Section 9-3-51. Limitations on recovery for deficiency in planning, supervising, or constructing improvement to realty or for resulting injuries to property or person

   (a) No action to recover damages:

   (1) For any deficiency in the survey or plat, planning, design, specifications, supervision or observation of construction, or construction of an improvement to real property;

   (2) For injury to property, real or personal, arising out of any such deficiency; or

   (3) For injury to the person or for wrongful death arising out of any such deficiency

shall be brought against any person performing or furnishing the survey or plat, design, planning, supervision or observation of construction, or construction of such an improvement more than eight years after substantial completion of such an improvement.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Code section, in the case of such an injury to property or the person or such an injury causing wrongful death, which injury occurred during the seventh or eighth year after such substantial completion, an action in tort to recover damages for such an injury or wrongful death may be brought within two years after the date on which such injury occurred, irrespective of the date of death, but in no event may such an action be brought more than ten years after the substantial completion of construction of such an improvement.

Ga. L. 1968, p. 127, §§ 1, 2.