ATLANTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia’s price-gouging law is now active, triggered by Gov. Brian Kemp’s state of emergency declared Thursday ahead of Isaias.

Attorney General Chris Carr said his office is ready to pursue anyone who raises prices on fuel, goods or services during storm preparation and recovery.

Businesses cannot charge more than they did immediately before the emergency was declared.

A higher price is only legal if it reflects real increases in a business’s own supply or shipping costs, plus its normal markup.

For example, if a gas station charged $3.83 a gallon Wednesday, before the emergency took effect, raising that price to $5 overnight with no real cost increase to justify it would be gouging.

Raising it to $4 because the station’s own supplier charged more, or because it cost more to ship the fuel in, would not be gouging.

Kemp suspended the state gas tax nine days before Thursday’s state of emergency, a move made because of rising gas prices rather than the storm.

Georgia’s average gas price sits at $3.83 a gallon today, according to AAA.

That is nearly a dollar more than this time last year, an increase of about 33%.

Carr said his office will pursue businesses taking advantage of consumers during the storm.

Anyone who believes they have witnessed price gouging is asked to call the attorney general’s consumer protection hotline at 1-800-869-1123.

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