Article IX — Counties And Municipal Corporations

Each county shall be a body corporate and politic with such governing authority and with such powers and limitations as are provided in this Constitution and as provided by law. The governing authorities of the several counties shall remain as prescribed by law on June 30, 1983, …

(a) There shall not be more than 159 counties in this state. (b) The metes and bounds of the several counties and the county sites shall remain as prescribed by law on June 30, 1983, unless changed under the operation of a general law. (c) The General Assembly may provide by law …

(a) The clerk of the superior court, judge of the probate court, sheriff, tax receiver, tax collector, and tax commissioner, where such office has replaced the tax receiver and tax collector, shall be elected by the qualified voters of their respective counties for terms of four …

The General Assembly may by general law authorize the establishment by county governing authorities of civil service systems covering county employees or covering county employees and employees of the elected county officers.

Ga. Const. art. IX, § I Counties Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

(a) The governing authority of each county shall have legislative power to adopt clearly reasonable ordinances, resolutions, or regulations relating to its property, affairs, and local government for which no provision has been made by general law and which is not inconsistent wi…

The General Assembly may provide by law for the self-government of municipalities and to that end is expressly given the authority to delegate its power so that matters pertaining to municipalities may be dealt with without the necessity of action by the General Assembly.

(a) In addition to and supplementary of all powers possessed by or conferred upon any county, municipality, or any combination thereof, any county, municipality, or any combination thereof may exercise the following powers and provide the following services: (1) Police and fire p…

The governing authority of each county and of each municipality may adopt plans and may exercise the power of zoning. This authorization shall not prohibit the General Assemblyfrom enacting general laws establishing procedures for the exercise of such power.

The governing authority of each county and of each municipality may exercise the power of eminent domain for any public purpose subject to any limitations on the exercise of such power as may be provided by general law. Notwithstanding the provisions of any local amendment to the…

As hereinafter provided in this Paragraph, special districts maybe created for the provision of local government services within such districts; and fees, assessments, and taxes may be levied and collected within such districts to pay, wholly or partially, the cost of providing s…

(a) Each condemnation of privately held property for redevelopment purposes must be approved by vote of the elected governing authority of the city within which the property is located, if any, or otherwise by the governing authority of the county within which the property is loc…

The General Assembly shall not authorize any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state, through taxation, contribution, or otherwise, to appropriate money for or to lend its credit to any person or to any nonpublic corporation or association except for pu…

The General Assembly may waive the immunity of counties, municipalities, and school districts by law.

Ga. Const. art. IX, § II Home Rule For Counties And Municipalities Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

(a) The state, or any institution, department, or other agency thereof, and any county, municipality, school district, or other political subdivision of the state may contract for any period not exceeding 50 years with each other or with any other public agency, public corporatio…

(a) The General Assembly may provide by law for any matters necessary or convenient to authorize the consolidation of the governmental and corporate powers and functions vested in municipalities with the governmental and corporate powers and functions vested in a county or counti…

Ga. Const. art. IX, § III Intergovernmental Relations Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Paragraph, the governing authority of any county, municipality, or combination thereof may exercise the power of taxation as authorized by this Constitution or by general law. (b) In the absence of a general law: (1) County governing autho…

The governing authority of any county, municipality, or combination thereof may expend public funds to perform any public service or public function as authorized by this Constitution or by law or to perform any other service or function as authorized by this Constitution or by g…

No levy need state the particular purposes for which the same was made nor shall any taxes collected be allocated for any particular purpose, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution or by law.

As used in this Paragraph, the term 'regional facilities' means industrial parks, business parks, conference centers, convention centers, airports, athletic facilities, recreation facilities, jails or correctional facilities, or other similar or related economic development parks…

Ga. Const. art. IX, § IV Taxation Power Of County And Municipal Governments Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

(a) The debt incurred by any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state, including debt incurred on behalf of any special district, shall never exceed 10 percent of the assessed value of all taxable property within such county, municipality, or political s…

Any county, municipality, or political subdivision of this state may incur debt on behalf of any special district created pursuant to Paragraph VI of Section II of this article. Such debt may be incurred on behalf of such special district where the county, municipality, or other …

The governing authority of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state may provide for the refunding of outstanding bonded indebtedness without the necessity of a referendum being held therefor, provided that neither the term of the original debt is ext…

Notwithstanding the debt limitations provided in Paragraph I of this section and without the necessity for a referendum being held therefor, the governing authority of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state may, subject to the conditions and limita…

The governing authority of any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state may incur debt by obtaining temporary loans in each year to pay expenses. The aggregate amount of all such loans shall not exceed 75 percent of the total gross income from taxes coll…

Any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state shall at or before the time of incurring bonded indebtedness provide for the assessment and collection of an annual tax sufficient in amount to pay the principal and interest of said debt within 30 years from …

Any and all bond issues validated and issued prior to June 30, 1983, shall continue to be valid.

Ga. Const. art. IX, § V Limitation On Local Debt Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

Any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state may issue revenue bonds as provided by general law. The obligation represented by revenue bonds shall be repayable only out of the revenue derived from the project and shall not be deemed to be a debt of the i…

Where revenue bonds are issued by any county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state in order to buy, construct, extend, operate, or maintain gas or electric generating or distribution systems and necessary appurtenances thereof and the gas or electric generat…

The development of trade, commerce, industry, and employment opportunities being a public purpose vital to the welfare of the people of this state, the General Assembly may create development authorities to promote and further such purposes or may authorize the creation of such a…

The General Assembly shall provide for the validation of any revenue bonds authorized and shall provide that such validation shall thereafter be incontestable and conclusive.

All revenue bonds issued and validated prior to June 30, 1983, shall continue to be valid.

Ga. Const. art. IX, § VI Revenue Bonds Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)

The General Assembly may by local law create one or more community improvement districts for any county or municipality or provide for the creation of one or more community improvement districts by any county or municipality.

The purpose of a community improvement district shall be the provision of any one or more of the following governmental services and facilities: (1) Street and road construction and maintenance, including curbs, sidewalks, street lights, and devices to control the flow of traffic…

(a) Any law creating or providing for the creation of a community improvement district shall designate the governing authority of the municipality or county for which the community improvement district is created as the administrative body or otherwise shall provide for the estab…

The administrative body of a community improvement district may incur debt, as authorized by law, without regard to the requirements of Section V of this Article, which debt shall be backed by the full faith, credit, and taxing power of the community improvement district but shal…

The services and facilities provided pursuant to this Section shall be provided for in a cooperation agreement executed jointly by the administrative body and the governing authority of the county or municipality for which the community improvement district is created. The provis…

The General Assembly by general law may regulate, restrict, and limit the creation of community improvement districts and the exercise of the powers of administrative bodies of community improvement districts.

Ga. Const. art. IX, § VII Community Improvement Districts Structural section heading for the GA Constitution. Operative constitutional text is stored in child paragraph rows. Source: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_State_of_Georgia_(1983)