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 · Metro Atlanta · Southeast · #87 Most Populous County in the US
DeKalb County, Georgia
Metro Atlanta's urban eastern core - the CDC, Emory University, Decatur, Stone Mountain, and the diverse neighborhoods from Druid Hills to Panthersville. Property tax, courts, public records, probate, and senior services for DeKalb County residents.
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.
DeKalb County's assessment ratio means effective tax rates are low — but incorrect appraisals still cost money. Ownwell manages the appeal with no upfront cost.
Office: DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office – 4415 Memorial Drive, Decatur, GA 30032 | (404) 298-8100; Sheriff Melody M. Maddox. The office manages the county jail, court services, and warrant processing, and holds the National Sheriffs’ Association’s “Triple Crown” accreditation, a distinction held by only 41 of 3,083 sheriff’s offices nationwide.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. DeKalb County’s law enforcement history includes a genuinely significant and difficult chapter: in 1996, Sidney Dorsey was elected the county’s first Black sheriff. After losing his 2000 re-election bid to Derwin Brown, Dorsey was later convicted of ordering Brown’s assassination in the days before Brown’s scheduled swearing-in – one of the most serious political crimes in modern Georgia history. This history is presented factually as part of the public record.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-285 and I-20 serve Decatur, the county seat, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Notes: Confirm current founding-date and naming detail via dekalbcountyga.gov.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: DeKalb County government offices – Decatur, GA | (404) 371-2000.
Notes: A 30-foot Confederate memorial obelisk, erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1908 near the old county courthouse in Decatur, was ordered removed by a Superior Court judge in June 2020 following local activism; a new statue honoring civil rights leader John Lewis was later unveiled at the site in August 2024.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: DeKalb County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via dekalbcountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
DeKalb County Public Library System (Decatur) – confirm current addresses/phones via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Downtown Decatur, home to the historic county courthouse square and the newly dedicated John Lewis memorial statue, is among the county’s premier civic and cultural landmarks.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via dekalbcountyga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: DeKalb County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via dekalbcountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via dekalbcountyga.gov; DeKalb County Animal Services for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: DeKalb County Sanitation / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via dekalbcountyga.gov.
NOTES: DeKalb County is the forty-fifth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The Sheriff’s Office’s genuinely rare national “Triple Crown” accreditation, and the county’s recent replacement of its Confederate monument with a memorial to Congressman John Lewis, are among the standout local facts covered in this project; the serious 2000 sheriff-elect assassination case is presented factually as documented public history. 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 DeKalb County
DeKalb County is immediately east of Atlanta – a 271-square-mile county that contains some of the most architecturally significant and culturally important institutions in the Southeast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is headquartered in DeKalb. Emory University, one of the nation’s leading research universities, occupies a sprawling campus straddling the DeKalb-Fulton line. The county contains the city of Decatur (the county seat, a small but thriving walkable city distinct from the county government), as well as Tucker, Stone Mountain, Chamblee, Doraville, Clarkston, Avondale Estates, and numerous Atlanta neighborhoods east of Buckhead and midtown – Druid Hills, Candler Park, Lake Claire, East Lake, Edgewood, and the broader ITP (inside the perimeter) corridor.
DeKalb County has one of the most diverse populations of any county in Georgia – with significant Black, Latino, Asian, and immigrant communities alongside historically affluent white neighborhoods. The county is governed by a seven-member Board of Commissioners including an elected CEO (Chief Executive Officer) who serves as the county’s chief executive. Separately elected offices include the Tax Commissioner, Sheriff, District Attorney, Clerk of Superior Court, and Probate Court Judge.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Georgia assesses property at 40% of fair market value. The DeKalb County Property Appraisal Department at 325 Swanton Way, Decatur, GA 30030 (404-371-0841) determines fair market value; the 40% ratio is applied to produce the assessed value; millage rates are applied to the assessed value to calculate the bill.
Assessment notices are mailed in late May or early June each year. Once received, property owners have 45 days from the notice date to file an appeal. The deadline is printed on the notice. File online (online portal at dekalbcountyga.gov, active during the 45-day window), in person at 325 Swanton Way, Decatur, or by mail – postmarked by the deadline. Fax and email appeals are not accepted. Include your Parcel ID number, property address, phone number, and any supporting information.
Georgia’s 3-year freeze: A successful appeal in DeKalb County produces a 3-year value freeze – the reduced value cannot increase for three years absent new construction or other qualifying events. This makes timing and follow-through critical. The BOE grants 180 additional days to respond when appeal volume exceeds 3% of parcels (which occurred in 2025, with the additional period commencing December 1, 2025). Show up to your BOE hearing – approximately 17–25% of filers who miss their hearing lose the freeze entirely.
