What is Home Rule?

• A. Counties and cities have the ability to exercise certain government powers as long as they are not outside of the Georgia and U.S. constitutions.
• B. They can override state law.
• C. No local self-government powers.
• D. Only the state has Home Rule.

Answer: (A)

Home Rule means local governments in Georgia—counties and cities—have the authority to govern their own local affairs, within the bounds of the Georgia and U.S. constitutions. This allows them to adopt ordinances, manage budgets, and provide services tailored to their communities—such as zoning, policing, and utilities—so long as their actions stay within constitutional and statutory limits. The key constraint is that they cannot override or conflict with state law; the state can regulate or preempt local actions when necessary. That makes the statement describing local governments as able to exercise certain powers as long as they remain within the Georgia and U.S. constitutions the best fit. The other options imply either that local governments can defeat or ignore state law, that they have no local powers, or that only the state has Home Rule, which misstates how local self-government operates within the state framework.