Georgia subcommittee hears split testimony on HB 812, a bill to speed land‑disturbance permitting

Representative John Chokas introduced House Bill 812 to the State and Local Government Subcommittee as a two‑part effort to reduce permitting delays and tighten review of local amendments to Georgia’s mandatory building codes. "We're trying to assist the Department of Community Affairs in looking at and more stringently, making sure that our local governments abide by the laws," Chokas said as he opened the presentation.

Austin Hackney, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Georgia, told the panel the bill would not remove local control but would add teeth and transparency to existing state processes. Hackney described part one as strengthening how local amendments to statewide codebooks get vetted and part two as imposing a shot clock on land‑disturbance permit (LDP) reviews: an initial 45‑day review and a shorter window for subsequent rounds. He told lawmakers, “these comments have to come in a single round,” arguing that single‑round comment cycles would prevent indefinite restarts that can extend an otherwise 45‑day process into years.

Builders and developers who testified said drawn‑out LDP reviews are already raising costs and shrinking supply. Jay Knight of the Georgia Residential Land Development Council said…