What’s on the Agenda? Your Guide to 2026 Housing Legislation
The 2026 Georgia Legislative Session kicked off on January 12, and housing is already taking center stage. While what happens under the Gold Dome can feel distant, these decisions determine whether our teachers can afford to live near their schools, how we address homelessness and what tools our city has to ensure safe neighborhoods.
We are tracking the major priorities identified by housing advocates this session to keep you informed. Here is a breakdown of the key issues on the table and their implications for our community.
1. Preserving Local Control
One of our core beliefs is that Sandy Springs knows Sandy Springs best. We support measures that give our City Council more tools—not fewer—to manage housing.
Rental Registries: Currently, there is a state ban on "rental registries" (lists that cities use to track rental properties). Repealing this ban would allow local governments to better monitor landlords and ensure safe living conditions.
Waiving Impact Fees: We support allowing local governments to waive "impact fees" for affordable housing developments without being forced to replace those funds from other budget buckets. This lowers the cost of building attainable homes.
Homestead Exemptions: Strengthening exemptions, especially for surviving spouses, helps long-time residents stay in their homes even as property values rise.
2. Protecting Funding for Affordable Homes
Building homes that working families can afford requires financing tools. Two major items are being discussed by state legislators his year:
Keeping Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC): This state credit is essential for developers to build affordable apartments. There is a proposal to eliminate it to offset other tax reductions. Losing this tool would significantly harm the ability to build new affordable housing across the state, and necessitate cities to come up with their own costly incentives for developers.
Funding the Housing Trust Fund: There is a bill being proposed for a $1 billion appropriation to the State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless to spur the creation of permanent supportive housing in those cities that want to use this funding.
3. Stability for Renters and Families
Several bills this session focus on keeping vulnerable residents from losing their homes:
Short-Term Assistance (HB 689): We are watching House Bill 689, which would provide flexible local grants for rental assistance. This is intended to fill the gap left now that COVID-era relief funds have expired.
Extended-Stay Protections (Opposing HB 61): For many low-wage workers, extended-stay hotels are the last option before homelessness. HB 61, would remove tenant protections for long-term residents of these hotels, making it easier to displace them.
Foster Youth Support: There is a push to expand access to federal housing funds specifically to help keep families stably housed and prevent unnecessary child welfare involvement.
4. Avoiding the Criminalization of Homelessness
We are keeping a close eye on HB 295, a bill that would allow individuals to sue local cities if they don't prevent certain activities by unhoused people. This could drain local taxpayer dollars—potentially costing cities damages equal to two years of property taxes—rather than solving the root causes of homelessness.
Get Involved
The session is moving fast. If you want to make your voice heard, mark your calendar for Housing Day at the Capitol on February 25, 2026. It is a powerful opportunity to join advocates from across the state.
In the meantime, you can find your representative and let them know you support safe, stable and attainable housing for all Georgians.