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Florida County
Washington County, Florida
Falling Waters State Park and the Panhandle's agricultural interior - from Chipley's courthouse serving one of the Panhandle's most rural inland counties to Falling Waters State Park (home of Florida's tallest waterfall - a 73-foot cascade dropping into a cylindrical sinkhole, unique in a state famous for its flatness), the annual Wausau Possum Festival (one of Florida's most eccentric small-town celebrations, crowning a possum king and queen since 1982), and a North Florida Panhandle county where peanut farming, timber, and a genuine small-town culture define a community far removed from the coastal resort economy just 35 miles south.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
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Office: Washington County Sheriff’s Office – 1293 Jackson Avenue, Building 400, Chipley, FL 32428; Sheriff Kevin Crews, a Chipley Police Department officer from 1991-2016 before his 2016 election as sheriff, re-elected 2020 and 2024.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-10 and SR-77 serve Chipley, the county seat, carrying the motto “Proud Heritage, Bright Future,” between Tallahassee and Pensacola, part of the Panama City metropolitan area.
Notes: Washington County was established by the Florida Territorial Council on December 28, 1829, named for George Washington – one of the earliest counties in the Florida Panhandle. Recorded history in the area reaches back more than 300 years to Spanish exploration; the Spanish mission of San Carlos was located here in the 1600s. Vernon, the county’s original seat and geographic center, is named for George Washington’s Virginia home, Mount Vernon, and was also the site of a major Native American settlement; the county seat moved to Chipley following a 1927 referendum. Chipley, originally called “Orange” and founded around 1882, was renamed for William Dudley Chipley, president of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad and a Florida state senator, who died in 1897 while traveling to lobby lawmakers on Florida’s behalf – Pensacola residents erected an obelisk in his honor in Plaza Ferdinand VII.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Washington County Courthouse – Chipley, FL (built 1932, Classical Revival), constructed after Chipley’s 1927 referendum victory to become the new county seat.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Washington County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via washcomall.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Washington County Public Library (Chipley) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Falling Waters State Park, three miles south of Chipley, holds Florida’s tallest waterfall at 73 feet, dropping through fern-covered sinkholes into a unique karst landscape of sinks and caves; a 2007 University of West Florida archaeological dig at the park uncovered Native American artifacts 1,000-1,500 years old, including what may be Florida’s only known cave painting. The Washington County Historical Museum, in the Bill Lee Station beside the Chipley railroad tracks, preserves railroad memorabilia and artifacts from the area’s Native American, Spanish, and English heritage. Pine Log State Forest and the Seacrest Wolf Preserve are additional notable natural attractions.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via washcomall.com.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Washington County Property Appraiser – confirm current contact via washcomall.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via washcomall.com; Washington County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Washington County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via washcomall.com.
NOTES: Washington County is the seventh and final county completed in this Florida Round 3 v2 redo batch, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Falling Waters State Park’s genuinely remarkable geology and its possible cave-painting discovery, along with Vernon’s Mount Vernon namesake, are among the standout local facts covered here. 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 Washington County
Washington County is a small inland Panhandle county – an agricultural and timber community positioned between Bay County’s Gulf beaches and the Alabama border, maintaining an authentically rural character that contrasts sharply with the coastal development visible from US-231 just 35 miles south.
Chipley (the county seat, population ~3,800) is a modest Panhandle railroad town – the Louisville & Nashville Railroad made Chipley a division point in the 1880s, and the city’s historic character reflects that 19th-century origin.
Falling Waters State Park – just south of Chipley – contains Florida’s tallest waterfall: a 73-foot cascade dropping into a 100-foot-deep cylindrical sinkhole of geological curiosity in a state where the terrain rarely varies more than a few feet from sea level. The park’s sinkholes, pitcher plant bogs, and sand scrub habitats are scientifically significant.
Wausau hosts the annual Possum Festival each first Saturday of August – a community celebration that has crowned a Possum King and Queen since 1982, embracing the opossum as a symbol of rural Panhandle character with characteristic Florida small-town humor.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
The Washington County Property Appraiser at 1331 S. Boulevard, Suite 201, Chipley, FL 32428, phone 850-638-6235, assesses at just value. No FL estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Washington County Clerk of Court at 1293 Jackson Avenue, Suite 101, Chipley, FL 32428, phone 850-638-6285, handles probate.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF COURTS (Records, Marriage Licenses)
1293 Jackson Ave., Suite 100, Chipley, FL 32428
(850) 638-6285
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Washington County Clerk and Comptroller (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Chipley Banner (Chipley, Washington County), a historic local newspaper published 1893–1943, is a useful resource for pre-mid-20th-century local research.
Local societies
No dedicated Washington County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
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
Washington County Clerk and Comptroller, Probate Division 1293 Jackson Avenue, Suite 101, Chipley, FL 32428 (850) 638-6289 Washington County sits in Florida’s 14th Judicial Circuit.
IMPORTANT – a major statewide law change just took effect: Florida’s summary administration threshold DOUBLED from $75,000 to $150,000 effective July 1, 2026, under CS/HB 1337 (Chapter 2026-57, Laws of Florida). Confirm which threshold applies based on date of death when helping someone (see
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
1293 Jackson Ave., Suite 203, Chipley, FL 32428
(850) 638-6111
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
1331 Brownsville Rd., Chipley, FL 32428
(850) 638-6230
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
FL Dept of Health — Washington
1338 Brownsville Rd., Chipley, FL 32428
(850) 638-6240
FL DCF — Washington
(850) 638-6295
FL Medicaid
(800) 299-4833
Northwest Florida Community Hospital
nfch.com (Chipley)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Florida Department of Health in Washington County – confirm current contact via washcomall.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Chipley
Population: 25,000
Area: 580 sq mi
Established: 1825
Tier: 3
Public Records
TruthFinder
Search public records for Washington County residents.