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.
Georgia · Southeast Georgia · #672
Candler County, Georgia
In the coastal plain between Statesboro and Vidalia, Candler County's Metter is a small southeast Georgia county seat serving a farming community of tobacco, peanuts, and timber - known locally for the Guido Evangelistic Association's massive highway billboard campaign and for the agricultural persistence of the Georgia flatwoods.
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.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Candler County Sheriff’s Office – Metter, GA; confirm current sheriff and phone via metter-candler.com. As Georgia’s chief county law enforcement office, the Sheriff and deputies hold the same arrest authority within the municipalities of Metter and Pulaski as in unincorporated areas, and the Sheriff serves as bailiff for the Candler County Superior Court.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-25 and US-80 serve Metter, the county seat and largest city.
Notes: Candler County was created by an Act of the Georgia Legislature on July 17, 1914, from portions of Bulloch, Emanuel, and Tattnall Counties (the county’s “Mother Counties”), Georgia’s 148th of 159 counties. It is named for Allen D. Candler, Georgia’s 56th governor, notable for preserving colonial and Confederate state records as the state’s first official records compiler. The county’s creation was genuinely hard-fought: an earlier 1908 attempt by Metter to form a new county (to be named “Georgia” or “Dixie”) failed in the Georgia Senate by a single vote, 19-20, against strong opposition from Bulloch County officials unwilling to lose territory and tax revenue.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Candler County Courthouse – 705 N. Lewis Street, Metter, GA | (912) 685-2835 (built 1921, Neoclassical, architect J.J. Baldwin; National Register of Historic Places since 1980). The separately NRHP-listed Candler County Jail (349 N. Rountree Street, built 1916, Colonial Revival, builders Fowler and Sage Construction with Pauley Jail Equipment Co.; NRHP since 2002) originally combined a jail with the sheriff’s residence and now houses county emergency management operations.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Candler County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via metter-candler.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Metter-Candler County Library – 50 S. Kennedy Street, Metter, GA | (912) 685-2455.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Candler County Historical Society and Museum (245 W. Vertia Street, Metter | (912) 685-2450), housed in the old Metter High School building (built 1910); the chapel and garden of evangelist Michael Guido, a Metter native whose radio program and newspaper column reach a worldwide audience.
Notes: The Metter Advertiser, the county’s local newspaper, is genuinely notable as the only newspaper in the United States ever to have been owned and published by a municipality. Annual events include the Another Bloomin’ Festival each Easter weekend.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Candler County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via metter-candler.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via metter-candler.com; Candler County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Candler County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via metter-candler.com.
NOTES: Candler County is the twenty-first county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, unique distinction of the Metter Advertiser as the only municipally-owned newspaper in U.S. history, alongside the hard-fought 1914 creation of the county itself, 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 Candler County
Candler County is a small agricultural county in southeast Georgia whose Metter is best known nationally, if at all, for the Guido Evangelistic Association’s highway billboard ministry – the bright red and white “Prepare to Meet God” and similar signs along I-16 and surrounding highways have been a Georgia road trip landmark for decades, produced by the Metter-based ministry that has operated since 1958. The county’s agricultural economy – tobacco, peanuts, cotton, timber – is typical of the Georgia coastal plain between Statesboro and the Vidalia onion zone. Metter serves as the commercial hub for a modest farming community.
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. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Candler County Probate Court: 355 South Academy Street, Metter, GA 30439 | (912) 685-5257. The Probate Court handles estate administration and guardianship.
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)
355 S. Lewis St., Metter, GA 30439
(912) 685-5257
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Candler County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Statesboro Regional Public Libraries system serves Candler County among 5 counties.
Local societies
Candler County Historical Society, P.O. Box 325, Metter, GA 30439.
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 Candler County 705 N. Lewis Street, Metter, GA 30439 (912) 685-2835
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 Candler 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
355 S. Lewis St., Metter, GA 30439
(912) 685-2247
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
355 S. Lewis St., Metter, GA 30439
(912) 685-2835
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Southeast
(912) 685-7547
GA DFCS — Candler
(912) 685-2211
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Candler County Hospital
candlercountyhospital.com (Metter)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Candler County Health Department – confirm current contact via metter-candler.com.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Metter
Population: 11,000
Area: 243 sq mi
Established: 1914
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Candler County facilities via Amazon.
