SB615: SB615 Incorporation of Municipal Corporations; county police services for qualified municipalities; provide

Georgia law already lets some newly formed ('qualified') municipalities keep using their county's fire and park services. This bill amends that same law (O.C.G.A. § 36-31-11.1) to add police and law enforcement services, and to change how storm water infrastructure is handled. Under the bill, a qualified municipality created by a local Act since January 1, 2022 keeps getting county police protection as long as its property owners keep paying property tax into the county's general fund. The county cannot charge the municipality extra for that protection or raise its tax rate differently than for unincorporated residents, though it can set up a special taxing district for police funding that applies evenly to both. Municipalities can also opt out and provide their own policing. Separately, counties would keep responsibility for large storm water infrastructure, dams, and detention ponds inside a new municipality unless the municipality agrees to take them over. Any conflicting agreements would be void, and the bill repeals conflicting laws.

• Requires counties to keep providing police and law enforcement services to qualified municipalities created since January 1, 2022, as long as residents pay property tax to the county.
• Bars counties from charging qualified municipalities extra fees for police protection or raising their tax rate differently than for unincorporated residents.
• Allows counties to create a special taxing district to fund police services, applied evenly to both municipal and county property owners.
• Lets a qualified municipality opt out of county police services and provide its own instead.
• Prevents qualified municipalities from being forced to take over control of large storm water infrastructure, dams, or detention ponds unless they agree to.
• Voids any existing agreements that conflict with these new rules, including ones requiring a municipality to accept ownership of drainage infrastructure as a condition of water or sewer service.

Newly incorporated cities and towns in Georgia (called 'qualified municipalities'), the counties that created them, county police and sheriff's departments, and property owners inside both the new municipalities and the surrounding counties who pay property taxes or special district fees.

New cities in Georgia often rely on their county for basic services during a transition period. This bill would lock in continued police protection without extra cost and keep counties responsible for storm water infrastructure, affecting how new municipalities budget and operate in their early years.

• Section 1 revises the definition of 'county' in O.C.G.A. § 36-31-11.1 to include counties that own or operate transit systems connecting to a metro transit system.
• Section 1 adds subsection (c.1), guaranteeing qualified municipalities created since January 1, 2022 continued county police service without added cost, tied to property tax payments into the county general fund.
• Subsection (c.1) allows counties to create a special service district to fund police services, applied uniformly to both municipal and unincorporated property owners.
• Subsection (c.1) permits a qualified municipality to opt out of county policing and voids any agreement inconsistent with these terms.
• Section 1 revises subsection (d) to bar qualified municipalities from being forced to take control of storm water infrastructure holding 500 gallons or more, dams, or detention ponds unless they choose to.
• Subsection (d) voids agreements that require a municipality to accept ownership of drainage infrastructure as a condition of receiving water or sewer service.
• Section 1 adds subsection (m), making all these protections available to any qualified municipality at any time, regardless of other laws.
• Section 2 repeals any laws that conflict with the Act.

1. 2026-03-04Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-03Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Donzella James (D, SD-028)Primary sponsor
• Sheikh Rahman (D, SD-005)
• Ed Harbison (D, SD-015)
• Randal Mangham (D, SD-055)

• municipal incorporation
• county police services
• local government funding
• property taxes
• storm water infrastructure