Section 36-36-3. Report identifying annexed property; maps and surveys; technical assistance to municipalities; preclearance

   (a) The clerk, city attorney, or other person designated by the governing authority of any municipality annexing property shall file a report identifying any property annexed with the Department of Community Affairs and with the county governing authority of the county in which the property being annexed is located. Such reports shall be filed, at a minimum, not more than 30 days following the last day of the quarter in which the annexation becomes effective but may be filed more frequently. Each report shall include the following:

   (1) The legal authority under which the annexation was accomplished, which shall be the ordinance or resolution number for any annexation effected pursuant to Article 2, 3, 4, or 6 of this chapter or the Act number if effected by local Act of the General Assembly;

   (2) The name of the county in which the property being annexed is located; the total acreage annexed; the enactment date and effective date of the annexation ordinance, resolution, or local Act of the General Assembly;

   (3) A letter from the governing authority of any municipality annexing property stating its intent to add the annexed area to maps provided by the United States Bureau of the Census during their next regularly scheduled boundary and annexation survey of the municipality and stating that the survey and map will be completed as instructed and returned to the United States Bureau of the Census; and

   (4) A list identifying roadways, bridges, and rights of way on state routes that are annexed and, if necessary, the total mileage annexed.

(b) The submission of a report required under subsection (a) of this Code section shall be made in writing and may also be made in electronic format to the Department of Community Affairs and to others as required, at the discretion of the submitting municipality.

(c) (1) The Department of Community Affairs shall notify the clerk, city attorney, or other person designated by the governing authority of the annexing municipality within 30 days after receipt of a report submitted under subsection (a) of this Code section if it determines the submission to be incomplete. The annexing municipality shall file a corrected report with the department and the county governing authority where the annexed property is located within 45 days from the date of the notice of any deficiency.

   (2) No annexed area shall be added to the state map until such report has been properly submitted to the Department of Community Affairs. The Department of Community Affairs shall not provide a certification of annexation to the United States Census Bureau unless the governing authority of the annexing municipality has filed a completed report as required under subsection (a) of this Code section.

   (3) Compliance with the requirements of this Code section shall be construed to be merely ancillary to and not an integral part of the annexation procedure such that an annexation shall, if otherwise authorized by law, become effective even though required filings under this Code section are temporarily delayed.

(d) The Department of Community Affairs may provide technical assistance to any municipality with respect to the requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section.

(e) The Department of Community Affairs shall maintain the annexation reports submitted to it pursuant to this Code section for two years. Annexation reports shall be subject to disclosure and inspection under Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50 while maintained in the possession of the Department of Community Affairs. Two years after receipt of an annexation report from a municipality, the Department of Community Affairs shall transfer possession of such report to the Division of Archives and History for permanent retention.

(f) The clerk, city attorney, or other person designated by the governing authority of any municipality annexing property shall also file a copy of the transmittal letter to the United States Department of Justice seeking preclearance, without the attachments to such letter, with the Department of Community Affairs and with the governing authority of the county in which the property being annexed is located. This subsection shall apply so long as a filing with the United States Department of Justice is required.

(g) The governing authority of any municipality annexing property shall add all annexed areas to maps provided by the United States Census Bureau during the next regularly scheduled boundary and annexation survey of the municipality, complete the survey and map as instructed, and return them to the United States Census Bureau within the time frame requested.

Code 1981, § 36-36-3, enacted by Ga. L. 1992, p. 2592, § 3; Ga. L. 2000, p. 164, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 811, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 532, § 7; Ga. L. 2011, p. 583, § 10/HB 137; Ga. L. 2012, p. 775, § 36/HB 942.