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Georgia · Central Savannah River Area · #588
Richmond County, Georgia
On the Savannah River at Georgia's eastern edge, Augusta holds the Masters Tournament, the Army's cyber warfare command, and a medical complex anchored by Augusta University - a city of genuine consequence whose international reputation for golf belies the military and medical sophistication that actually drives its economy.
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Office: Richmond County Sheriff’s Office – Augusta, GA | (706) 821-1020 / (706) 821-1093 (Violent Crimes Investigators); Sheriff Eugene “Gino Rock” Brantley, a former Savannah State University linebacker who joined the office in 2000 and rose through Special Operations, the Housing Unit, and the Rapid Response Riot Team, known for community-centered policing. He succeeded Sheriff Richard Roundtree, who in 2012 became the first African American elected Sheriff of Richmond County and served three terms (2013-2024). The office is genuinely the largest full-service Sheriff’s Office in Georgia, covering 328 square miles, three municipalities, and a busy interstate corridor, organized into nine divisions.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 and I-520 serve Augusta, the county seat and largest city, Georgia’s second-largest city, on the Savannah River along the South Carolina border. Richmond County has been a consolidated city-county government with Augusta since 1996.
Notes: Confirm current founding-date and namesake details via augustaga.gov.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: The Old Government House, also known as the Old Richmond County Courthouse – 432 Telfair Street, Augusta, GA (built 1801, expanded 1820-40, Greek Revival, Late Victorian, and Federal styles; National Register of Historic Places since 1978), one of the oldest surviving public buildings in the city, housing the local government seat from 1801 to 1821 before later serving as a private residence.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Richmond County / Augusta Veterans Services – confirm current contact via augustaga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System – confirm current addresses/phones via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Augusta Museum of History documents the region’s law enforcement heritage, including notable local figures spanning Augusta police and sheriff’s history from the 1800s through the modern era. The historic Old Government House anchors downtown Augusta’s heritage district.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via augustaga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Richmond County / Augusta Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via augustaga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via augustaga.gov; Richmond County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Richmond County / Augusta Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via augustaga.gov.
NOTES: Richmond County is the one-hundred-and-twenty-third county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The office’s genuine standing as Georgia’s largest full-service Sheriff’s Office, and the historic 2012 election of Sheriff Richard Roundtree as the county’s first African American sheriff, are among the standout local facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Richmond County
Augusta-Richmond County is a consolidated city-county that holds more institutional significance than its size might suggest. Fort Eisenhower (renamed from Fort Gordon in 2023) is home to the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence – the Army’s primary training and doctrine command for cyber warfare, signals, and electronic warfare – and NSA Georgia, one of the National Security Agency’s major signals intelligence facilities. The combination of Army cyber operations and NSA signals intelligence makes Augusta one of the most significant cyber and intelligence addresses in the country, with a contractor ecosystem and federal employment base that reinforces economic stability.
Augusta University and the Augusta University Health System – including the Medical College of Georgia, one of the nation’s oldest medical schools – anchors the healthcare and research economy. The Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club each April is the most globally watched golf event in the world, generating enormous economic activity in the region while Augusta National itself remains the most private and controlled sporting venue in American sports. Augusta’s downtown has undergone sustained revitalization investment, and the Augusta Canal – a National Heritage Area – provides recreational access and historical context for the city’s antebellum industrial history.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Georgia assesses property at 40% of fair market value. Property owners have 45 days from the notice of assessment to appeal to the Board of Assessors, then to the Board of Equalization. Georgia offers school tax exemptions for seniors 62 and older. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
SENIOR SERVICES
CSRA Regional Commission – Area Agency on Aging
3626 Walton Way Ext., Augusta, GA 30909
Phone: (706) 210-2000
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Richmond County residents.
Senior Services
CSRA Regional Commission – Area Agency on Aging
3626 Walton Way Ext., Augusta, GA 30909
Phone: (706) 210-2000
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Richmond County residents.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
735 James Brown Blvd., Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 821-2460
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Richmond County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System, headquartered in Augusta (established 1848 as Augusta Library) – 6 branches, member of the statewide PINES network.
