HB1465: HB1465 Motor vehicles; repeal requirement to display a revalidation decal as evidence of annual motor vehicle registration renewal

Georgia law currently requires vehicle owners to display a small annual sticker, called a revalidation decal, on their license plate as proof that they renewed their registration. This bill's title says it would repeal that display requirement, but the actual committee substitute mostly makes conforming and technical edits across roughly 28 sections of Title 40 (motor vehicle registration and licensing law) and one section of the state's title ad valorem tax law, many of which still reference revalidation decals directly. Among the concrete changes, the bill removes a separate process in O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31 that let tag agents issue a distinct county name decal alongside the 'In God We Trust' decal, folding those provisions together. It also strips outdated deadline language from the antique license plate section (O.C.G.A. § 40-2-41.1) and makes wording updates to sections covering lost or stolen plates, fleet vehicles, digital license plates, and specialty plates for veterans, legislators, and other groups. The law would take effect January 1, 2027, and repeals any conflicting laws.

• Amends roughly 28 Code sections in Title 40 (motor vehicle registration law) and one section of the title ad valorem tax law, most making wording and conforming updates tied to revalidation decals.
• Removes a separate subsection in O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31 that required tag agents to issue county name decals as a distinct process, merging that language with the 'In God We Trust' decal provision.
• Strips an outdated 'no later than January 1, 2006' deadline from the antique vehicle license plate section, O.C.G.A. § 40-2-41.1.
• Updates wording in sections covering lost, stolen, or mutilated plates and decals (O.C.G.A. § 40-2-44), delinquent registrations (§ 40-2-40), and fleet and digital license plates (§§ 40-2-53, 40-2-57).
• Keeps many existing references to revalidation decals in place across sections on prestige plates, veteran plates, legislator plates, and Gold Star family plates, despite the bill's stated purpose of repealing the decal display requirement.
• Sets the effective date of the changes as January 1, 2027 and repeals any conflicting laws.

Georgia vehicle owners who register and renew tags each year, county tag agents who issue license plates and decals, the state Department of Revenue commissioner who administers registration rules, and holders of specialty plates such as veterans, legislators, first responders, and Gold Star family members.

Georgians who renew their vehicle registration would see technical changes to the rules governing the small decal sticker and county name markers on their plates, including the removal of a separate county decal process. Despite the bill's stated goal, many day-to-day decal requirements described in the text would remain in place.

• Section 1 keeps the existing ban on unauthorized manufacture, sale, or issuance of license plates or revalidation decals in O.C.G.A. § 40-2-4.
• Section 5 removes former subsections (e) and (f) of O.C.G.A. § 40-2-31, which set out a separate process for issuing county name decals, and merges related language into the remaining subsections.
• Section 8 removes the outdated 'no later than January 1, 2006' installation deadline from the antique license plate provisions in O.C.G.A. § 40-2-41.1.
• Sections 16, 17, and 21 through 23 make wording adjustments to specialty plate provisions for elected officials, legislators, and veterans, largely keeping the underlying revalidation decal renewal requirements.
• Section 27 keeps motor vehicles subject to the title ad valorem tax fee under the same title, license plate, and revalidation decal requirements as other vehicles.
• Section 28 sets the effective date as January 1, 2027.
• Section 29 repeals any laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-03-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
3. 2026-03-06House Third Readers (House)
4. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2026-02-26House Second Readers (House)
6. 2026-02-25House First Readers (House)
7. 2026-02-25House Hopper (House)

• Derrick McCollum (R, HD-030)Primary sponsor
• Chuck Efstration (R, HD-104)
• John Corbett (R, HD-174)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Bill Hitchens (R, HD-161)
• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2026

   158 yea, 8 nay (1 not voting, 10 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #684

• motor vehicle registration
• license plates
• vehicle decals
• DMV rules
• Georgia tag renewal