More than 100 new laws take effect in Georgia on Wednesday, touching nearly every corner of daily life — from what students can carry in their pockets at school to what rights Georgians have over their personal data. Here is a look at what changes and why it matters.
Education
Phones out of classrooms: Starting with the new school year, public school students in kindergarten through 8th grade cannot use personal electronic devices — smartphones, smartwatches, tablets — during the school day. Each school sets its own storage policy, whether that means pouches, lockers or the front office, but the ban itself is statewide and mandatory. Students with documented medical needs or those with an individualized education plan are exempt. High school students are not yet covered — a separate law extending the ban to high schools does not take effect until the 2027-28 school year.
Pre-K enrollment becomes a parental right: Georgia’s kindergarten cutoff date stays the same — a child must turn 5 by September 1 to start kindergarten that fall. What changes is access to the state’s voluntary Pre-K program. Schools that offer it must now enroll any child who turns 4 or 5 by September 1 if the parent requests it. Previously, a spot in voluntary Pre-K was not guaranteed. Under the new law, it is.
After-school programs open to Pre-K students: Public schools that already run after-school programs must now make those programs available to their Pre-K students on the same terms as any other student, beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
Health
Medical cannabis program overhauled: Georgia’s medical cannabis program gets a top-to-bottom rewrite. The previous 5% THC potency cap is eliminated entirely. Dispensaries can now sell gummies, edibles and vaporized flower, not just oils. Patients can have up to 12,000 milligrams of medical cannabis as long as it is in a labeled pharmacy container. New qualifying conditions include Stage III HIV, lupus, autism, severe Alzheimer’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Patients with incurable or irreversible conditions no longer have to recertify annually.
HIV prevention medications available at the pharmacy: Trained pharmacists can now dispense HIV prevention medications — including the daily preventive pill and the emergency medication that must be started within 72 hours of possible exposure — directly to patients without a doctor’s prescription, under certain conditions. The change is especially significant in rural Georgia, where getting a physician appointment quickly can be difficult, and for the emergency medication in particular, where every hour matters.
Public safety and criminal justice
Fourth misdemeanor in 10 years treated as a felony: If someone is convicted of a fourth qualifying misdemeanor within a 10-year period, that conviction is now treated as a felony, punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison. It is Georgia’s version of a habitual offender law applied to repeat misdemeanor offenders.
Clergy sexual misconduct is now a specific crime: Georgia now has two specific criminal offenses — improper sexual contact by a clergy member in the first degree and second degree — covering sexual contact between a religious leader and a congregant or someone receiving pastoral counseling. Victims have 15 years to press charges.
Signal jammers banned statewide: It is now a Georgia crime to possess, use, manufacture, sell or distribute a signal jammer. A signal jammer is any device that blocks or interferes with cell phone signals, GPS, radar or radio communications. Jammers were already illegal under federal law, but this creates a state-level offense. When a jammer is used against a public safety agency or critical infrastructure, penalties cannot be suspended. Jammers are designated as contraband and subject to forfeiture.
Blocking a road is now a more serious offense: Obstructing a highway or street is upgraded from a standard misdemeanor to a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, which carries higher fines and potential jail time. Blocking a sidewalk or public passage remains a standard misdemeanor. The law also allows civil lawsuits for damages.
Disrupting a religious service, funeral or memorial: Intentionally disrupting a religious service, funeral or memorial service is now a criminal misdemeanor. If the disruption occurs at a funeral or memorial for someone receiving military funeral honors, it is elevated to an aggravated misdemeanor, which carries higher penalties.
Gift card theft, forgery and fraud are felonies: Three new specific felony offenses are created — gift card theft, gift card forgery and gift card fraud. The law targets the common scam where thieves copy card numbers before purchase, as well as schemes involving counterfeit or tampered cards.
Assaulting a code enforcement officer carries enhanced penalties: Simple assault, aggravated assault, battery and related offenses committed against a code enforcement officer now carry enhanced criminal penalties.
Hotels and short-term rentals must train staff on human trafficking: Hotels, motels, inns and short-term rental operators are now legally required to provide human trafficking awareness training to their employees. Georgia, and Atlanta in particular, is a major trafficking corridor, and hospitality workers are often the first to spot warning signs.
Animal cruelty database and new authority to locate abuse victims: A statewide animal cruelty database will be created and managed by the state’s Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, tracking people convicted of animal cruelty crimes. Separately, courts are given new authority to order the location of alleged victims of child abuse or elder abuse in situations where an abuser may be hiding a victim.
Property and homeowners
Property owners can sue cities over enforcement policies: If a city or county has an established policy or pattern of refusing to enforce laws against illegal camping, loitering, panhandling, public drug use or shoplifting — or of limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities — property owners can now sue the local government. They can seek compensation for documented lost property value or costs they have incurred because of the government’s inaction.
The law’s own sponsor said the real goal is not the lawsuits themselves, but using the threat of financial liability to pressure local governments to enforce the law. Critics warn it will expose cities to significant legal costs and push police to arrest people who are homeless simply for having nowhere to go.
