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Georgia · South Georgia · #648
Echols County, Georgia
At Georgia's southernmost corner on the Florida line, Echols County is one of the least-populated counties in the eastern United States - a timber and cattle county so rural that Statenville, the county seat, has fewer than 500 residents and the county's total population would fill a modest apartment complex.
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Office: Echols County Sheriff’s Office – 109 General Deloach Road, Statenville, GA 31648 | (229) 559-5603.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-129 and SR-94 serve Statenville, the county seat.
Notes: Echols County was created December 13, 1858, named for Colonel Robert Milner Echols, a 24-year member of the Georgia General Assembly, President of the Georgia Senate, and Brigadier General who died during the Mexican War. Statenville, declared county seat in 1859, was originally named “Troublesome” after nearby Troublesome Creek before its 1859 charter renamed it – locals maintain the name honors James W. Staten, a local farmer and store owner, though some historical maps show “Statesville,” suggesting a possible early misreading or printing error that was simply never corrected. Echols County genuinely is one of only three counties in Georgia whose county seat is unincorporated; in 1958 the state legislature redrew Statenville’s boundaries to include only the courthouse square, leaving it with no residents, and in 1965 voters declined the chance to adopt a new city charter.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Echols County Courthouse – P.O. Box 190, Statenville, GA | (229) 559-5642. The current courthouse was built in 1956, following two earlier wooden courthouses used from 1859 (the second of which burned in 1897) and a period of conducting government business in rented halls until 1899.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Echols County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via echolscountyga.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Echols County Public Library (Statenville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Echols County Historical Society (131 Tillman Lane, Statenville | (229) 247-6249) preserves local history. More than 90% of Echols County’s land is pine forest, largely privately owned, reflecting the county’s historic timber and turpentine economy.
Notes: Langdale Forest Products Company, founded in 1894 by John Wesley Langdale, grew into one of the largest wood and wood by-product manufacturers in America and continues to own significant land in the county. In addition to Statenville, the county contains several small unchartered communities including Fruitland, Haylow, Howell, Mayday, Needmore, Potter, and Tarver.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Echols County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via echolscountyga.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via echolscountyga.com; Echols County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Echols County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via echolscountyga.com.
NOTES: Echols County is the forty-second county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The genuine oddity of Statenville’s original name “Troublesome,” and its status as one of only three unincorporated county seats in Georgia, 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 Echols County
Echols County is extreme rural south Georgia – a county of longleaf pine timber, cattle pasture, and sparse population in the coastal plain near the Florida border. Statenville, the county seat, is a crossroads community that provides governmental services for a population dispersed across a county with more timber acreage than people. The county’s economic base is entirely timber and cattle, with Conservation Use enrollment covering the vast majority of productive land. The Alapaha River crosses the county’s western reaches; the Florida border defines the south. The county has no hospital, no college, and no significant commercial development – it is rural Georgia in its most elemental form, and its residents know it.
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
Echols County Probate Court: 102 College Avenue, Statenville, GA 31648 | (229) 559-5642.
Senior Services
South Georgia Regional Commission – Area Agency on Aging | (229) 333-5277
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)
103 Homer Rowan Rd., Statenville, GA 31648
(229) 559-5642
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Echols County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Echols 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 Echols County P.O. Box 118, Statenville, GA 31648 (229) 559-5642 Echols County is one of Georgia’s least populous counties and borders the Okefenokee Swamp region.
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 Echols 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
103 Homer Rowan Rd., Statenville, GA 31648
(229) 559-9910
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
103 Homer Rowan Rd., Statenville, GA 31648
(229) 559-5642
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
(229) 559-5685
GA DFCS — Echols
(229) 559-6001
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Echols County Health Department – confirm current contact via echolscountyga.com.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Statenville
Population: 3,900
Area: 421 sq mi
Established: 1858
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Echols County facilities via Amazon.
