SB 617: Dispossessory Proceedings; public access to court records of dispossessory proceedings under certain conditions; prohibit

Under current Georgia law, court records from dispossessory proceedings (the legal process landlords use to evict tenants, commonly called eviction cases) remain publicly accessible regardless of the outcome. Tenant advocates have noted that even eviction filings that tenants win or settle can show up in background checks and hurt their ability to rent housing later. This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50, the section covering a landlord's demand for possession and notice to vacate or pay, by adding a new subsection. It would require a court to make eviction case records unavailable to the public in three situations: when the tenant wins the case, when the tenant meets all conditions of a settlement agreement, or once three years have passed since the case was resolved. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date.

• Adds a new subsection to Georgia's dispossessory proceedings law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50) requiring courts to seal eviction case records from public access under specific conditions.
• Requires sealing when the tenant wins the eviction case in court.
• Requires sealing when the tenant has fully completed the terms of a settlement agreement with the landlord.
• Requires sealing of any eviction case record once three years have passed since the case was resolved, regardless of outcome.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new rule.

Tenants who have been through eviction proceedings, landlords and property managers who file dispossessory cases, Georgia courts that handle these cases (mainly magistrate courts), and tenant screening or background check companies that currently pull this public record data.

Eviction filings, even ones a tenant wins or resolves, can appear in tenant screening reports and make it harder to rent an apartment later. Sealing these records under the bill's conditions would limit that lingering effect for tenants while still keeping unresolved or recent cases publicly visible.

• Section 1 adds subsection (e) to O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50, which currently covers a landlord's demand for possession and notice to vacate or pay.
• The new subsection directs courts to order eviction records unavailable to the public when the tenant prevailed in the case.
• It also requires sealing when the tenant has met all conditions of a settlement agreement reached with the landlord.
• It also requires sealing once three years have elapsed since a dispossessory action was resolved, regardless of who won.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting state laws but does not specify a separate effective date for the change.

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

• Sonya Halpern (D, SD-039)Patrocinador principal
• Harold Jones (D, SD-022)
• Kim Jackson (D, SD-041)
• Elena Parent (D, SD-044)
• RaShaun Kemp (D, SD-038)

• eviction records
• tenant rights
• court records access
• housing law
• landlord-tenant disputes