SB463: SB463 Specialized Land Transactions; business enterprises or business enterprises controlled by natural born persons from owning an interest in more than 500 single-family residential properties; prohibit

This bill, titled the 'Georgia Anti-Squatting Act of 2026,' replaces the original Senate proposal about business ownership of homes with a package of changes aimed at squatters and unauthorized occupants. It rewrites Georgia's unlawful squatting crime (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.1) so that a person cited for squatting must produce proof of a lease or rental payments within three business days or face arrest, with a hearing within seven days if documents are submitted. The bill also creates a brand-new legal tool (O.C.G.A. § 44-11-34) letting a property owner file a sworn complaint with the sheriff or other certified officer asking for immediate removal of a squatter, without going through eviction court first, as long as certain conditions are met, such as no pending lawsuit over the property and the squatter not being a tenant or family member. It updates magistrate court jurisdiction, shortens the deadline for landlords to use off-duty officers to execute eviction writs from 14 to 7 days, and revises innkeeper removal procedures for long-term hotel guests. It also makes falsely claiming a right to occupy property a felony. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it.

• Rewrites Georgia's unlawful squatting offense (O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.1) to require a cited person to prove lawful occupancy within three business days or face arrest and a court hearing.
• Creates a new fast-track removal process (new O.C.G.A. § 44-11-34) letting property owners submit a sworn complaint asking law enforcement to immediately remove unauthorized occupants without a prior eviction judgment.
• Expands magistrate court jurisdiction to include unlawful squatting trials and the new squatter removal proceedings (O.C.G.A. § 15-10-2 and § 15-10-260).
• Shortens, from 14 to 7 days, the window before a landlord can hire an off-duty officer to execute an eviction writ if the sheriff has not done so (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55).
• Revises innkeeper removal rules (O.C.G.A. § 43-21-3.2) to let hotels treat overstaying guests as trespassers through a sworn affidavit filed with law enforcement.
• Makes knowingly presenting a fake lease, deed, or property document to claim occupancy a felony punishable by one to five years in prison with no suspended or probated sentence.

Property owners, landlords, and their agents; people accused of squatting or unlawfully occupying homes; sheriffs, deputies, constables, marshals, and certified peace officers who must process complaints and execute removals; magistrate courts; and hotel and motel operators dealing with long-term guests.

Property owners would gain a quicker, court-free path to remove unauthorized occupants, while people accused of squatting would face a tight three-day deadline to prove they have a right to be there or risk arrest. Officers and property owners get liability protections, but wrongful removals could still trigger lawsuits and damages.

• Section 4 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-7-21.1 so a person cited for squatting must show a lease, rental agreement, or proof of payment within three business days or be subject to arrest; a hearing follows within seven days if documents are submitted.
• Section 6 shortens the deadline for a landlord to bring in an off-duty officer to execute an eviction writ from 14 days to seven days after applying for execution (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55).
• Section 7 adds new O.C.G.A. § 44-11-34, letting a property owner file a verified 'Complaint to Remove Persons Unlawfully Residing' with law enforcement to trigger immediate removal, subject to conditions like no pending litigation and the occupant not being a tenant or family member.
• Section 7 also makes knowingly submitting a false lease, deed, or ownership document a felony carrying a mandatory one to five year prison term with no suspension or probation.
• Section 7 creates a civil cause of action for wrongful removal, allowing recovery of actual damages, triple the fair market monthly rent as statutory damages, court costs, and attorney's fees.
• Section 5 revises innkeeper removal procedures (O.C.G.A. § 43-21-3.2), allowing an affidavit process to have overstaying guests treated as trespassers and removed by law enforcement.
• Section 2 and Section 3 expand magistrate court jurisdiction to cover unlawful squatting trials and the new removal proceedings under O.C.G.A. §§ 44-11-30 through 44-11-34.
• Section 8 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without signature.

1. 2026-03-27House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-03-06House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-03-04House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-03Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
5. 2026-03-03Senate Third Read (Senate)
6. 2026-02-18Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
7. 2026-02-17Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)
8. 2026-02-05Senate Read and Referred (Senate)

• Greg Dolezal (R, SD-027)Primary sponsor
• Larry Walker (R, SD-020)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)
• Bill Cowsert (R, SD-046)
• Lee Anderson (R, SD-024)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Blake Tillery (R, SD-019)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Devan Seabaugh (R, HD-034)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 3, 2026

   49 yea, 3 nay (1 not voting, 2 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #608

• squatting
• property rights
• evictions
• landlord tenant law
• law enforcement procedures