---
title: SB 429. "Housing for Heroes Act"; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb429
cite_as: SB 429, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb429
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb429.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb429/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72471
date: 2026-01-28
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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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb429.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 429
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-01-27
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Jason T. Dickerson
- Larry Walker
- Ed Harbison
- Jason Anavitarte
- Josh McLaurin
- Billy Hickman
- Kenya Wicks
- Kay Kirkpatrick
- Chuck Payne
- Shawn Still
- Emanuel Jones
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB429/2025
upstream_id: 2095055
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- veterans housing
- landlord tenant law
- disability benefits
- rental income requirements
- housing discrimination
---
# SB 429. "Housing for Heroes Act"; enact
## Text
Senate Bill 429
By: Senators Dickerson of the 21st, Walker III of the 20th, Harbison of the 15th, Anavitarte
of the 31st, McLaurin of the 14th 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 limit the monthly income requirement for
disabled veterans to qualify as tenants; to provide for definitions; to provide for related
matters; to provide for a short title; 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 "Housing for Heroes Act."
SECTION 2.
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 adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"44-7-26.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Disabled veteran' means:
(A) Any veteran who is a citizen and a resident of this state, who was discharged under
honorable conditions, and who has been adjudicated by the United States Department
of Veterans Affairs as having a service related disability that renders such veteran as
being 100 percent totally disabled or as being less than 100 percent totally disabled but
is compensated at the 100 percent level due to individual unemployability or is entitled
to receive a statutory award from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for:
(i) Loss or permanent loss of use of one or both feet;
(ii) Loss or permanent loss of use of one or both hands;
(iii) Loss of sight in one or both eyes; or
(iv) Permanent impairment of vision of both eyes of the following status: central
visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, with corrective glasses, or central
visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a field defect in which the peripheral field
has contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of visual field subtends on
angular distance no greater than 20 degrees in the better eye;
(B) An American veteran of any war or armed conflict in which any branch of the
armed forces of the United States engaged, whether under United States command or
otherwise, and that he or she is disabled due to the loss or loss of use of both lower
extremities such as to preclude locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes,
or a wheelchair; due to blindness in both eyes, having only light perception, together
with the loss or loss of use of one lower extremity; or due to the loss or loss of use of
one lower extremity together with residuals of organic disease or injury which so affect
the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude locomotion without resort to a
wheelchair;
(C) Any disabled veteran who is not entitled to receive benefits from the Department
of Veterans Affairs but who qualifies otherwise, as provided for by Article VII,
Section I, Paragraph IV of the Constitution of Georgia of 1976;
(D) An American veteran of any war or armed conflict who is disabled due to loss or
loss of use of one lower extremity together with the loss or loss of use of one upper
extremity which so affects the functions of balance or propulsion as to preclude
locomotion without the aid of braces, crutches, canes, or a wheelchair; or
(E) A veteran becoming eligible for assistance in acquiring housing under Section 2101
of Title 38 of the United States Code as hereafter amended on or after July 1, 1999.
(2) 'Income' means federal adjusted gross income, as defined in the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended, from all sources.
(b) No landlord shall require a disabled veteran to have a monthly income of more than
twice the amount of the monthly rent in order to qualify as a tenant."
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.
Senate Bill 429, the "Housing for Heroes Act," would stop Georgia landlords from requiring disabled veterans to earn more than twice the monthly rent in order to qualify as a tenant.
### Plain-language summary
Right now Georgia law does not limit how much monthly income a landlord can require of a prospective tenant. Landlords can and sometimes do set income thresholds, such as three or four times the rent, that can be hard for people living on fixed disability benefits to meet.
This bill adds a new section to Georgia's landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7) that caps the income a landlord may require from a disabled veteran at no more than twice the monthly rent. It defines 'disabled veteran' using several categories tied to VA disability ratings, including veterans rated 100 percent disabled, veterans compensated at that level due to individual unemployability, and veterans with specific losses such as loss of a limb or sight. It also defines 'income' as federal adjusted gross income from all sources. The bill does not set an effective date beyond the standard process, and repeals any conflicting laws.
### What it does
- Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. ยง 44-7-26) barring landlords from requiring a disabled veteran tenant to show monthly income above twice the monthly rent.
- Defines 'disabled veteran' through several categories tied to VA disability ratings, including 100 percent disability, individual unemployability compensation, and specific service-connected losses like limb loss or blindness.
- Defines 'income' as federal adjusted gross income from all sources, using the federal tax code's definition.
- Names the bill the 'Housing for Heroes Act' for citation purposes.
- Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new income cap.
### Who it affects
Disabled veterans in Georgia seeking rental housing, and the landlords and property managers who set income qualification standards for prospective tenants. Veterans who qualify under the bill's disability definitions would gain new protection when applying to rent a home.
### Why it matters
Landlords commonly require renters to earn two, three, or more times the monthly rent, which can shut out veterans living on fixed VA disability payments even when they could otherwise afford the rent. This bill would set a lower income bar specifically for qualifying disabled veterans, changing how landlords screen these applicants.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 gives the Act its short title, the 'Housing for Heroes Act.'
- Section 2 adds new Code section 44-7-26 to Title 44, Chapter 7, Article 1 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
- Subsection (a)(1) defines 'disabled veteran' across five categories (A)-(E), largely tied to VA disability ratings, individual unemployability, or specific losses such as limbs, sight, or mobility.
- Subsection (a)(2) defines 'income' as federal adjusted gross income from all sources under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
- Subsection (b) is the operative rule: landlords may not require a disabled veteran to show monthly income exceeding twice the monthly rent to qualify as a tenant.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-01-27)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-01-28)
- Sponsors: Jason T. Dickerson, Larry Walker, Ed Harbison, Jason Anavitarte, Josh McLaurin, Billy Hickman, Kenya Wicks, Kay Kirkpatrick, Chuck Payne, Shawn Still, Emanuel Jones
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72471
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb429.md?full=1