HOA attorney fee rules tightened: Homeowners associations are now required to provide written notice, with an itemized statement, before they can recover attorney’s fees in any enforcement action against a homeowner. Those fees are also now subject to judicial review for reasonableness.
The change creates a paper trail and gives homeowners grounds to challenge inflated legal costs. More sweeping HOA reforms, including mandatory registration with the state, new foreclosure thresholds, and a formal complaint process through the Secretary of State’s office, are coming, but don’t take effect until January 1, 2027.
Vehicles and transportation
Five-year vehicle registration now an option: Georgia drivers can now choose to register their personal vehicles for five years at a time instead of annually. The five-year fee is exactly five times the annual fee — there is no discount for paying ahead. Drivers in the 13 Metro Atlanta counties that require emissions testing still must pass those tests each year, but will not need a separate registration renewal each time. Commercial vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles do not qualify.
School zone speed camera rules tightened: Unpaid civil penalties from school zone speed camera citations can now be actively pursued by prosecutors. New camera programs set up after 2027 will require voter approval before they can be established, and penalties are created for misuse of the cameras by local governments.
Clearer rules on pulling over for emergency vehicles: Georgia law is updated on what drivers must do when an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and sirens, and the law on fleeing from police during a traffic stop is tightened.
Technology and privacy
Georgians gain new rights over their personal data: For the first time, Georgia residents have legal rights over their personal information. Under the Georgia Consumer Privacy Protection Act, residents can find out what personal data a company has collected about them, request corrections to inaccurate data, ask that their data be deleted, and opt out of having their data sold to third parties or used for targeted advertising.
The law applies to companies that do business in Georgia or target Georgia customers and process personal data above a certain volume. One significant limitation: individual residents cannot sue a company themselves — only the Georgia Attorney General can bring enforcement action. Companies also get a 60-day window to fix violations before any penalties can be imposed, which consumer advocates say makes the law difficult to enforce against large technology companies in practice.
Government and courts
Family Justice Centers authorized: Georgia can now establish Family Justice Centers — single-location facilities where victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking can access police, prosecutors, victim advocates, counseling and social services all in one visit, rather than being sent to multiple agencies on multiple days. The law also extends how long physical evidence from sexual assault cases must be preserved, and protects records held by Family Justice Centers from public disclosure.
Children and families
More places to safely surrender a newborn: A parent can now legally surrender a newborn — up to 45 days old — without criminal consequences at three new types of locations: public safety vehicles such as police cars and fire trucks, ambulance services, and the secure drop boxes some fire stations have installed. Anyone who helps a mother surrender a newborn to one of these authorized locations is also protected from prosecution.
Stronger child death investigations: Local panels that examine how children died when abuse or neglect may have been involved are expanded with new members, mandatory training requirements, and tighter reporting procedures for coroners and medical examiners.
Workers
Three weeks of paid maternity leave for state employees: State government employees who give birth are now entitled to 120 hours, or three standard work weeks, of paid maternity leave. They cannot be demoted, disciplined or otherwise retaliated against for taking it. The benefit applies only to state of Georgia employees, not private sector workers.
Portable benefits for independent contractors: A new voluntary framework allows companies to make contributions to portable benefit accounts — things like health savings or retirement contributions — for independent contractors without that arrangement being treated as legal evidence that the worker is actually an employee. The contractor keeps their independent status while the company can help fund benefits without legal risk.
Senior citizens
Senior living referral agencies must disclose who is paying them: Companies that match families with assisted living communities or personal care homes for elderly relatives must now clearly disclose all relevant information before making a referral and obtain a signed acknowledgment that the disclosure was received. The company cannot collect its referral fee from the facility unless specific conditions are met. The Attorney General can enforce violations.
Banks can freeze accounts to stop elder financial fraud: Financial institutions can now place a temporary hold — up to 15 business days — on a transaction involving an elderly or disabled account holder when the bank suspects financial exploitation. The bank must notify a trusted contact designated by the account holder within three business days of placing the hold. Banks are protected from liability if they acted in good faith. The same law creates new rules for cryptocurrency kiosks,including transaction limits, mandatory fee disclosures, live customer support requirements and refund rights for fraud victims, targeting kiosk scams that disproportionately victimize seniors.
Animals
Service dog fraud and interference: Enhanced criminal penalties now apply to anyone who harms or interferes with a legitimate service dog. It is also now a specific offense to falsely represent a pet as a service animal to gain access to a restaurant, store, hotel or other public space where pets are otherwise not allowed.
Feral hog control: Anyone can now trap feral hogs on property where they have permission, without needing a hunting or trapping license. Drones can legally be used to locate them. One firm requirement: captured feral hogs must be euthanized on-site. Relocating them is not permitted.
Food
Restaurants must disclose imported shrimp: Any food service establishment in Georgia that serves shrimp must tell customers whether that shrimp was imported from another country. The disclosure can appear on the menu or be made available upon request. The law is aimed at protecting consumers who want domestic or wild-caught shrimp and at supporting Georgia’s coastal shrimping industry, which competes with cheaper imported products.
This year, your lawmakers have been fighting the good fight and it looks like before the end of the day on Friday cornbread will finally be the official bread of Georgia. I’ve lost sleep over that one.
Buy the Book on Amazon →
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
