New Georgia laws take effect July 1: HOA reforms, pimping penalties, cryptocurrency, more

A new package of Georgia laws takes effect July 1, reshaping rules on HOA transparency, school-zone speed enforcement, education governance, and additional criminal penalties. Among the measures, HB 651 updates how school-zone speed cameras are used, authorizing prosecutors to enforce civil monetary penalties tied to recorded images and clarifying the court process for camera-based citations. SB 470 creates the “Emergency & Public Safety Signal Protection Act,” banning signal jammers with defined exemptions and enabling enforcement tools, including Attorney General forfeiture proceedings in certain cases. The HB 406 HOA law adds an option for HOA/POA registration through the Georgia Secretary of State and aims to increase transparency and provide a state-managed complaint path. It also adjusts collection and foreclosure guardrails related to assessments and certain charges. Reporting noted that only Section 7 of the HOA statute takes effect July 1, requiring initial notice and a 30-day payment window, except for emergencies.