HB 270: Eviction Service and Airplane Evictions Act; enact

Under current Georgia law, when a landlord files an eviction (called a dispossessory) affidavit, a judge or clerk issues a summons that must be delivered by a sheriff, sheriff's deputy, or county constable. House Bill 270 adds a new option: an approved process server can now also serve that summons and the affidavit on the tenant. The bill keeps the existing backup methods for service if the tenant cannot be found in person, such as leaving papers with an adult living at the property, or posting the summons on the door and mailing a copy to the tenant's last known address. The bill is officially named the 'Eviction Service Act.' It also repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.

• Adds 'an approved process server' as a person legally allowed to serve eviction summonses, alongside sheriffs, deputies, and constables.
• Updates the law's wording to refer to 'his or her' instead of just 'his,' modernizing the gender language used for defendants.
• Keeps the existing fallback service methods (leaving papers with a resident or posting and mailing) unchanged for all types of servers, including process servers.
• Gives the law the short title 'Eviction Service Act' and repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

Landlords and tenants involved in eviction (dispossessory) proceedings in Georgia, county sheriffs and constables who currently handle eviction paperwork, and private process serving companies that could now be authorized to deliver eviction summonses.

By allowing approved process servers to deliver eviction paperwork, the bill gives landlords another option besides waiting on county sheriffs or constables, potentially speeding up how quickly eviction cases move through Georgia courts and reach tenants.

• Section 1 names the law the 'Eviction Service Act.'
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51(a) to let a judge or clerk issue an eviction summons to a sheriff, deputy, constable, or an approved process server.
• Section 2 preserves existing rules for substitute service, such as delivering papers to a resident of the property or posting and mailing them if the tenant cannot be found.
• Section 3 repeals any Georgia laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2025-05-14Effective Date 2025-07-01
2. 2025-05-14Act 255
3. 2025-05-14House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2025-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senado)
6. 2025-03-31Senate Third Read (Senado)
7. 2025-03-31Senate Taken from Table (Senado)
8. 2025-03-31Senate Tabled (Senado)

• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)Patrocinador principal
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
• Beth Camp (R, HD-135)
• Deborah Silcox (R, HD-053)
• David Jenkins (R, HD-136)
• Trey Kelley (R, HD-016)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes6 de marzo de 2025

   172 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 5 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #263

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado31 de marzo de 2025

   49 a favor, 0 en contra (3 sin votar, 4 ausentes)

   Passage: Senate Vote #364

• evictions
• landlord tenant law
• process servers
• court procedure