SB 569: Motor Vehicles and Traffic; the issuance of emergency vehicle light permits for towing service companies in certain instances; provide

Currently, only vehicles belonging to law enforcement, fire departments, ambulance services, and similar entities can be designated as emergency vehicles eligible for flashing or revolving lights. This bill would add towing service companies to that list, but only if the company participates in a Department of Transportation towing and recovery program or has a local government contract, and completes a safety course set by the Department of Public Safety. The permit fee stays at $2.00. The bill also directs the Department of Revenue to build a searchable database of towed vehicles by October 1, 2026 (functional by January 1, 2027), so owners can find where their car was towed. Towing and storage firms would have to submit vehicle information to this database within three days of a tow, and doing so on time would count as legal notice to the owner, replacing the current newspaper advertisement requirement. The notification letter deadline shortens from 15 to 7 days, and owners get 30 days (instead of 10) to answer a lien foreclosure petition. If a firm fails to give proper notice, the vehicle can be re-impounded and any storage fees from that period are wiped out. Most provisions take effect July 1, 2026, but the notice and database-use changes in Part II take effect January 1, 2028.

• Adds vehicles belonging to towing service companies to the legal definition of 'authorized emergency vehicle' if they meet certain program and safety-training conditions.
• Requires the Department of Public Safety commissioner to treat those conditions as sufficient proof of need when a towing company applies for red emergency lights.
• Directs the Department of Revenue to build a towed motor vehicle database by January 1, 2027, letting owners search for towed cars by VIN or license plate.
• Allows a nonprofit industry association to operate the database instead of the state, provided it carries a $1 million surety bond and passes annual data security audits.
• Lets towing firms satisfy vehicle owner notice requirements by timely entering tow information into the database instead of publishing newspaper ads.
• Allows re-impoundment of a vehicle, with waived storage fees for the noncompliance period, if a towing firm fails to meet notice requirements.

Towing and storage companies and their employees, vehicle owners whose cars are towed from public or private property, the Department of Public Safety and Department of Revenue, magistrate courts that handle lien foreclosure cases, and local governments that contract with towing firms for roadway clearing.

Vehicle owners would gain a searchable database to find towed cars, but towing companies could satisfy legal notice obligations electronically rather than through newspaper ads, changing how quickly owners learn their car was towed and how much time they have to respond before a lien foreclosure or sale.

• Section 1-1 amends O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1 to add towing service company vehicles to the definition of 'authorized emergency vehicle.'
• Section 1-2 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-8-92 so towing companies can get emergency light permits by showing program participation or a local contract plus completed safety training, at a $2.00 fee.
• Section 1-4 creates new O.C.G.A. § 40-11-13.1, requiring the Department of Revenue to establish a towed motor vehicle database functional by January 1, 2027, possibly run by a bonded nonprofit industry group.
• Sections 2-1 and 2-2 require towing and storage firms to submit VIN and license plate data to the database within three days of removing a vehicle.
• Section 2-3 shortens the notification letter deadline from 15 to 7 days and replaces newspaper advertisement notice with timely database entry as sufficient legal notice; it also adds a re-impoundment remedy for noncompliance with waived storage fees.
• Section 2-4 extends an owner's deadline to answer a lien foreclosure petition from 10 to 30 calendar days and removes the newspaper advertisement option for serving unlocated owners.
• Section 3-1 sets most of the Act effective July 1, 2026, but delays Part II (the notice and database-notice provisions) until January 1, 2028.

1. 2026-05-12Veto V12
2. 2026-05-12Senate Date Vetoed by Governor (Senate)
3. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
4. 2026-03-31Senate Agreed House Amend or Sub (Senate)
5. 2026-03-27House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
6. 2026-03-27House Third Readers (House)
7. 2026-03-18House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
8. 2026-03-10House Second Readers (House)

• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)Primary sponsor
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Emanuel Jones (D, SD-010)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Derek Mallow (D, SD-002)
• Gail Davenport (D, SD-017)
• Eddie Lumsden (R, HD-012)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   45 yea, 5 nay (0 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: Senate Vote #672

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 27, 2026

   160 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 14 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #787

3. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   44 yea, 6 nay (1 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To House Substitute: Senate Vote #919

• towing regulations
• emergency vehicle lights
• abandoned vehicle laws
• vehicle liens
• Department of Revenue