(a) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of this Code section, on or after July 1, 2025, the county or counties comprising a judicial circuit may provide each judge of such circuit who either was not in office as a superior court judge as of July 1, 2025, or made an irrevocable election authorized by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29, with locality pay as authorized by this Code section, and such judges shall not be eligible for county salary supplements provided by local Act. In no event shall locality pay exceed 10 percent of the state annual salary provided by Code Section 45-7-4 to such judge. All such locality pay shall be in lieu of and not in addition to any county salary supplements previously provided by the county or counties. All judges within a judicial circuit who are in office as of July 1, 2025, and exercise the option provided by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29, or who take office after July 1, 2025, shall receive equal locality pay from any given county within such circuit that has opted to provide such pay.

(b) In no event shall the annual locality pay provided to a judge by the county or counties comprising a judicial circuit in aggregate exceed the lesser of:

(1) 10 percent of the state annual salary paid to a superior court judge pursuant to Code Section 45-7-4; or

(2) $20,106.00;

provided, however, that if the state annual salary paid to superior court judges exceeds $201,060.00, then the maximum allowable amount of annual locality pay provided to a judge by the county or counties comprising a judicial circuit shall instead be equal to the difference between $20,106.00 and half of the amount by which such state annual salary exceeds $201,060.00. The intent of this paragraph is to provide for a gradual decrease in the maximum amount of allowable locality pay as the state annual salary provided by Code Section 45-7-4 to superior court judges exceeds $201,060.00 and continues to increase.

(c) When a new superior court judgeship is created by law for any judicial circuit, the new superior court judge shall upon taking office become entitled to and shall receive from the county or counties comprising such circuit the same locality pay, if any, then in effect for the other judge or judges of such circuit. Such locality pay for such new judge shall be authorized by this subsection and no other legislation or local legislation shall be required to authorize such locality pay.

(d) Except as provided for in subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29 and subsection (e) of this Code section and notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, on and after July 1, 2025, no county or counties comprising a judicial circuit shall provide county salary supplements to a superior court judge.

(e)(1) Nothing in subsection (d) of this Code section shall operate to prevent a county or counties comprising a judicial circuit from continuing to provide a local salary supplement to the chief judge of such circuit that was otherwise authorized by law on June 30, 2025. On or after July 1, 2025, no local supplement for a chief judge shall be enacted or increased.

(2) For all judges who elect to exercise the option provided by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29, to the extent the aggregate salary provided for by subsection (a) of Code Section 15-6-29 and locality pay provided for by subsection (a) of this Code section to a particular judge do not equal or exceed such judge’s aggregate salary and local supplement in effect at the time of such judge’s exercise of such option, then the county or counties of the circuit shall pay an additional supplement in an amount equal to the difference between the aggregate salary and supplement in effect at the time of such judge’s exercise of such option and the aggregate salary provided for by subsection (a) of Code Section 15-6-29 and locality pay provided for by subsection (a) of this Code section. When an additional supplement is required by this paragraph in a circuit consisting of more than one county, then each county shall pay such additional supplement in proportion to each county’s contribution to the local supplement in effect at the time of such judge’s exercise of the option to participate. In no event shall the additional supplement required by this paragraph result in a judge’s aggregate salary that exceeds the aggregate salary and supplement existing at the time of a judge’s exercise of such option.

(f) Nothing in subsection (d) of this Code section shall operate to prevent a county or counties comprising a judicial circuit from continuing to provide fringe benefits to any judge of such circuit in the same manner that such benefits were provided on June 30, 2025.

(g) Nothing in this Code section or subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29 shall operate to alter, amend, contract, expand, extend, limit, modify, or terminate retirement benefits or rights thereto in existence prior to July 1, 2025. All judges who exercise the option provided by paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Code Section 15-6-29 shall have no right to any benefit existing at the time such option is exercised reduced. To the extent otherwise permitted by law, each county within a judicial circuit is authorized, but not required, to provide retirement benefits based upon the locality pay it provides pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section.