Published
July 27, 2026
Updated
October 20, 2026
Long County, Georgia has agreed to create a $500,000 refund fund to resolve a class action over the fire fees it charged property owners. If you were assessed and paid a Long County fire fee on or after September 6, 2024 and still own the property, you do not have to file anything — the court approved the deal on October 6, 2026, and the refund comes to you automatically.
Current Status
There is no claim form to file right now, and for most class members there never will be one. The Superior Court of Long County, Georgia granted final approval on October 6, 2026: the Final Approval Order and the Order and Judgment were both filed in open court that day, and both are posted on the official settlement website. Under the Order and Judgment, Long County is to pay $250,000 into the $500,000 Aggregate Refund Fund on or before January 10, 2027 and the remaining $250,000 on or before July 1, 2027. The administrator is to identify class members and calculate individual refunds within nine months of final approval, then post the list of class members and presumptive refund amounts on the settlement webpage. Property owners who still own the property get their refund automatically; only former owners will be mailed a claim form. No individual payment date has been announced. The September 7, 2026 objection deadline has passed.
Status
Final Approval Granted
October 6, 2026 · refunds after the county funds the $500,000 in two payments (by January 10 and July 1, 2027)
Objection Deadline
September 7, 2026
Passed · there was no opt-out right and there is no claim deadline yet
Refund Fund
$500,000
Aggregate fund · individual refunds calculated under the proposed Order and Judgment · no per-owner figure announced
Proof Required
Automatic Payment
Current owners get refunds with no claim form · former owners will be mailed a claim form after final approval and must return it
What Is This Settlement About?
The case is captioned Gardner Rentals, LLC v. Long County, Georgia, and it was brought in the Superior Court of Long County. Long County agreed to create an Aggregate Refund Fund of $500,000 to refund fire fees to the class, and the court granted final approval and entered the Order and Judgment on October 6, 2026.The publicly posted notice does not describe the legal claims behind the lawsuit or explain what the county is alleged to have done wrong — it addresses the settlement terms and class members' rights. We are not going to fill that gap with guesswork. The underlying filings, including the Preliminary Approval Order and the preliminary approval motion with exhibits, are posted on the official settlement website for anyone who wants the full procedural record.
What the notice does establish is the practical outcome: money the county collected as fire fees during the class period goes back to the property owners who paid it, on the schedule set out in the Order and Judgment the court entered on October 6, 2026.
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Who Qualifies?
You are a member of the class if you were assessed and paid Long County fire fees at any time from September 6, 2024 through the date of final approval and entry of the proposed judgment.That end date did not fall on a fixed calendar date in the notice — it ran until the court entered judgment. The court granted final approval and the Order and Judgment was filed on October 6, 2026, so fire fees assessed and paid from September 6, 2024 through October 6, 2026 fall inside the class period.
Both conditions have to be met. Being assessed a fee is not enough on its own; the notice defines the class as those who were assessed and paid.
How Much Can You Get?
Long County has agreed to fund $500,000 in the aggregate. The notice does not publish a per-owner amount, and neither will we — individual class member refunds are to be calculated under the terms of the Order and Judgment. Because refunds track the fire fees each property was actually assessed and paid, the amount will vary from property to property rather than being split evenly.Class counsel will also ask the court to approve an award of attorneys' fees and expenses and a service award for the class representative. The notice does not state the amounts requested. The court has since entered an order on attorney's fees, costs and the service award, which is posted on the official settlement website.
Do You Have to File Anything?
For most class members, no. This is the part that matters most, and it splits cleanly in two.If you still own the property for which a refund is determined to be owed, you do not have to do anything. After the settlement is approved, the refund is issued to you without a claim form.
If you no longer own the property, you do have to act — but not yet. After the settlement is approved, a Claim Form will be mailed to your current address or your last known address. You then have to complete and return it as instructed on the form to get your refund. Since it goes to the address on file, a former owner who has moved since selling should make sure the administrator can reach them. No deadline for returning that form has been published; it will be stated on the form itself.
Can You Opt Out? What About Objecting?
You cannot opt out. The notice states plainly that class members do not have the right to exclude themselves from this settlement, which means class members are bound by the judgment the court entered on October 6, 2026.You can object. A written objection must be postmarked on or before September 7, 2026 and must comply with the requirements set out in paragraph 19 of the Preliminary Approval Order, which is posted on the official settlement website. Read that paragraph before writing — objections that skip its formal requirements can be disregarded. That deadline has passed, and the court granted final approval on October 6, 2026.
