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HB 547GEORGIASession 2025_26State Billdead

Did Not Advance

Georgia House Bill 547 permits property owners to combine multiple conservation use covenants into a single ten-year agreement

Original title: Revenue and taxation; bona fide conservation use property; permit combination of multiple covenants into a single, new, ten-year covenant

Last action · March 25, 2026: Senate Read Second TimeSponsors: Chas Cannon and 6 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

Property owners in Georgia with multiple conservation use tax parcels may now combine them into a single, new ten-year without incurring a breach penalty, provided all parcels are eligible for renewal. The measure also expands the definition of to include and updates rules for transitioning forest land assessments after ownership changes.

Why it matters

Landowners managing multiple conservation use parcels gain flexibility in tax administration and tracking by consolidating them under a single expiration timeline, starting with the 2027 tax year.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Property owners with bona fide conservation use property

Landowners are permitted to combine multiple existing conservation use covenants into a single ten-year covenant and may include carbon sequestration as a secondary use.

Directly affected

Local boards of tax assessors

Assessors must process real property tax returns filed by owners seeking to combine multiple conservation parcels into a single covenant.

Key Facts

A single owner with multiple parcels of bona fide conservation use property under different valid covenants may combine them into a single, new ten-year covenant.
Combining covenants does not constitute a breach of any existing covenants, provided the properties are otherwise eligible for renewal.
Owners desiring to combine parcels must file a real property tax return with the appropriate board of tax assessors on or before the filing deadline.
Parcels with delinquent taxes owed are not eligible for combination under the new provisions.

Show all 8 facts

Combination is prohibited from removing any portion of property from a covenant without including it in the new covenant, or changing qualification requirements.
The definition of bona fide conservation use property is revised to include carbon sequestration as a secondary use in accordance with the Georgia Carbon Sequestration Registry or a carbon sequestration program.
Qualified owners obtaining ownership of property receiving preferential or current use assessment have 180 days from acquisition to change and place it under a forest land conservation use covenant.
The Act applies to all taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2027.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I combine my conservation use parcels if I have unpaid property taxes on one of them?

No. Parcels on which delinquent taxes are owed are explicitly ineligible to be combined under this provision.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House · in Senate committee.

Procedural history

9 actions

Mar 25, 2026SenateCommittee
Senate Committee Favorably Reported
Mar 25, 2026Senate
Senate Read Second Time
Mar 9, 2026SenateIntroduced
Senate Read and Referred
Mar 6, 2026House
House Third Readers
Mar 6, 2026HouseFloor
House Passed/Adopted By Substitute
Mar 3, 2026HouseCommittee
House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute

Show 3 earlier actions

Feb 24, 2025House
House Second Readers
Feb 21, 2025HouseIntroduced
House First Readers
Feb 20, 2025HouseIntroduced
House Hopper

Version history & redline

3 versions on file

Comparing LC 44 3425S/hs → LC 44 3425S/hcs

removed addedOfficial text

26 LC 44 3425S The House Committee on Ways & Means offers Bill 547 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) By: Representatives Cannon of the following substitute to HB 547: 172nd , Dickey of the 134th , Corbett of the 174th , Meeks of the 178th , Huddleston of the 72 nd , and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 5 of Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, […]

What This Bill Proposed

Who It Would Have Affected

Key Facts

Frequently Asked Questions

News Coverage

Where This Stands

Procedural history

Version history & redline

Voting Record

Lobbying Activity

Full breakdown

Sponsors

Discoveries

Expansion of Conservation Uses to Include Carbon Sequestration

Connected Entities

Sources

Analysis Score

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