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 · CSRA · #587
Columbia County, Georgia
West of Augusta on the South Carolina border, Columbia County is Georgia's wealthiest county by median household income and the most sought-after address in the Central Savannah River Area - a suburban success story built on Augusta's medical, military, and Masters Tournament economy.
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: Columbia County Sheriff’s Office – 2269 County Camp Road, P.O. Box 310, Appling, GA 30802 | Non-emergency (706) 541-2800 | Records (706) 541-1042/1043; Sheriff Clay Whittle. Evans Substation – 650A Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans, GA. Because Evans (the county’s largest community) has no separate city police force, the Sheriff’s Office is the sole local law enforcement agency serving it.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 serves both Appling and Evans; Columbia County is part of the Augusta metropolitan area, located along the Savannah River. Martinez is the county’s largest community by population.
Notes: Columbia County was created in 1790, Georgia’s 12th county formed, named for Columbia (a poetic personification of the United States, as in “Hail Columbia”). Columbia County genuinely has a de jure/de facto split county seat: Appling remains the legal county seat, while Evans functions as the actual seat of county government. Around 1799, William Appling deeded land to the county to build a courthouse near Kiokee Creek.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Columbia County Justice Center – 640 Ronald Reagan Drive, Evans, GA | (706) 312-7139 (Superior Court). Historic Appling Courthouse – 1958 Appling Harlem Road, Appling, GA (built 1812 with major 1856 additions, Italianate/Carpenter style; National Register of Historic Places since 1980).
Notes: Columbia County is the birthplace of Colonel Daniel Appling (1787-1817), a U.S. Army officer who led troops during the Patriot War in Florida and along the Niagara frontier in the War of 1812; he died before Georgia could present him a ceremonial sword recognizing his service. Both Appling County, Georgia, and a U.S. Navy vessel were later named in his honor.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Columbia County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via columbiacountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Columbia County Library System (Evans/Appling) – confirm current addresses/phones via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic 1812 Columbia County Courthouse in Appling, one of Georgia’s oldest surviving courthouse buildings, is the county’s premier heritage attraction.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via columbiacountyga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Columbia County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via columbiacountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via columbiacountyga.gov; Columbia County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Columbia County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via columbiacountyga.gov.
NOTES: Columbia County is the thirty-sixth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine de jure/de facto county seat split (legal seat Appling, functional seat Evans) is flagged clearly, alongside the county’s connection to War of 1812 hero Daniel Appling. 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 Columbia County
Columbia County’s growth is the Augusta metropolitan area story told from the preferred address. While Augusta-Richmond County has navigated the challenges of legacy urban governance and economic transition, Columbia County across the Savannah River has absorbed the professional and managerial class that works in Augusta’s major institutions – Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon), the Augusta University Health System, and the Masters Tournament ecosystem – and prefers suburban Columbia County’s school system and housing values.
The result is one of the most economically stratified county pairings in Georgia: Richmond County with significant urban poverty challenges, Columbia County with Georgia’s highest median household income. The Augusta National Golf Club, whose Masters Tournament is the most prestigious golf event in the United States, sits on the Augusta-Columbia County border, and the week of the Masters transforms the entire region economically. Columbia County’s school system – among Georgia’s highest-performing – is the primary driver of residential choice, and the county has invested significantly in educational infrastructure. Evans, the primary commercial and residential hub, has grown from a small community into a substantial suburban city.
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
Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging (CSRA)
P.O. Box 2000, Augusta, GA 30903
Phone: (706) 737-1823
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Columbia County residents.
Senior Services
Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging (CSRA)
P.O. Box 2000, Augusta, GA 30903
Phone: (706) 737-1823
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, caregiver support, and long-term care counseling for Columbia 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)
630 Ronald Reagan Dr., Evans, GA 30809
(706) 312-7168
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Columbia County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Augusta Genealogical Society, P.O. Box 3743, Augusta, GA 30914-3743, (706) 722-4073 (Adamson Library) – serves the greater Augusta area including Columbia County.
Local societies
Augusta Genealogical Society (see above) is the primary regional resource; no dedicated Columbia-County-only 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 Columbia County P.O. Box 58, Appling, GA 30802 (706) 541-4066 Columbia County is part of the Augusta metro area and one of Georgia’s fastest-growing 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 Columbia 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
630 Ronald Reagan Dr., Evans, GA 30809
(706) 541-2800
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
630 Ronald Reagan Dr., Evans, GA 30809
(706) 312-7139
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) 312-7100
GA DFCS — Columbia
(706) 312-7000
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Doctors Hospital (Augusta)
doctors-hospital.net
Augusta University Medical Center
augustahealth.org
Wellstar MCG Health
wellstar.org/mcg
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Columbia County Health Department – confirm current contact via columbiacountyga.gov.
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: Evans
Population: 165,000
Area: 292 sq mi
Established: 1790
Tier: 2
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Columbia County facilities via Amazon.
