On Nov. 3, 2026, Georgia voters will choose an insurance commissioner. For many homeowners, the question behind that race is a practical one: can the person in that office do anything about Georgia homeowners insurance rates? The short answer is yes, but less than you might think. The commissioner does not approve your home insurance rate before it takes effect. The office can delay some large increases, hold hearings, and in some cases order refunds. This explainer covers what Georgia law allows, what each candidate has promised, and how a higher premium works its way into your monthly mortgage payment.
Who is running for Georgia insurance commissioner in 2026?
Republican incumbent John F. King faces Democrat Keisha Sean Waites in the Nov. 3 general election. Libertarian Colin McKinney is also on the ballot, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Gov. Brian Kemp appointed King in 2019, and King won election to the office in 2022 (Ledger-Enquirer). Waites won the Democratic nomination by beating DeAndre Mathis in the June 16, 2026 runoff, per Wikipedia's summary of the race. She represented the 60th district in the Georgia House from 2012 to 2017 and served as an at-large member of the Atlanta City Council from 2022 to 2024.
Does the Georgia insurance commissioner approve home insurance rates?
No. Under Georgia law, homeowners insurers must file a new rate with the commissioner at least 45 days before it takes effect. The law does not require the commissioner to approve it first.
The rule is in O.C.G.A. § 33-9-21(d), which covers every line of insurance except personal private passenger auto. It says no rate "will become effective, nor may any premium be collected by any insurer thereunder, unless the filing has been received by the Commissioner in his office not less than 45 days prior to its effective date." That is a filing requirement. It gives the office a window to look at a rate, but it does not require a sign-off.
Auto insurance is handled differently, which helps explain why people get confused. Only minimum-limits personal auto coverage, under § 33-9-21(b)(1), goes through a process where the commissioner can disapprove a rate before it is used, with a 100-day notice window. Auto coverage above the minimums, under § 33-9-21(b)(2), takes effect 60 days after filing "without approval of the Commissioner." Homeowners coverage falls under subsection (d), not (b).
Recent news coverage has put it the same way. An Atlanta News First report from April 2025 said: "In Georgia, the insurance commissioner can't reject rate increases altogether, but he can limit them." The Citizen reported this month that "Georgia law does not let the commissioner reject a rate increase outright, though the office can limit increases and hold hearings."
Can the commissioner stop a home insurance rate increase?
Partly. A large increase can be put on hold while the insurer is examined. After a hearing, a rate that breaks the law can be barred from future use, and policyholders can get the most recent increase refunded. What the commissioner cannot do is refuse a homeowners filing up front the way a prior-approval system would.
There are three tools in the statute.
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The 10% trigger. Under § 33-9-21(e), an overall increase of 10% or more within any 12-month period triggers an examination of the insurer's claim reserves. Once the commissioner gives notice of intent to examine, "the insurer shall be prohibited from placing the rates so filed in effect until such examination has been reviewed and certified by the Commissioner as being complete." The exam is supposed to be certified within 90 days, and that deadline can be extended by 60 days.
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Barring future use of a rate. Under § 33-9-29(1), if a hearing finds that a rate violates the chapter, the commissioner may prohibit "further use of the rate... in contracts of insurance made thereafter" within a reasonable period.
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Refunds. The same section says the commissioner "may further order that the portion of premiums received from current policyholders as a result of the most recent rate increase at the time the notice of such hearing is issued shall be refunded to the policyholders." Under § 33-9-29(3), willful violations can lead to suspension or revocation of an insurer's certificate of authority for that class of insurance.
So the fair summary is that the commissioner has no advance veto over Georgia homeowners insurance rates, but the office does have remedies. It can review filings, hold a large increase while reserves are examined, hold hearings, and order refunds. In April 2025, King said he would "take a hard look at rate requests" and hold public hearings if necessary, Atlanta News First reported.
What have the candidates promised on insurance rates?
Waites says she would challenge rate hikes and try to outlaw pricing based on ZIP code and credit score. King is running on higher fines, more ways to recover money from insurers, and the 2025 tort reform law he supported.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Waites campaigns on "challenging rate hikes by home and auto insurers, advocating to outlaw ZIP code and credit score-based premiums." King's platform includes "increasing maximum fines allowed against insurers" and "increasing legal avenues to recoup funds from insurers for residents." He also backed Gov. Kemp's 2025 tort reform law.
When that law passed, King told Atlanta News First: "I expect reasonably 3 to 5% decrease in rates in Georgia this year." The article did not say which lines of insurance he meant, so don't read it as a promise about your homeowners renewal specifically.
A practical note for voters: several of these proposals, such as banning certain rating factors or raising maximum fines, would probably need action beyond the commissioner's office. The existing powers described above are what the next commissioner can use on day one.
How much have Georgia homeowners insurance rates gone up?
By Insurify's count, Georgia home insurance rates rose 24% from 2023 to 2025. Insurify projects the average Georgia premium will go from $2,879 in 2025 to $3,167 in 2026, an increase of about 10%, or $288.