Temporary billing while under appeal: If your appeal is unresolved when tax bills mail, you receive a bill based on a temporary value – the lesser of your prior year final value or 85% of the current year value (for most properties). Pay this amount by the due date. Differences are reconciled after appeal resolution.
Georgia Amendment 1 / Floating Homestead Exemption (2024): Georgia voters approved a constitutional amendment in November 2024 creating a floating homestead exemption that caps annual assessment increases for homesteaded properties at the rate of inflation. DeKalb County authorities voted to opt in to this statewide exemption – providing ongoing protection for long-term homestead owners against rapid assessment increases.
Payment: DeKalb County tax bills are due September 30 annually (first installment), with a second installment by November 15. Penalties and interest accrue the day after the due date.
Homestead exemption deadline: April 1 annually. Basic statewide homestead exemption: $2,000 off assessed value for county and certain school taxes. Senior exemptions for qualifying residents 65+ available – contact the Tax Commissioner’s office.
Georgia has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax.
OWNWELL CTA: DeKalb’s 45-day appeal window opens with the May/June notice. 2025 appeal volume triggered the 180-day extension period. A successful appeal locks in a 3-year freeze – but you must attend the BOE hearing. Ownwell manages the full appeal process with no upfront cost.
Recommended
DeKalb's 45-day appeal window opens with the May/June notice. 2025 appeal volume triggered the 180-day extension period. A successful appeal locks in a 3-year freeze - but you must attend the BOE hearing. Ownwell manages the full appeal process with no upfront cost.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
The DeKalb County Superior Court at 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur (404-371-2836) handles felony criminal, major civil, family, and equity matters. The DeKalb County Probate Court at 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur (404-371-2601) handles wills, estates, guardianships, and conservatorships. Georgia’s Probate Court is an independently elected court – the Probate Court Judge is elected countywide. The DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court records all land documents – deeds, mortgages, liens – and maintains court records.
Georgia probate is governed by the Georgia Probate Code (OCGA Title 53). Georgia has no state estate tax and no state inheritance tax. Non-intervention wills allow executors to act without ongoing court supervision.
Senior Services:DeKalb County Senior Services (404-687-3500) operates multiple senior centers throughout the county, coordinates home-delivered meals, transportation, SHINE Medicare counseling, caregiver support, and Adult Protective Services. The Atlanta Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging serves DeKalb and the broader metro Atlanta region.
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)
556 N. McDonough St., Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 371-2836
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of DeKalb County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above); holds marriage and probate records from 1842. Clerk of Superior Court holds divorce, court, and land records from 1842.
DeKalb History Center, Old Courthouse on the Square, 101 E. Court Square, Decatur, GA 30030-2544, (404) 373-1088 – maintains a Newspaper Books Collection (1919–1995) covering the DeKalb New Era and related local papers.
Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur, GA 30030, (404) 370-3070.
Local societies
DeKalb Historical Society (see DeKalb History Center above).
Stone Mountain Historical Society, 1036 Ridge Avenue / P.O. Box 1, Stone Mountain, GA 30086, (770) 498-4155.
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 DeKalb County DeKalb County Courthouse, 556 N. McDonough Street, Decatur, GA 30030 (404) 371-2836
DeKalb County is the 4th-most-populous county in Georgia and a core part of the Atlanta metro area. Its legal organ (newspaper of record for creditor-notice publication) is The Champion.
Because DeKalb’s population exceeds 96,000, its Probate Court operates under O.C.G.A. Title 15, Chapter 9, Article 6 – meaning it has expanded jurisdiction: the probate judge must be a licensed attorney with Superior Court-level qualifications, the court has concurrent jurisdiction with Superior Court on certain matters, and it can conduct jury trials. This “Article 6” status applies to Georgia’s larger 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 DeKalb 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
4415 Memorial Dr., Decatur, GA 30032
(404) 298-8100
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
4380 Memorial Dr., Suite 300, Decatur, GA 30032
(404) 298-4020
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — DeKalb
(404) 294-3700
GA DFCS — DeKalb
(404) 679-4800
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Emory University Hospital (Decatur area)
emoryhealthcare.org
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta — Scottish Rite
choa.org/scottish-rite
Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta — adjacent Fulton)
gradyhealth.org
Emory Decatur Hospital
emoryhealthcare.org/decatur
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: DeKalb County Board of Health – confirm current contact via dekalbcountyga.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.
Recommended for Georgia
Ownwell
Property tax appeal service. Contingency fee - no savings, no charge.
