SB 508: "Community Housing Options Increase Efficiency (CHOICE) Act"; enact

This bill, called the CHOICE Act, responds to what it describes as a housing affordability crisis in Georgia marked by rising construction costs and shrinking affordable rental supply. Rather than mandating changes directly, it creates a voluntary certification system run by the Department of Community Affairs. Counties with at least 50,000 people, cities with at least 6,500 people, or jurisdictions with median household income above $115,000 can apply, starting July 1, 2027, to be certified as a 'workforce housing ready community,' 'workforce housing ready expert,' or 'workforce and home ownership leader' based on how many pro-housing policies (grouped into four tiers covering things like smaller lot sizes, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, reduced parking mandates, and faster permitting) they have adopted. Once certified, a local government gets priority when applying for grants from the Department of Natural Resources' recreational trails program, Department of Community Affairs grants and loans, and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority grants and loans. The top-tier certified governments are also exempt from providing local matching funds under the state's local road maintenance grant program. Certifications must be renewed every five years and can be revoked if the qualifying policies lapse.

• Creates a new voluntary certification program at the Department of Community Affairs for larger counties and cities that adopt a set number of pro-housing zoning and permitting policies.
• Establishes three certification tiers, workforce housing ready community, workforce housing ready expert, and workforce and home ownership leader, based on how many of 4 policy tiers a local government has adopted.
• Directs the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Community Affairs, and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to give certified local governments priority when awarding grants and loans.
• Exempts top-tier certified counties and cities from having to provide local matching funds under the state's local maintenance and improvement road grant program.
• Requires the Department of Community Affairs to publish annual population and median household income figures used to decide which jurisdictions qualify.
• Allows the department to revoke a certification if a jurisdiction stops enforcing the qualifying policies or fails to reverify every five years.

Counties with at least 50,000 residents, cities with at least 6,500 residents, or jurisdictions with median household income above $115,000; the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Natural Resources, and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, which must administer the priority system; and local governments competing for the same pool of state grants and loans.

Local governments that rewrite zoning and permitting rules to allow duplexes, smaller lots, accessory dwelling units, or reduced parking requirements could gain a real edge in competing for state trail, community affairs, and environmental finance grants, and could skip road grant matching funds, creating a financial incentive tied directly to housing policy choices.

• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 12-2-6.1, requiring the Department of Natural Resources to prioritize certified local governments for federal recreational trails program grants, tiered by certification level.
• Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 32-5-27 to waive local matching fund requirements for 'workforce and home ownership leader' certified counties or cities applying for local road maintenance and improvement grants.
• Section 5 adds O.C.G.A. § 50-8-8.1 requiring the Department of Community Affairs to give certified governments priority in its own grant and loan programs.
• Section 6 adds a new Article 14 to Chapter 8 of Title 50, defining four tiers of qualifying housing policies (covering lot sizes, duplexes, parking minimums, setbacks, permitting speed, and more) and setting the number of policies needed for each certification level.
• Section 6 sets certification applications open starting July 1, 2027, with five-year reverification and a revocation process if qualifying policies lapse.
• Section 6 requires the department to publish population and median household income data annually starting January 1, 2027, to determine which jurisdictions qualify.
• Section 7 adds O.C.G.A. § 50-23-5.1, requiring the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to give certified local governments priority for its grants and loans.

1. 2026-02-17Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-12Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)Primary sponsor
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Kenya Wicks (D, SD-034)
• Sally Harrell (D, SD-040)
• Nan Orrock (D, SD-036)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Freddie Sims (D, SD-012)
• David Lucas (D, SD-026)
• Nikki Merritt (D, SD-009)
• Nabilah Islam Parkes (D, SD-007)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)
• Josh McLaurin (D, SD-014)
• Tonya Anderson (D, SD-043)
• Michael Rhett (D, SD-033)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)
• Donzella James (D, SD-028)

• affordable housing
• zoning reform
• local government grants
• housing policy
• accessory dwelling units