These New Laws Go Into Effect in Georgia in January

When the calendar flips to 2026, Georgians will see significant changes in how they do business, drive, work, and access healthcare. More than a dozen new state laws take effect on January 1, affecting everything from insurance operations to vehicle registration to healthcare coverage.

What’s Happening

Starting January 1, 2026, Georgia will implement sweeping changes across multiple areas of state law. These changes were enacted during the 2025 legislative session and represent some of the most substantial updates to state code in recent years. The changes affect insurance, transportation, healthcare, employment, and property ownership.

You Can’t Use a Digital Driver’s License For Voting or Hunting

What’s Important: Starting January 1, 2026, Georgia will require physical driver’s licenses for voting at polling places. The law also requires physical driver’s licenses when buying hunting, trapping, or fishing licenses in person. Law enforcement officers must accept electronic driver’s licenses if they have the proper equipment to verify them, and all officers must have that equipment by July 1, 2027.

How This Affects Real People: If you vote in person, bring your physical driver’s license. If you want to buy a hunting or fishing license in person, you’ll need your physical license. Electronic licenses will work with police, but only if officers have the right equipment.

Dental Care Through Telemedicine

What’s Important: Dentists can now provide care through telemedicine starting January 1, 2026. Dental benefit plans issued, amended, or renewed on or after this date must cover dental care provided through telemedicine. The Georgia Board of Dentistry will regulate this practice.

How This Affects Real People: You may be able to see a dentist online for certain dental care. Your dental insurance plan will likely cover telemedicine dental visits if your plan is new or has been renewed.

Motor Vehicle Registration and Licensing Changes

What’s Important: Georgians will see major changes to how they register vehicles and obtain temporary operating permits. The state is moving to an electronic system for temporary operating permits that third-party vendors can issue. The law also changes how dealers get master license plates and requires new rules for immobilizing vehicles on private property.

How This Affects Real People: If you buy a car, you’ll likely get your temporary permit from a vendor using an electronic system instead of paper permits. If you own property and want to immobilize trespassing vehicles, you’ll need a permit to do that business. The law also prevents people from registering vehicles through shell companies to avoid paying property taxes.

Health Insurance Coverage for Orthotic and Prosthetic Devices

What’s Important: Health benefit policies must cover medically necessary orthotic devices and prosthetic devices beginning January 1, 2026. The insurance commissioner must submit a report to the House Committee on Insurance and the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee regarding implementation by July 1, 2032.

How This Affects Real People: If you need a brace, artificial limb, or other orthotic or prosthetic device, your health insurance should cover it if it’s medically necessary. This is a new requirement for insurance plans.

Property Insurance Nonrenewal Notices

What’s Important: Insurance companies must now give 60 days’ notice before refusing to renew residential property insurance policies, up from the previous 30 days. This applies to any policies issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026.

How This Affects Real People: If your homeowner’s insurance company decides not to renew your policy, you’ll have more time to find new coverage. The company must tell you 60 days in advance instead of 30 days.

Prior Authorization Requirements for Health Insurance

What’s Important: Health insurers must implement and maintain a program allowing for selective application of reductions in prior authorization requirements based on healthcare providers’ performance and adherence to evidence-based medicine. The law applies to all policies or contracts issued, delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in Georgia on or after January 1, 2026.

How This Affects Real People: Insurance companies will reduce prior authorization requirements for doctors who follow evidence-based medicine and have good performance records. This could mean faster approval for medical treatments.

Unemployment Benefits Determinations

What’s Important: The Department of Labor will use a new “issue date” system to determine when unemployment benefit decisions become final. The issue date is when the department releases a determination or decision to an interested party by mail, hand delivery, or electronically with the party’s consent. This applies to all determinations made on or after January 1, 2026.

How This Affects Real People: If you’re fighting an unemployment benefits decision, the clock for appeals will start from when the Department of Labor officially sends you the decision, not when you receive it.

Professional Licensing Board Changes

What’s Important: The director of the professional licensing boards division in the Secretary of State’s office can now issue, renew, and reinstate licenses on behalf of professional licensing boards. The director can also approve applicants to take required examinations. Professional licenses and certificates can be renewed for up to 45 days after expiration. Rules and regulations promulgated by professional licensing boards must be limited to those designed to protect public health, safety, and welfare.

How This Affects Real People: Getting a professional license may be faster and easier. You might have a grace period to renew your license after it expires. The state is streamlining the licensing process.

Public Accountancy Changes

What’s Important: The state is enacting the “Public Accountancy Act of 2025,” which provides alternative education and experience options for becoming a certified public accountant. The law changes the term “substantial equivalency practice privileges” to “mobility practice privileges.”

How This Affects Real People: If you want to become a CPA, you may have more options for education and experience requirements. The state is making it easier to move between states as a CPA.