The 24% figure comes from a March 2026 article republished by The Current. It reported that "Insurify projects a 10 percent increase in premiums in 2026 following a 9 percent increase in 2025." In that article, Insurify senior economic analyst Matt Brannon said the impact is being spread over several years because local regulations make it harder for insurers to raise rates quickly.
Insurify's own report projects a much faster increase for Georgia than for the country as a whole:
| Average annual home premium (Insurify) | 2025 | 2026 projected | Change | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Georgia | $2,879 | $3,167 | +$288 (+10%) | | United States | $2,948 | $3,057 | +4% |
The same report notes that Georgia saw more than 165,000 claims after Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Other firms measure premiums differently, so their numbers don't match exactly, but they point the same way:
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Jerry Theodorou of R Street, writing in Insurance Journal, says Georgia homeowners rates rose 30.9% from 2019 to 2024 and 8.1% in 2024. He puts the 2024 loss ratio at about 112%, which means losses were larger than premiums.
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Georgia Watch, summarizing AJC reporting on LendingTree data from July 2025, cites an average premium of $2,869, up nearly 12% in a year and nearly 36% since 2019.
How does a home insurance increase affect my mortgage payment?
If your insurance is paid through escrow, a higher premium raises your monthly escrow deposit. It can also leave a shortage that your servicer collects over the following year. Federal rules limit how the servicer can collect that shortage.
Under RESPA's Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.17), your servicer analyzes your escrow account every year. The main rules:
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Cushion: the servicer can hold a cushion of no more than 1/6 of your estimated annual escrow disbursements.
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Shortage smaller than one month's escrow payment: the servicer may let it stand, ask you to repay it within 30 days, or spread it over at least 12 months.
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Shortage of one month's escrow payment or more: the servicer may let it stand or spread it over at least 12 monthly payments. It cannot demand a lump sum.
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Surplus: if the analysis finds a surplus of $50 or more, the servicer must refund it.
A worked example using Insurify's Georgia averages (our arithmetic, not a forecast for your policy):
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Your premium goes up $288 a year. Going forward, that adds about $24 a month to your escrow deposit ($288 divided by 12).
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If the servicer paid the higher bill before the annual analysis accounted for it, the account is roughly $288 short. Spread over 12 months, that adds about another $24 a month.
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In year one, that comes to about $48 a month more. After the shortage is repaid, it drops back to about $24.
Your actual number can differ. Because the cushion can be up to 1/6 of annual disbursements, a bigger premium can also raise the allowed cushion by as much as $48 a year ($288 divided by 6). Changes in your property tax bill move the escrow payment as well. A $288 shortage may also be less than one month's escrow payment. If it is, your servicer has the option of asking you to repay it within 30 days instead of spreading it out. Read the escrow analysis statement carefully to see which option your servicer chose.
What can Georgia homeowners do about rising premiums?
You don't have to wait for the election. You can shop for coverage, adjust your deductible, look up your insurer's rate filing, and file a complaint with the state if something looks wrong.
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Shop, even if you have a mortgage. The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner (OCI) tells consumers: "You are not required to purchase insurance from the company your lender recommends." Your loan will still require coverage, so check your lender's requirements before switching.
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Get at least three quotes. This is one of the tips Georgia Watch passed along from AJC reporting. The same list suggests bundling policies, raising your deductible, paying for small repairs yourself instead of filing claims, and reading the fine print.
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Check the deductible trade-off. A higher deductible can lower your premium, but only raise it to a level you could actually pay after a storm or a burst pipe.
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Look up the filing. OCI says "All insurance product filings are submitted via SERFF" and "The public may access SERFF to research insurance companies in Georgia." Start from OCI's insurance product filings page.
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File a complaint if something looks wrong. OCI's Consumer Services Division takes complaints through its complaint page, by phone at (404) 656-2070, or toll-free at (800) 656-2298, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Plan for the escrow change. When your renewal comes in higher, expect your mortgage payment to change at the next escrow analysis. Budget for the new deposit plus any shortage repayment.
The bottom line
Georgia's insurance commissioner cannot veto a homeowners rate in advance. The office's tools are review during the 45-day filing window, a hold on increases of 10% or more while reserves are examined, hearings, orders barring future use of a rate, and refunds. Those tools are real, and the candidates disagree about how aggressively to use them and whether to add new ones. Whoever wins, the parts you control are the same: shop your coverage, choose a deductible you can afford, and plan for the escrow adjustment before it lands.
Related reading
Sources
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Atlanta News First: Georgia insurance commissioner: Rates will fall 3-5% after lawsuit reform
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The Current: Are Georgia and other states becoming uninsurable? We have the latest data
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia insurance commissioner candidates 2026
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Insurance Journal: A Deep Dive: Recommendations on Georgia's Rising Premiums, Loss Ratios
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Georgia Watch: Georgia, national home insurance rates on the rise. Here's why.