What Is the Deadline?
September 7, 2026 was the postmark deadline to object, and it has passed. There is no claim deadline because there is no claim form yet; former owners will receive one after the administrator completes the refund calculations, with its own instructions.How Do You Take Action?
For most class members the action is simply to wait and to confirm the administrator has a good address for you. The official settlement website, Long County Fire Fees Settlement.com, hosts the Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement, the Publication Notice, the Notice of Hearing, the Preliminary Approval Order, and the preliminary approval filing with exhibits. If you did not receive the full notice in the mail, or you want to read paragraph 19 before objecting, that is where to go. The site also lists contact details for the claims administrator and class counsel.One caution the notice repeats in capital letters: do not contact the court, the clerk's office, or the judge about this settlement. They will not answer questions about it.
What Happens Next?
The court granted final approval on October 6, 2026. The Final Approval Order finally certifies the settlement class, dismisses the claims against Long County with prejudice, and directs the clerk to enter the Order and Judgment as a final judgment. Entry of that judgment also closed the class period.Under the Order and Judgment, Long County is to pay $250,000 into the Aggregate Refund Fund on or before January 10, 2027 and the remaining $250,000 on or before July 1, 2027. The administrator is to identify class members and calculate individual refunds within nine months of final approval, post the list of class members and presumptive refund amounts on the settlement webpage, and publish notice in a local newspaper; class members and the county then have a window to object to an individual calculation before a special master. Refunds to current owners follow, and claim forms go out to former owners. No individual payment date has been announced.
Sources and Verification
• Official Settlement Website — Long County Fire Fees Settlement• Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement
• Preliminary Approval Order
• Notice of Hearing
• Final Approval Order (October 6, 2026)
• Order and Judgment (October 6, 2026)
• Gardner Rentals, LLC v. Long County, Georgia, Civil Action No. SUV2026000009, Superior Court of Long County, Georgia
OpenClassActions.com is a consumer news site and is not the claims administrator or a law firm.
Questions
Do I have to file a claim to get my Long County fire fee refund?
It depends on whether you still own the property. If you still own the property for which a refund is determined to be owed, you do not have to do anything — the refund is issued automatically now that the court has approved the settlement. If you no longer own that property, a Claim Form will be mailed to your current or last known address after approval, and you must complete and return it as instructed to receive the refund.
How much will each property owner get back?
The notice does not state a per-owner figure. Long County has agreed to create an Aggregate Refund Fund of $500,000, and individual class member refunds will be calculated under the terms of the Order and Judgment the court entered on October 6, 2026. Because refunds are tied to the fire fees each property was assessed and paid, amounts will vary by property.
Can I opt out of the Long County fire fee settlement?
No. The notice states that class members do not have the right to exclude themselves from this settlement. You do have the right to object in writing, and any objection must be postmarked on or before September 7, 2026 and comply with the requirements in paragraph 19 of the Preliminary Approval Order, which is posted on the official settlement website.
I sold my Long County property. Am I still eligible?
Yes, if you were assessed and paid fire fees during the class period. Former owners are the group that must file — a Claim Form will be mailed to your current or last known address after final approval, and it has to be completed and returned as instructed. Because the form goes to the address on file, make sure the administrator can reach you if you have moved.
When does the Long County class period end?
The class period runs from September 6, 2024 through the date of final approval and entry of the Order and Judgment. The court granted final approval and the Order and Judgment was filed in open court on October 6, 2026, so the class period covers fire fees assessed and paid from September 6, 2024 through that date.
Related Fee Refund Settlements
Fee-refund cases against local governments and service providers turn up regularly. The closest comparison is the Garden City, Georgia fire fee settlement — a $1.4 million refund fund on the same theory, handled by the same class counsel and administrator. Among other open cases, the Hunter Warfield unlicensed rental collections settlement also pays automatically with no claim form, and the Dovenmuehle mortgage pay-to-pay fee settlement covers convenience fees charged to homeowners. You can browse every current claim window on the open class action settlements page.
For more class actions keep scrolling below.
Settlement Amount
$500,000 Aggregate Refund Fund
Case Title
Gardner Rentals, LLC v. Long County, Georgia
Case Number
SUV2026000009
Court
Superior Court of Long County, Georgia
Final Approval Hearing
Final approval granted October 6, 2026
Final Approval Order and Order and Judgment filed in open court October 6, 2026
Administrator
Gentle Turner & Benson LLC
Official Website
Long County Fire Fees Settlement.com
