SB569: SB569 Motor Vehicles and Traffic; the issuance of emergency vehicle light permits for towing service companies in certain instances; provide

Georgia law currently limits who can get permits for emergency vehicle lights and sets rules for how towing and storage companies notify vehicle owners before claiming a lien on an abandoned or towed car. This bill would add towing service companies to the list of vehicles eligible for flashing or revolving emergency lights, as long as they participate in a state or local towing program and complete a safety course, for a $2 permit fee. The bill also directs the Department of Revenue to build a searchable towed motor vehicle database by January 1, 2027, possibly run by a private towing industry nonprofit that must carry a $1 million surety bond. Towing firms would have to log vehicles in the database and could re-impound a car if they failed to give proper notice to its owner, without charging storage fees for that period. It also shortens the initial notice deadline from 15 to 7 days but lengthens the owner's response window from 10 to 30 days, and updates several court filing fees. Most of the bill would take effect July 1, 2026, but the notice and lien provisions in Part II would not start until January 1, 2028. The General Assembly passed the bill, but it was vetoed on May 12, 2026.

• Adds towing service companies to the definition of 'authorized emergency vehicle' so their vehicles can qualify for flashing or revolving emergency lights (O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1).
• Sets a $2 fee for an emergency light permit and spells out when a towing company automatically qualifies, based on program participation and a safety course (O.C.G.A. § 40-8-92).
• Creates a statewide towed motor vehicle database, built by the Department of Revenue or a bonded nonprofit industry group, letting owners search for a towed car by VIN or license plate.
• Requires towing and storage firms to log vehicle information in the database within three days and lets the state charge up to $2 for owner lookup information (O.C.G.A. §§ 40-11-15, 40-11-16).
• Allows a towed vehicle to be re-impounded if a towing firm failed to send required notice to the owner, while waiving storage fees accrued before the re-impoundment.
• Shortens the deadline for a towing firm's first notice letter to an owner from 15 days to 7 days, but extends an owner's deadline to answer a lien foreclosure petition from 10 days to 30 days.

Towing and storage companies, their customers and vehicle owners whose cars are towed or stored, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Public Safety, magistrate courts that handle lien foreclosure cases, and any nonprofit industry group that might run the new towed vehicle database.

Vehicle owners would get a searchable statewide database to find a towed car and more time to contest a lien in court, while towing firms would gain a faster path to emergency lights and a re-impoundment option if they skip notice steps. Because the bill was vetoed, none of these changes take effect under current law.

• Section 1-1 revises O.C.G.A. § 40-1-1 to include towing service company vehicles in the definition of authorized emergency vehicles.
• Section 1-2 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 40-8-92 so towing companies can get emergency light permits for $2 if they participate in a towing program and complete safety training.
• Section 1-4 requires the Department of Revenue to establish a towed motor vehicle database by rule no later than October 1, 2026, functional by January 1, 2027, possibly operated by a bonded third-party nonprofit.
• Section 2-1 and 2-2 require towing firms to submit vehicle information to the database within three days of removal and request owner information, for a fee up to $2.
• Section 2-3 shortens the initial owner notification deadline from 15 to 7 days and adds a re-impoundment option for firms that fail to give required notice, waiving prior storage fees.
• Section 2-4 changes the lien foreclosure filing fee to no more than $11, the certified copy fee to no more than $14, and extends an owner's answer deadline from 10 to 30 days.
• Section 3-1 sets most provisions effective July 1, 2026, but delays Part II's notice and lien changes 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
• vehicle liens
• Department of Revenue
• consumer protection