It starts small. A notice about a fine or an unpaid fee from the homeowners association lands in the mailbox, or maybe it never lands at all. Then a letter arrives from a law firm, and suddenly the bill includes attorney fees that nobody explained. For Georgia homeowners, new rules that began July 1, 2026 are designed to make that path a lot harder to follow.
Georgia’s Property Owners’ Bill of Rights Act, known as SB 406, was signed May 12, 2026. According to WRDW, which reported on the rules on July 6, 2026, the law adds new requirements for how HOAs notify owners, how long owners have to pay and how attorney fees are billed. This story is about Georgia. Rules for HOAs differ from state to state, so owners elsewhere should look up their own.
Certified mail and a 30 day window
The first change is about notice. Starting July 1, 2026, Georgia HOAs must send certified mail notice of outstanding fines or fees. Certified mail creates a record that something was sent and delivered, which is a big upgrade over a letter that might have been tossed in a stack of junk mail.
The second change is about time. Owners now get 30 days from receipt to pay. The clock runs from when the notice is received, not from when the association says it was sent. That gives a homeowner a fair shot at fixing a problem before it escalates.
Every attorney fee must be itemized
The third change goes straight at a common complaint. HOAs must now itemize attorney fees. That means an owner can see what each charge was for, rather than receiving one lump number and being told to pay up. A line by line list lets you ask questions, spot mistakes and push back on anything that looks off…