New Georgia laws that went into effect today
🚨 NEW GEORGIA LAWS STARTING JULY 1, 2025 🚨
Get ready, Georgia — things are changin’! Here’s what’s coming down the pipeline:
1️⃣ landlord can not ask for more than 2 months rent as security deposit! Max fee = 2 months rent. (OCGA 44-7-30.1)
2️⃣ NO More Balloon Releases
Helium balloon releases = ILLEGAL. (HB 194)
3️⃣ Cocktails To-Go? YES PLEASE.
Restaurant cocktails can now legally leave with you. (SB 236(ix))
4️⃣ Childcare Tax Credit
New $250 credit per kid (under 5), up to 50% of qualified childcare costs. (HB 136)
5️⃣ School Buses Get Cameras
Smile — every bus now has surveillance. (HB 344)
6️⃣ Bounce Houses Banned in Wind >15 MPH
Windy day? No jumping. It’s now law. (120-3-27)
7️⃣ Daycares = Deeper Background Checks
Finally! Fingerprinting sex offender checks required. (HB 175)
8️⃣ More Plates for Disabled Vets
Two additional free license plates now allowed. (HB 208)
9️⃣ Storage Units Must Notify You
Weekly notices for 2 weeks before auctioning your stuff. (HB 131)
🔟 Fentanyl Trafficking = Tougher Sentences
More years, higher fines. (SB 79)
1️⃣1️⃣ $75M Boost for Education
Because, yeah… we kinda needed it. (HB 371)
1️⃣2️⃣ Organic Burial Legal
Funeral homes can now dispose “organically.” (HB 241)
1️⃣3️⃣ Lower State Income Tax
Now 4.99%. (HB 111)
1️⃣4️⃣ Absentee Kids Can’t Be Expelled
Requires counseling & parental convo first. (SB 123)
1️⃣5️⃣ Out-of-State Landlords = Must Have GA Property Manager
No more ghosting tenants. (HB 399)
1️⃣6️⃣ K–8 Phone & Social Media Ban
Phones stowed. No TikTok on school Wi-Fi. (HB 340)
1️⃣7️⃣ Raises Incoming
• Teachers: $2000
• Law Enforcement: $6000
• Nurses, Bus Drivers, Cafeteria Staff: 5.1% (HB 916)
1️⃣8️⃣ HOPE Scholarship = 100% Tuition Paid
Let’s goooo. (HB 19)
1️⃣9️⃣ $500 Property Tax Rebates
Yes, please. (HB 112)
2️⃣0️⃣ 2 Hours Off to Vote (Unpaid)
Election Day rights, y’all. (GA Code 21-2-404)
2️⃣1️⃣ Kids Can Sell Lemonade w/o Permit
No taxes, no red tape. (SB 55)
2️⃣2️⃣ No Social Media Under 16 Without Parental OK
Platforms must verify. (SB 351)
2️⃣3️⃣ Dangerous Bus Stops? NOPE.
No bus stops where kids cross 40 mph roads. (HB 409)
2️⃣4️⃣ Felony for Grooming a Minor
And tougher penalties for child sex abuse material. (HB 993)
2️⃣5️⃣ Digital License Now Valid
Front and back photo on phone = valid ID. (HB 296)
2️⃣6️⃣ Trans Students Must Follow Biological Sex for Sports & Bathrooms
Big shift in K–college. (SB 1)
2️⃣7️⃣ Trafficking Victims May Get Sentence Reductions
If crime committed during abuse. (HB 582)
2️⃣8️⃣ Fake Bomb Threat = Up to 15 Years
Not funny. Not a prank. (SB 421 GA Code 16-10-28)
2️⃣9️⃣ No More Squatters
You can file charges collect rent. (HB 1017)
3️⃣0️⃣ Attending Street Races = Misdemeanor Now
Racers = felony, spectators = $250 fine. (SB 10)
3️⃣1️⃣ We Can Sue Telemarketers
Even the shady 3rd-party contractors. (SB 73)
3️⃣2️⃣ School Bus Safety = Real Consequences
Pass one while kids are loading? $1000 fine, possible jail. (HB 344)
3️⃣3️⃣ Blowouts & Makeup Don’t Need a License Anymore
Bye bye, red tape. (SB 354)
3️⃣4️⃣ Bake from Home w/o License
No more cottage food license — just follow safety rules. (HB 398)
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🔥 Georgia isn’t playing around this year. Feel free to share this list and tag a friend who needs to know.