Savannah’s licensed horse-drawn carriage tour operators filed a lawsuit May 18th seeking to block enforcement of the city’s heat ordinance, claiming state law prohibits the local temperature restrictions.

Morgan Reid Inc., which operates Carriage Tours of Savannah and Magnolia Carriage Tours, along with Savannah’s Carriage Tours LLC and carriage owner Cara Marshall, filed the complaint in Chatham County Superior Court. The lawsuit challenges a city ordinance that bars carriage operations when temperatures reach 85 degrees or the heat index reaches 100 degrees.

The operators claim the ordinance is preempted by Georgia law amended in April that prohibits municipalities from regulating livestock on public roads.

The city adopted the heat restrictions in August 2025 by a 5-4 vote. The ordinance initially set the threshold at 92 degrees through the end of 2025, then lowered it to 85 degrees starting Jan. 1, 2026.

Read more at WTOC11.