HB1473: HB1473 Local government; prohibit elected officials of a county, municipal corporation, or any county-municipal consolidated government from entering into nondisclosure agreements with private entities relating to economic development

Local governments in Georgia sometimes negotiate economic development deals, like land use decisions, annexations, rezonings, tax incentives, or utility commitments, and those agreements can include confidentiality clauses that keep the terms secret. This bill would add a new chapter to Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated banning elected officials of counties, municipal corporations, and consolidated governments from entering into any such agreement with a private entity if it contains a confidentiality or non-disclosure provision, starting July 1, 2026. The bill also requires local governing authorities to get an independent impact analysis before voting on or taking formal action on an economic development project involving land use, annexation, rezoning, tax incentives, infrastructure, or utility commitments. That analysis must cover water demand, traffic, electrical grid impact, sewage capacity, and fiscal impact, be paid for by the private company seeking approval, and be made public at least 14 days before any vote.

• Bans elected officials of counties, cities, and consolidated governments from signing economic development agreements after July 1, 2026 that include confidentiality or non-disclosure clauses.
• Requires local governing authorities to obtain an independent impact analysis before voting on land use, annexation, rezoning, tax incentive, infrastructure, or utility decisions tied to economic development projects.
• Specifies the impact analysis must include water demand and supply, traffic, electrical grid, sewage or waste-water capacity, and fiscal impact studies.
• Requires the private company seeking the project approval to pay all costs of the independent impact analysis.
• Requires the completed impact analysis to be made public at least 14 days before any official vote or action.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these new requirements.

County and city elected officials, county-municipal consolidated governments, private companies and developers seeking local economic development deals, and residents who would gain access to public impact studies before local governments vote on major development projects.

Georgians would gain guaranteed access to the terms of local economic development deals and to impact studies on water, traffic, power, and sewage before officials vote, changing how counties and cities can negotiate incentives and infrastructure commitments with companies.

• Section 1 adds new Chapter 93 to Title 36 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated defining 'elected official,' 'governing authority,' and 'private entity' (O.C.G.A. § 36-93-1).
• O.C.G.A. § 36-93-2 bars confidentiality clauses in economic development agreements between elected officials and private entities entered on or after July 1, 2026.
• O.C.G.A. § 36-93-3(a) requires an independent impact analysis before any vote on land use, annexation, rezoning, tax incentives, infrastructure, or utility decisions for economic development projects.
• O.C.G.A. § 36-93-3(b) lists five required elements of the impact analysis: water, traffic, electrical grid, sewage/waste-water, and fiscal impact.
• O.C.G.A. § 36-93-3(c) requires the analysis be done by a third party chosen by the governing authority but paid for by the private applicant.
• O.C.G.A. § 36-93-3(d) requires the analysis be finalized and made public at least 14 days before any official vote.
• Section 2 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-03-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-03-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-26House Hopper (House)

• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)Primary sponsor
• Jason Ridley (R, HD-006)
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)
• Mitchell Scoggins (R, HD-014)
• Mike Cheokas (R, HD-151)

• local government transparency
• economic development deals
• nondisclosure agreements
• zoning and land use
• county and city government