# Georgia HB 842: Whitfield County; ad valorem tax; revise homestead exemption amount

Georgia HB 842, Whitfield County; ad valorem tax; revise homestead exemption amount, is a 2025-2026 Regular Session House bill sponsored by Kasey Carpenter (Republican), Jason Ridley (Republican), Steve Tarvin (Republican); status signed, last action 2025-05-14 (House Date Signed by Governor); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB842-2025-2026
- As of: 2026-10-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Georgia HB 842
- State: Georgia
- Session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
- Title: Whitfield County; ad valorem tax; revise homestead exemption amount
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2025-03-25
- Last action: 2025-05-14, House Date Signed by Governor
- Sponsors: Kasey Carpenter (Republican), Jason Ridley (Republican), Steve Tarvin (Republican)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Subjects: Intragovernmental Coordination, State and Local Governmental Operations, Local Bill
- Touches household money: yes
- Roll calls: 2 (220 yes, 1 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- Bigger property tax break for Whitfield seniors: benefit, high. The law raises Whitfield County’s homestead exemption from $250,000 to $325,000 of appraised home value for county-purpose property taxes. Residents must apply and be at least 70 by January 1 of the year they claim the exemption. The higher exemption covers tax years beginning January 1, 2026, but…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: Kasey Carpenter (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Jason Ridley (Republican), House
- Sponsor: Steve Tarvin (Republican), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-04-02 | Senate | SUPPLEMENTAL LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR | pass | 55 | 1 |   |
| 2025-03-31 | House | Local Calendar Without HBs 851 & 852 | pass | 165 | 0 | 10 |

## Actions (13)

- 2025-05-14: House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- 2025-05-14: Act 343
- 2025-05-14: Effective Date
- 2025-04-08: House Sent to Governor (House)
- 2025-04-02: Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- 2025-04-02: Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- 2025-03-31: House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- 2025-03-31: House Third Readers (House)
- 2025-03-31: House Passed/Adopted (House)
- 2025-03-31: Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- 2025-03-27: House Second Readers (House)
- 2025-03-25: House Hopper (House)
- 2025-03-25: House First Readers (House)

## Bill text

- HB 842/AP* (v4): [PDF](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/238860)

## Related bills

- SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckless stunt driving; replace the forfeiture penalty (signed)
- SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation for certain motor vehicles; provide (signed)
- SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Service Foundation; establish (signed)
- SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact (signed)
- HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish (signed)
- HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact (signed)

## Sources
- [HB 842/AP* (v4) (PDF)](https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/legislation/document/20252026/238860)

## Related
- [SB 160: Reckless Stunt Driving; a motor vehicle involved in a second offense of reckles…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB160-2025-2026)
- [SB 384: Motor Vehicle; optional five-year motor vehicle registration and revalidation f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB384-2025-2026)
- [SB 76: License Plates; specialty license plate benefitting the Georgia Veterans Servic…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB76-2025-2026)
- [SB 406: "Georgia Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act"; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-SB406-2025-2026)
- [HB 1391: Specialty license plates; honor public safety officers; establish](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1391-2025-2026)
- [HB 1344: Georgia Insurance Affordability and Claims Integrity Act; enact](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB1344-2025-2026)
- [Georgia bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia/bills)
- [Georgia state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/georgia)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/GA-HB842-2025-2026 (as of 2026-10-12).