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Georgia · South Georgia · #644
Clinch County, Georgia
On the western edge of the Okefenokee Swamp in extreme south Georgia, Clinch County's Homerville has been continuously occupied as a county seat since 1854 - and the county has been timber and cattle country for every one of those years, with the swamp providing a wilderness border that no development has crossed.
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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: Clinch County Sheriff’s Office – 115 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634 | (912) 487-5316 | Fax (912) 487-3602. Divisions include Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and K-9. The office manages the Senior Call Program and youth programs in addition to standard law enforcement, court security, and jail operations.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-441 and US-84 serve Homerville, the county seat and largest city, which began as a stagecoach stop before growing into a railroad settlement.
Notes: Clinch County was created February 14, 1850, Georgia’s 95th county, from land originally inhabited by the Oconee people and consolidated from portions of Ware and Lowndes Counties, named for General Duncan Lamont Clinch, a decorated U.S. brigadier general and Georgia congressman credited with the defeat of Seminole leader Osceola. Clinch County is genuinely Georgia’s third-largest county by area, encompassing 824 square miles including portions of the Okefenokee Swamp. Homerville’s original settlement, established near the home of Dr. John Homer Mattox, went through several names – “Station No. 11” during early railroad construction, then briefly “Forest” – before the Georgia legislature formally incorporated it as Homerville in 1869; Mattox’s original dwelling now houses the Clinch County Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center following an extensive restoration.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Clinch County Courthouse – 100 Court Square, Homerville, GA | (912) 487-2667 (built 1896, Victorian with a 1936 Neoclassical addition; National Register of Historic Places since 1980). The separately NRHP-listed Old Clinch County Jail (Court Square, built 1893-94, architect Thomas F. Lockwood, builder Manly Jail Works, cost $3,175) served as the county jail for 33 years until 1927 and received Works Progress Administration renovation work in 1936.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Clinch County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via clinchcountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Clinch County Public Library – 478 West Dame Street, Homerville, GA | (912) 483-0475.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Portions of the Okefenokee Swamp lie within Clinch County; the historic Clinch County Courthouse and Old Jail on Court Square are the county’s premier heritage attractions. In recent years, blueberry farming and honey bee farming have become significant local industries, alongside the county’s traditional timber economy.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via clinchcountyga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Clinch County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via clinchcountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via clinchcountyga.gov; Clinch County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Clinch County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via clinchcountyga.gov.
NOTES: Clinch County is the thirty-second county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The county’s status as Georgia’s third-largest by area and the winding naming history of Homerville 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 Clinch County
Clinch County borders the western edge of the Okefenokee Swamp – the 438,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge that is one of the most intact wilderness areas east of the Mississippi. The swamp’s western access points are in Clinch and Ware counties, and the proximity to one of America’s great natural landscapes gives the county an outdoor recreation dimension that its small population does not generate on its own. Homerville is a small south Georgia county seat serving a timber and cattle economy in the longleaf pine coastal plain. Conservation Use enrollment is significant for the county’s timber landowners.
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. Georgia offers school tax exemptions for seniors 62 and older. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Clinch County Probate Court: 100 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634 | (912) 487-2726.
Senior Services
Southeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging | (912) 285-6097
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)
100 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634
(912) 487-5328
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Clinch County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Clinch 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 Clinch County 100 Court Street, Homerville, GA 31634 (912) 487-5523, [email protected]
The 1896 Clinch County Courthouse (Victorian style, 1936 Neoclassical addition) is on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 Clinch 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
100 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634
(912) 487-5367
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
100 Court Square, Homerville, GA 31634
(912) 487-5328
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — South
(912) 487-5547
GA DFCS — Clinch
(912) 487-5384
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Clinch County Health Department – confirm current contact via clinchcountyga.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Homerville
Population: 6,500
Area: 804 sq mi
Established: 1850
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Clinch County facilities via Amazon.
