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Office: Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office – 35 W. Washington Street, Summerville, GA 30747 | (706) 857-3411 | Fax (706) 857-0719; Sheriff Mark Schrader. The office runs a Citizens Police Academy and Neighborhood Watch program for community engagement and uses data-analysis software to identify crime trends. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. Several Civil War engagements were fought in the county prior to the Battle of Chickamauga; General Nathan Bedford Forrest fought Federal cavalry near Alpine, Georgia, in an engagement that pushed Union forces back toward Chattanooga.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-27 and SR-48 serve Summerville, the county seat and largest city, anchoring the Summerville Micropolitan Statistical Area within the broader Rome-Summerville Combined Statistical Area.
Notes: Chattooga County was created December 28, 1838, named for the Chattooga River, which forms part of the Georgia-Alabama border. Summerville, initially named Selma, was formally incorporated as the permanent county seat on December 21, 1839, chosen largely for the presence of a reliable natural water source known variously over time as Big Spring, Beavers Spring, Cleghorn Spring, and eventually Willow Spring – though the spring’s ownership by Colonel Beavers was informally disputed, town residents were allowed to draw from it by long-standing local agreement.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Chattooga County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Summerville, GA (built 1909, Classical/Neoclassical Revival, architect Bryan Architectural Firm, builder Falls City Construction Co.; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), part of the broader Summerville Commercial Historic District (NRHP since 2012), which also includes a 1937 Colonial Revival U.S. Post Office, the 1918 Central of Georgia Railroad depot, and the 1959 jail and sheriff’s office building.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Chattooga County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via chattoogacounty.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Chattooga County Public Library (Summerville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Summerville Commercial Historic District, county athletic facilities, playgrounds, and picnic areas, and Chattooga County’s scenic Northwest Georgia landscape and wildlife are among the county’s premier heritage and recreational attractions.
Notes: Confirm current recreational program details via chattoogacounty.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Chattooga County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via chattoogacounty.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via chattoogacounty.gov; Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Chattooga County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via chattoogacounty.gov.
NOTES: Chattooga County is the twenty-seventh county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine, unusual local-spring origin story behind Summerville’s founding as county seat is 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 Chattooga County County
Chattooga County is northwest Georgia’s Ridge and Valley and Cloudland Canyon gateway county – the parallel ridges and valley floors of the Armuchee Ridges and the proximity to Lookout Mountain’s dramatic canyon define a northwest Georgia community where Summerville serves the county’s agricultural and manufacturing families in the scenic ridge and valley country.
Summerville (the county seat, population ~4,500) is Chattooga County’s governmental hub on US 27, a northwest Georgia Ridge and Valley community whose Cloudland Canyon proximity, poultry industry, and county courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Chattooga County Tax Assessor at 10 Maddox Drive, Summerville, GA 30747, phone 706-857-0737. GA assessed at 40% of fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Chattooga County Probate Court at 10 Maddox Drive, Summerville, GA 30747, phone 706-857-0700, handles probate.
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)
10 Public Square, Summerville, GA 30747
(706) 857-0700
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Chattooga County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Chattooga 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
Probate Court of Chattooga County 10035 Commerce Street, Summerville, GA 30747 (706) 857-0700 Judge: Hon. Jon M. Payne.
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 Chattooga 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
10 Public Square, Summerville, GA 30747
(706) 857-2214
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
10 Public Square, Summerville, GA 30747
(706) 857-0700
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Northwest
(706) 857-3419
GA DFCS — Chattooga
(706) 857-3434
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Advent Health Gordon (Calhoun)
adventhealth.com/gordon
Floyd Medical Center (Rome)
floyd.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Chattooga County Health Department – confirm current contact via chattoogacounty.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Summerville
Population: 25,000
Area: 314 sq mi
Established: 1838
Public Records
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