HB 483: Crimes and offenses; protections for inspectors of code enforcement; provide

Georgia law already sets tougher penalties for assaulting or battering certain public workers, such as utility workers, firefighters, and healthcare workers, while they are on the job. This bill adds a new category, code enforcement officials, to that protected list. The bill defines a code enforcement official as someone with at least a high school diploma who has completed Level 1 code enforcement training and works for or under contract with a city, county, or consolidated government inspecting buildings, structures, businesses, or property for legal compliance. It then amends five separate Georgia criminal statutes covering simple assault, aggravated assault, simple battery, battery, and aggravated battery (O.C.G.A. §§ 16-5-19 through 16-5-24) so that crimes committed against these officials while they act within their job duties carry the same enhanced penalties already applied to utility workers. The changes take effect upon the Governor's signature and apply to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.

• Creates a new legal definition of 'code enforcement official' covering trained inspectors employed by or contracted with a municipality, county, or consolidated government.
• Adds code enforcement officials to the list of protected workers under Georgia's simple assault law, making an on-duty assault a high and aggravated misdemeanor.
• Adds the same protection to Georgia's aggravated assault law, setting a prison term of 3 to 20 years for offenders.
• Extends the same enhanced penalties to simple battery, battery, and aggravated battery committed against code enforcement officials on duty.
• Sets the changes to take effect once signed into law and to apply only to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.

Municipal, county, and consolidated government code enforcement inspectors who check buildings, structures, businesses, or property for legal compliance; people who assault or batter these officials while they are working; and prosecutors and courts handling such cases under Georgia's assault and battery statutes.

Code enforcement officials, who often inspect properties for safety violations, would gain the same legal protections already given to utility workers, meaning anyone who assaults or batters them on the job would face harsher misdemeanor or felony penalties, including up to 20 years for aggravated offenses, starting July 1, 2026.

• Section 1 rewrites the definitions section of Georgia's assault and battery law (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-19) to add 'code enforcement official' as a defined term requiring specific training and government employment or contract status.
• Section 2 amends the simple assault statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-20) to make assaulting a code enforcement official on duty a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature.
• Section 3 amends the aggravated assault statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-21) to set a 3-to-20-year prison sentence for aggravated assault on a code enforcement official.
• Section 4 amends the simple battery statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-23) to apply the same high and aggravated misdemeanor penalty to battery of a code enforcement official.
• Section 5 amends the battery statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-23.1) similarly for the offense of battery.
• Section 6 amends the aggravated battery statute (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-24) to set a 3-to-20-year sentence for aggravated battery on a code enforcement official.
• Section 7 sets the effective date as upon the Governor's approval, applying only to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.

1. 2026-05-05Effective Date 2026-05-05
2. 2026-05-05Act 380
3. 2026-05-05House Date Signed by Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (Cámara de Representantes)
5. 2026-03-23House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (Cámara de Representantes)
6. 2026-03-12Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senado)
7. 2026-03-12Senate Third Read (Senado)
8. 2026-01-28Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senado)

• Brian Prince (D, HD-132)Patrocinador principal
• Rob Leverett (R, HD-123)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)
• Matt Reeves (R, HD-099)
• Shea Roberts (D, HD-052)
• Esther Panitch (D, HD-051)
• Max Burns (R, SD-023)

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes6 de marzo de 2025

   168 a favor, 5 en contra (4 sin votar, 3 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #247

2. AprobadaVotación: Senado12 de marzo de 2026

   40 a favor, 7 en contra (2 sin votar, 6 ausentes)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #712

3. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes23 de marzo de 2026

   140 a favor, 26 en contra (3 sin votar, 7 ausentes)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #751

• code enforcement
• assault and battery law
• public employee protections
• criminal penalties