenate voteFebruary 28, 2025

   51 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 2 excused)

   PASSAGE: Senate Vote #110

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 20, 2025

   169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 excused)

   PASSAGE: House Vote #288

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 27, 2025

   50 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 excused)

   AGREE TO HOUSE SUBSTITUTE: Senate Vote #310

• Georgia Code revision
• unlawful squatting law
• voter registration rules
• legal housekeeping bill
• statutory reenactment