Does Georgia SB 112 apply to my existing HVAC system?

Generally no. SB 112 applies to warranties manufactured, issued, sold or offered for sale on or after January 1, 2026. A system installed before then remains under the old rules — meaning if it was never registered inside the manufacturer's 60- or 90-day window, its parts coverage likely reverted to the shorter base term.

Do I still need to register a new HVAC system in Georgia?

For coverage length on a warranty issued in 2026 or later: no — SB 112 prohibits conditioning the warranty on registration, and registration forms must say so. Registering can still be worth five minutes, though: it puts your install date, serial number and ownership on file with the manufacturer, which makes claims and future service smoother.

Does an HVAC warranty transfer when you buy a home in Georgia?

For warranties covered by SB 112 (issued on or after January 1, 2026), yes — the manufacturer's warranty transfers automatically to the new owner without fees, continuing as if the new owner were the original purchaser. For older systems, transfer depends on the brand's terms and often requires filing within a set window.

When does the warranty clock start under SB 112?

At installation, when the work is performed by a contractor licensed under Georgia law — not at the retail purchase or registration date. That makes the installation record, with its date and the installing contractor's details, the key warranty document to keep.

Georgia's SB 112: the new HVAC warranty law, explained

Updated September 2026 · Effective January 1, 2026 · Applies to residential HVAC in Georgia

On January 1, 2026, Georgia became one of the strongest consumer-protection states in the country for HVAC warranties. Senate Bill 112 changes three things at once: whether registration can shrink your coverage, what happens to the warranty when a home sells, and when the warranty clock starts. Here's what it actually says — and the pre-2026 catch that still trips people up.

The three changes

1. Coverage can no longer depend on registration. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers are prohibited from conditioning an HVAC warranty on product registration. Registration cards and forms must now state plainly that not returning them will not diminish warranty rights or shorten the term. The 10-to-5 "quiet shrink" that unregistered units suffer in most states is off the table for new Georgia warranties.

2. The warranty follows the home. When a home with an HVAC system sells, the manufacturer's warranty transfers automatically to the new owner — no transfer fee, no filing window — continuing as if the buyer were the original purchaser.

3. The clock starts at installation. The full warranty term runs from the date of installation when the work is performed by a Georgia-licensed contractor — not from the retail purchase date, and not from whenever the paperwork happened to be filed.

The catch: it isn't retroactive. SB 112 applies to warranties manufactured, issued, sold or offered for sale on or after January 1, 2026. The millions of systems installed in Georgia before then stay under the old rules — if one was never registered inside its 60- or 90-day window, its coverage most likely dropped to the base term years ago. If you don't know where your existing system stands, check it — the lookup takes five minutes.

What it means for Georgia homeowners

Buying new equipment in 2026 or later: your full advertised warranty applies whether or not anyone files a registration card. Keep the installation invoice — under SB 112 the install date is the warranty start date, which makes that invoice the single most important document you own.
Buying a house: for covered warranties, the coverage comes with it automatically. Still ask the seller for the install records and any registration confirmation — dates and serials decide claims.
Owning a pre-2026 system: nothing changed for you. Check whether it was registered, and if it's somehow still inside its window, register it today.
Use licensed contractors: the install-date rule is tied to installation by a Georgia-licensed contractor — one more reason unlicensed installs are a false economy (they can void coverage entirely).

What it means for Georgia HVAC contractors

The honest pitch changed. Telling a Georgia homeowner that registration protects their coverage is no longer accurate for new equipment — and a shop that keeps saying it will eventually say it to someone who knows the law. What's left is, frankly, the better argument anyway:

Documentation wins claims. SB 112 moves the load-bearing fact from "was it registered?" to "when was it installed, and by whom?" A shop that can produce install dates, serials and commissioning records for every job is the shop whose customers' claims sail through. One that can't is arguing from memory.
Registration still has a job. It puts the install on file with the manufacturer — smoothing claims, parts lookups and recalls — it just no longer gates the term. Filing it remains a five-minute courtesy that customers notice.
Multi-state shops need per-state playbooks. Work across the state line into Alabama, Tennessee, Florida or the Carolinas and the rules change with the border: Florida protects unregistered owners like Georgia now does; Alabama, Tennessee and the Carolinas are still 10-goes-to-5 states.
Pre-2026 install books are unchanged. Every unit you installed through December 2025 still lives under registration rules. If your office never registered them, those homeowners are carrying half the coverage they think they have — and finding out is a service call you can offer before year seven does.

Who else protects unregistered owners

Georgia joins California, Florida and Quebec, where warranty coverage can't be conditioned on registration. Everywhere else in the US, the 60/90-day windows in our brand-by-brand deadline guide still decide whether a homeowner gets five years of parts coverage or ten.

Georgia shops: your pre-2026 install book is the exposure.

SB 112 protects the units you install from now on — not the ones already in the field. Send us brand, serial and install date for your last 12 months and we'll check every unit free: registered or not, window open or closed, days left on each. The answer comes in writing either way.

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This guide is general information about Georgia Senate Bill 112 (2025–2026 session), not legal advice — consult the enacted text or an attorney for how it applies to a specific situation. TenKeeper is not affiliated with any manufacturer. Warranty terms are set by each manufacturer within the law, and the certificate for your specific unit governs.