Veterinary Telemedicine

What’s Important: Licensed veterinarians can now practice veterinary telemedicine, veterinary teletriage, and veterinary teleadvice. The State Board of Veterinary Medicine will oversee these practices. Graduates from foreign colleges or schools of veterinary medicine can become licensed veterinarians in Georgia. These veterinarians can also lecture and give instructions at accredited veterinary schools or in continuing education courses.

How This Affects Real People: You may be able to consult with a veterinarian online for your pet’s health concerns. Foreign-trained veterinarians can now practice in Georgia.

Residential Contractor Licensing

What’s Important: The State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors has removed term limits for board members. The board now requires one member to have experience as a public building official instead of requiring that member to be a public building official. The number of board members required at meetings has changed from four to a majority of the affected division. Qualified applicants who fail an examination no longer have to pay a reexamination fee or submit a new application if they failed four or more examinations in the past year.

How This Affects Real People: If you’re getting a contractor’s license, the process may be easier. You won’t have to pay to retake an exam if you’ve failed multiple times. The board can now consider more types of experience.

Used Motor Vehicle Dealer Licensing

What’s Important: The State Board of Registration of Used Motor Vehicle Dealers and Used Motor Vehicle Parts Dealers has removed the used car division and the used parts division. The board has changed membership and appointment requirements. The law revises requirements for obtaining a used motor vehicle dealer or used motor vehicle parts dealer license and provides additional requirements for change of location applications.

How This Affects Real People: If you’re in the used car or used parts business, licensing requirements have changed. The state is restructuring how it oversees these dealers.

Electrical Contractors and Related Professionals

What’s Important: The state has made extensive changes to licensing for electrical contractors, plumbers, conditioned air contractors, low voltage contractors, and utility contractors. Licensees must comply with continuing education requirements before renewal. The state is establishing a continuing education tracking solution. The law provides additional licensing requirements, requirements for license renewals and inactive licenses, and approval of safety training. Professional engineers no longer have to complete experience and examination requirements in sequential order.

How This Affects Real People: If you’re a licensed electrician, plumber, or HVAC contractor, you’ll need to complete continuing education before renewing your license. The state is tracking this education. Professional engineers have more flexibility in how they meet requirements.

Organic Human Reduction

What’s Important: Organic human reduction — or composting — is now authorized as a means of disposing of dead human bodies in Georgia. The State Board of Funeral Service will license and regulate organic human reduction facilities. Licensed funeral establishments and crematories have a limited exception from the licensure requirement.

How This Affects Real People: Families now have another option for handling remains after death. This is an alternative to traditional burial or cremation.

Tax Credits for Child Care and Foster Care

What’s Important: Georgia is providing a new tax credit for qualified child care and dependent care expenses of up to 50 percent of the amount of credit provided in Section 21 of the Internal Revenue Code. The law provides a $250 tax credit for each qualifying child of a taxpayer. Only one taxpayer can receive the credit for qualifying children. The tax credit cannot exceed tax liability. Employers can receive a tax credit for qualifying child care payments of employees. The amount is $500 or $1,000 if it’s the first taxable year the employer made eligible child care payments. The aggregate amount of employer tax credits is limited to $20 million per year. The law also provides tax credits for taxpayers and business enterprises that contribute to foster child support organizations.

How This Affects Real People: If you pay for child care, you may get a tax credit. If your employer provides child care benefits, you may benefit from their tax credit. If you donate to foster care organizations, you may get a tax credit.

Catastrophe Savings Accounts

What’s Important: Georgia taxpayers can now establish one catastrophe savings account. The law provides for the amount a taxpayer may contribute to such an account. Interest earned from such accounts will be tax exempt. Taxpayers can deduct amounts contributed to such accounts from their income taxes. The law provides for distributions from such accounts and excess contributions. It also provides for distribution of account funds upon the taxpayer’s death.

How This Affects Real People: You can now set aside money in a special savings account for emergencies or disasters. The interest you earn won’t be taxed, and you can deduct your contributions from your income taxes.

Judicial Retirement System Changes

What’s Important: The state is changing how retirement benefits are calculated for individuals who first become members of the Judicial Retirement System after July 1, 2025. A retired member will now receive benefits associated with service as a superior court judge at age 65 instead of age 60.

How This Affects Real People: If you become a judge after July 1, 2025, you’ll have to work longer to receive full retirement benefits. You can retire at 65 instead of 60.

Court Recording System Changes

What’s Important: Court proceedings can now be digitally recorded for later transcription instead of being transcribed as they happen. This applies to all court proceedings.

How This Affects Real People: Court proceedings may be recorded digitally instead of having a court reporter transcribe them in real time. This could save money and change how court records are created.