Georgia legislation · 2025-2026 Regular Session
Georgia HB1277: Conservation and natural resources; increase project cost threshold for public roads or airports requiring environmental evaluations
Status: Signed into law, May 11, 2026
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Article 1 of Chapter 16 of Title 12 and Title 32 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to environmental policy and highways, bridges, and ferries, respectively, so as to increase the project cost threshold for public roads or airports requiring environmental evaluations; to provide for conforming changes; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
What the bill says
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 16 of Title 12 and Title 32 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to environmental policy and highways, bridges, and ferries, respectively, so as to increase the project cost threshold for public roads or airports requiring environmental evaluations; to authorize annual adjustments to such thresholds based upon inflation; to revise various reporting requirements relating to projects of and contracts awarded by the Department of Transportation; to provide for publication of such reports…
From the introduced text:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED To amend Article 1 of Chapter 16 of Title 12 and Title 32 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to environmental policy and highways, bridges, and ferries, respectively, so as to increase the project cost threshold for public roads or airports requiring environmental evaluations; to authorize annual adjustments to such thresholds based upon inflation; to revise various reporting requirements relating to projects of and contracts awarded by the Department of Transportation; to provide for publication of such reports; to repeal a limit on the amount of design-build projects that may be awarded by such department; to increase the property value threshold for requirements relating to the sale of property no longer needed for public road purposes; to authorize annual adjustments to such threshold based upon inflation; to provide for conforming changes; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 1 of Chapter 16 of Title 12 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to environmental policy, is amended by revising Code Section 12-16-9, relating to limitation on requirement for environmental evaluation, as follows: H. B. 1277 LC 39 4929 "12-16-9. When a project of a department, municipality, county, or authority to construct or improve a …