Local societies
Augusta Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3743, Augusta, GA 30914-3743, (706) 722-4073 (Adamson Library) – physically located in Richmond County.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Probate Court of Richmond County 735 James Brown Blvd, Suite 1000, Augusta, GA 30901 (706) 821-2300
Richmond County is one of Georgia’s 8 original 1777 counties, named for Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond. Following a 1995 election, Augusta consolidated its government with Richmond County (exempting the cities of Hephzibah and Blythe) – now known as Augusta-Richmond County.
Because Richmond’s population exceeds 96,000, its Probate Court operates under O.C.G.A. Title 15, Chapter 9, Article 6 – meaning it has expanded jurisdiction: the probate judge must be a licensed attorney with Superior Court-level qualifications, the court has concurrent jurisdiction with Superior Court on certain matters, and it can conduct jury trials. This “Article 6” status applies to Georgia’s larger counties.
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Georgia is NOT a Uniform Probate Code state and doesn’t use a simple dollar-threshold “small estate affidavit” like many states. Instead it offers several distinct shortcuts, each suited to a different situation:
Banking Affidavit – for intestate estates with less than $15,000 in bank deposits and no other assets requiring administration. No court filing needed at all.
No Administration Necessary (Standard Form 9) – available when all heirs agree on how to divide the property and there are no debts (or all creditors consent). Can transfer real estate without full administration, but requires unanimous heir agreement – any disagreement forces the estate into formal probate.
Year’s Support (Standard Form 10, O.C.G.A. Chapter 53-3) – a distinctively Georgia protection: the surviving spouse and minor children can petition for property sufficient to maintain their standard of living for 12 months from the date of death. This takes priority over virtually all creditor claims and even most specific bequests in the will. Must be filed within 24 months of death. No bond, no inventory filing, no creditor claims period required – the fastest and simplest path when it applies.
Formal Administration – Petition to Probate Will (Common Form or Solemn Form) or Petition for Letters of Administration, when none of the above shortcuts fit.
COMMON FORM VS. SOLEMN FORM (a distinctively Georgia choice)
Common Form: the executor files the will with supporting evidence and the court admits it without notifying all heirs – faster and cheaper, but leaves a 4-year window during which interested parties can challenge the will.
Solemn Form (Standard Form 5): requires notice to all heirs; once granted, it’s final and binding much sooner, closing off future challenges.
If formal administration is needed
File the appropriate petition with the Richmond County Probate Court – Petition to Probate Will (Common or Solemn Form) if there’s a will, or Petition for Letters of Administration if not.
The court issues a citation, published in the county’s legal organ once a week for four weeks (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-2), giving interested parties a chance to object.
After the publication period, attend the hearing for appointment as personal representative.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one).
Send certified copies of the death certificate and Letters to all banks, brokerages, insurers, and retirement custodians; request date-of-death valuations and begin marshaling assets.
Obtain an EIN via IRS Form SS-4 and open an estate checking account.
Prepare an inventory of assets with date-of-death fair market values; the court may require this under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-30.
Pay debts and expenses in Georgia’s priority order (see below), then distribute remaining assets per the will or intestacy law.
What it costs
No Georgia state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Court filing fees typically range $100–$300 depending on the county.
Certified copies of Letters typically cost around $10 each.
Indigent petitioners may file an Affidavit of Indigency to request a fee waiver.
E-filing is available and encouraged statewide through platforms like PeachCourt or Odyssey eFileGA.
DEBT PRIORITY ORDER IF THE ESTATE CAN’T PAY EVERYTHING (O.C.G.A. §§ 53-3-1, 53-7-40)
Year’s Support for surviving spouse and minor children under 18.
Funeral expenses.
Costs of probate administration.
Expenses of the decedent’s last illness.
Taxes.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
401 Walton Way, Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 821-1000
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
535 Telfair St., Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 821-2340
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — East Central
(706) 667-4280
GA DFCS — Richmond
(706) 792-5000
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Augusta University Medical Center (AU Health)
augustahealth.org (Level I Trauma — Georgia's major academic medical center for the CSRA region)
Wellstar MCG Health
wellstar.org/mcg
Doctors Hospital
doctors-hospital.net
Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center
va.gov/augusta-health-care
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Richmond County Health Department – confirm current contact via augustaga.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Augusta (consolidated)
Population: 205,000
Area: 331 sq mi (consolidated government)
Established: 1777
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Richmond County facilities via Amazon.
