A provision in Georgia's new Family Justice Center Act changes evidence-storage rules that may affect your business if you operate or contract with local law enforcement.
Most construction and trades business owners in Georgia don't realize that a provision buried in HB1283—the Family Justice Center Act—could create new compliance obligations if your company operates, contracts with, or partners with any local law enforcement unit, including municipal police departments.
Here's what changed, and why it matters.
HB1283 extends the mandatory preservation period for unreported sexual assault biological evidence from 12 months to 10 years. The change appears in Section 2 of the bill, amending Georgia Code Section 17-5-71(b).
In plain terms: any law enforcement agency—including those operated by or contracted through small municipalities—that collects biological evidence from a sexual assault case must now keep that evidence for a decade, not just one year. This applies whether or not the victim has reported the assault to police.
If your construction or trades company operates its own security force, contracts with a municipal police department, or manages property where a law enforcement unit operates, you may inherit responsibility for evidence storage, chain-of-custody documentation, and compliance verification.
The longer preservation window means:
Storage costs and logistics. Ten years of biological evidence storage requires proper facilities, climate control, and inventory management—significantly more complex and expensive than a 12-month cycle.
Chain-of-custody liability. Every year the evidence sits, the risk of mishandling, loss, or documentation gaps increases. Your company could face legal exposure if evidence is misplaced or improperly stored on your watch.
Compliance documentation. You'll need systems to track evidence location, condition, and access over a decade. That's a real administrative burden, especially for smaller operations.
This applies to any law enforcement unit that collects evidence—which includes:
• Municipal police departments in Georgia cities
• Private security operations that have law enforcement authority or work closely with police
• Construction site security if contracted to handle evidence or coordinate with law enforcement
• Property management companies operating facilities where police evidence is stored
If you don't directly handle evidence but contract with or operate a law enforcement unit, you should review your current evidence-storage protocols and agreements now.
Review your contracts with any municipal law enforcement partners or your own security operations. Confirm whether you're responsible for evidence storage and whether your current systems meet a 10-year standard. If you operate a municipal police department or contract with one, audit your evidence storage facilities and chain-of-custody procedures to ensure compliance.
The bill takes effect upon enactment; there is no delayed effective date stated in the legislation.
For a detailed, business-specific guide to HB1283 and other recent Georgia legislation affecting construction and trades operations, resources are available through your industry association.