Georgia Lawmakers Move To Ban Cities From Wood Building Bans
The Georgia bill banning wood building bans now goes to the governor.
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Legislation headed for the governor’s desk prevents Georgia cities and counties from banning building with wood. That includes places that already have wood building bans in place, including Sandy Springs, which restricts its use in larger buildings.
Supporters of the bill say it’s good for rural Georgia and the state’s agriculture industry.
“We hear a lot of talk about rural Georgia and we want to help rural Georgia, said state Sen. John Wilkinson, A Republican from Toccoa, who sponsored the law in the state Senate. “This is a bill that the Georgia forestry commission is very interested in. Forestry is critical to Georgia.”
Opponents say if you go to a construction site that uses wood a lot of the lumber is from out-of-state. And they say laws like this restrict cities’ abilities to govern themselves.
“I’m not against lumber, let’s make that perfectly clear. But I am in favor of the local control aspect,” said Republican state Sen. Fran Millar, who represents Sandy Springs.
Millar introduced an amendment to the bill that would grandfather in cities that already have wood-building restrictions. That failed.
The bill banning wood building bans now goes to the governor.
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