HB1131: HB1131 Criminal procedure; personal service of process for notice of a warrant application hearing; provide

Under current Georgia law, when someone applies for an arrest warrant, the person whose arrest is sought must be notified of the hearing by personal service or another method a judge finds reasonably likely to reach them. House Bill 1131 tightens this by making personal service the default method required before a warrant application hearing can proceed, and it adds a personal service requirement for informing an accused person of the charges against them. The bill also revises Georgia's bail bond law (O.C.G.A. Section 17-6-15). It lowers, from $1,000,000 to $500,000, the maximum amount a professional bonding company that has operated for 18 months or more in a county must keep in a cash escrow account or other collateral, tied to its outstanding bail bond liability. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws.

• Requires that notice of a warrant application hearing be given to the person whose arrest is sought through personal service, with limited exceptions written into the law.
• Adds a requirement that an accused person be informed of the specific charge and pertinent details against them by personal service.
• Lowers the maximum required cash escrow or collateral amount for established professional bail bonding companies from $1,000,000 to $500,000.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.

People who are the subject of arrest warrant applications, judges and other officers who issue warrants, sheriffs who set bail bond rules, and professional bail bonding companies operating in Georgia counties are all touched by this bill's changes.

People facing arrest warrants would get a clearer, more consistent way of learning about hearings that affect their liberty, since personal service is a more direct form of notice than other approved methods. Bail bonding companies with long track records in a county would also face a lower cap on how much collateral they must keep on hand.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. Section 17-4-40(b)(2) to make personal service, or another judge-approved method reasonably calculated to reach the person, the required way to notify someone of a warrant application hearing.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. Section 17-4-41(c) to require that an accused person be informed of the specific charge and related details by personal service.
• Section 3 rewrites O.C.G.A. Section 17-6-15, including lowering the maximum cash escrow or collateral requirement for professional bonding companies established for 18 months or longer from $1,000,000 to $500,000.
• Section 3 also keeps in place existing rules limiting individuals or groups to posting no more than three cash bonds per year and requiring charitable bail funds to meet the same standards as professional surety companies.
• Section 4 repeals any Georgia laws that conflict with the bill.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 482
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-10House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-04-02House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-04-02Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-04-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-04-02Senate Taken from Table (Senate)

• Soo Hong (R, HD-103)Primary sponsor
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Steven Sainz (R, HD-180)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-014)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2026

   166 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #577

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   39 yea, 10 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Motion To Table Remaining Legislation On The Rules Calendar: Senate Vote #912

3. PassedSenate voteApril 2, 2026

   47 yea, 2 nay (3 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #948

4. PassedHouse voteApril 2, 2026

   166 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 3 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #865

• criminal procedure
• arrest warrants
• bail bonds
• court notice requirements