Atlanta’s Eviction and Water Shutoff Moratorium Explained: What Atlanta Housing Providers Need to Know
By: Morgan Dunn – North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia Licensed Associate Attorney
with Brownlee Whitlow & Praet
In late October 2025, in response to the recent federal government funding lapse, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens took steps to protect certain qualified residents from eviction and utility shutoffs. The purpose of this article is to explain this moratorium for housing providers in the Atlanta area and discuss the impacts.
What was the Eviction and Water Shutoff Moratorium?
On October 30, 2025, Mayor Dickens issued an order that temporarily stopped certain evictions and water shutoffs in certain city-sponsored subsidized housing (hereinafter “moratorium”). You can find the moratorium here. The moratorium was intended to be a short-term response to the possible interruption of federal food and housing assistance payments due to federal funding issues. When issued, the order provided that the moratorium was expected to last through January 31, 2026, “or when the federal government shutdown ends” – whichever happens first. The federal government shutdown ended on November 12, 2026, so the moratorium is no longer in place. However, housing providers are likely to still be feeling the effects with delayed subsidy payments and/or backlogged payments not yet received.
Under Mayor Dickens’ order, evictions for non-payment of rent and water shutoffs for non-payment were temporarily halted for housing programs connected to the city or supported by city funding. Housing providers were also temporarily prohibited from charging late fees during the moratorium.
Who was Covered by the Moratorium?
The moratorium was not an automatic citywide eviction ban for all Atlanta renters. The moratorium applied only to city-owned, city-supported, or city-funded housing programs. These housing programs include Section 8, Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Beltline, Inc., Fulton County/City of Atlanta Bank Authority, Invest Atlanta properties, and more.
The moratorium did not apply to all rental housing in Atlanta. The moratorium did not apply to communities that are privately owned conventional properties and not supported by city funding programs. As such, normal rules for rent and eviction/dispossessory procedure(s) would apply.
What Happened with Rent and Assistance Payments?
Some renters in subsidized housing receive help from federal programs, like the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, where part of the rent is paid by the federal government. Because of the federal funding delay (due to the federal government shutdown), these payments were delayed and/or were only partial payments.
Residents were still required to pay their portion of the rent on time as they normally would. However, the moratorium prevented housing providers from charging residents for the portion of the rent that is normally received from housing assistance programs if/when that subsidy was delayed due to the federal government shutdown.
Because the government funding slowed, the intent of the moratorium was to prevent housing providers from filing dispossessory actions to evict residents who were unable to pay their rent because the shutdown.
Now that the Moratorium has Ended, What Housing Providers Need to Know.
You may be thinking “if the moratorium is no longer in place, why does this matter?” Understanding the moratorium and the impact can help housing providers to become more familiar with their property and the residents who reside there. Understanding how and why this moratorium happened, how it impacted both residents and housing providers, and what things look like after the moratorium has ended can also help housing providers be prepared for the next government shutdown – if (or when) another moratorium is in effect.
As a housing provider, you should make sure that you understand which of your properties are subject to a moratorium such as this. You should work with residents to document any issues related to their subsidy and work through those issues now. Taking the time to work through issues preventatively now can save you both time and money in the long run. If you have any questions about subsidy issues or simply hope to obtain a better understanding of the programs and processes, an experienced attorney could be of great assistance. It is a never a bad idea to be prepared.
The bottom line is that the moratorium was designed to give residents in city-supported housing breathing room while federal support programs were in flux. It was not a permanent change to housing or subsidy rules. It did not eradicate the resident’s responsibility to pay rent. It simply paused certain legal steps like filing a new dispossessory action for non-payment and utility shutoffs due to non-payment temporarily.
*The information provided in this article does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information in this article is for general informational purposes only. Information in this article may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. Viewers of this material should contact their attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No viewer of this material should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information in this presentation without first seeking legal advice from counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. Use of, and access to, this article does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Brownlee Whitlow & Praet, PLLC or any contributing law firms. All liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on the contents of this article are hereby expressly disclaimed.