--- title: O.C.G.A. § 50-7-12. Welcome centers; construction, operation, and maintenance. collection: code id: 50-7-12 cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 50-7-12 (2025) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7-12 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7-12.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7-12/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t49-t50-ch1-12-(v38)-2023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=60c992b5_0#page=669 date: 2025 status: active corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68 license: CC0-1.0 publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7-11.1.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/50-7-13.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md version: the only printed version in_force: true current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly heading_path: STATE GOVERNMENT / DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT / GENERAL PROVISIONS --- # O.C.G.A. § 50-7-12. Welcome centers; construction, operation, and maintenance. (a) The Governor shall have authority to direct and provide for the construction of welcome centers at or near the point of entrance into this state of any federal highway. The Department of Transportation may exercise the power of eminent domain in acquiring fee simple title to suitable locations for the erection of such welcome centers. Any welcome center acquired prior to April 23, 1969, may be maintained and improved, regardless of whether the fee simple title therefor is in the state. (b) It shall be the duty of the Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources to construct, operate, and maintain the welcome centers assigned to such agency by the Governor and keep them supplied with such information, pamphlets, and other materials as will advertise and publicize the tourist attractions, natural resources, industry, history, and commerce of this state. (c) The Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources, with the concurrence of the Department of Transportation, is further authorized to install or provide for the installation of and to operate or provide for the operation of vending machines and to sell in such machines nonalcoholic beverages, snacks, candy, and other articles as determined by the Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources to be necessary or desirable for the traveling public at reasonable prices at the welcome centers assigned to such agency. The prices charged for these products will approximate the prevailing rate within the area for similar items so as not to compete unfairly with private enterprise, such prices to be set by the Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources for the welcome centers assigned to such agency. The Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources is also authorized to provide for the sale or free distribution of articles and merchandise at the welcome centers assigned to such agency in such manner as is deemed to be in the best interest of promoting the tourist trade in this state. (d) The Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources, with the concurrence of the Department of Transportation, is authorized to provide for the installation and operation at welcome centers of automated teller machines and cash-dispensing machines at the welcome centers assigned to such agency. If so authorized, such machines shall be established, placed, and operated in accordance with applicable law. Such machines shall be placed in welcome centers upon such terms and conditions as shall be deemed by the Department of Economic Development or the Department of Natural Resources for the welcome centers assigned to such agency to be in the best interest of the state and the traveling public. ## History Ga. L. 1951, p. 747, §§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1953, Nov.-Dec. Sess., p. 185, §§ 2-6; Ga. L. 1960, p. 1097, § 1; Ga. L. 1969, p. 610, §§ 1-3; Ga. L. 1979, p. 132, § 1; Ga. L. 1989, p. 1641, § 14; Ga. L. 1995, p. 416, § 1; Ga. L. 2004, p. 690, § 33; Ga. L. 2020, p. 43, § 1/SB 474. ## Cross References Seizure of vending machines containing cigarettes, cigars, or loose or smokeless tobacco upon which tax has not been paid, § 48-11-9.