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Georgia · East-Central Georgia · #590
Jefferson County, Georgia
Louisville, Georgia was the state capital from 1796 to 1807 - one of those facts that genuinely surprises anyone who assumes the capital was always Atlanta - and Jefferson County has carried its early significance into a quieter present as an agricultural county on the Ogeechee River plain.
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Office: Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office – 911 Clarks Mill Road, P.O. Box 72, Louisville, GA 30434 | Emergency (within county) 911, (outside county) (478) 625-4014 | GCIC Division, Court Security, Chaplain, K-9: (478) 625-7538 | Fax (478) 625-1441; Sheriff Gary Hutchins, with 32+ years in office as of his 2024 re-election campaign and a past president of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association. During his tenure he has implemented a chapel service, GED classes, drug education programs, a drug court with addiction counseling, and a pre-trial diversion program for first-time offenders. Colonel Clark Hiebert handles the Sheriff’s duties in his absence.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-1 and US-221 serve Louisville, the county seat and largest city, southwest of Augusta on the Ogeechee River, carrying the motto “A Capital Community.”
Notes: Jefferson County was created February 20, 1796, named for Thomas Jefferson. Louisville, incorporated January 26, 1786, genuinely served as a former capital of the State of Georgia, and – like its more famous Kentucky namesake – is named for King Louis XVI of France, though pronounced “Lewis-ville” locally rather than the Kentucky city’s pronunciation.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Jefferson County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Louisville, GA (built 1904, Classical Revival, builders W.F. Denny and F.P. Heifner; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), a contributing property to the Louisville Commercial Historic District.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Jefferson County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Jefferson County Public Library (Louisville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The Louisville Commercial Historic District and an old Revolutionary War soldiers’ cemetery in Louisville are among the county’s premier heritage attractions.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via jeffersoncountyga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Jefferson County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via jeffersoncountyga.gov; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Jefferson County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyga.gov.
NOTES: Jefferson County is the eighty-third county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Louisville’s genuine status as a former Georgia state capital, and its shared naming history with Louisville, Kentucky, 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 Jefferson County
Jefferson County’s Louisville served as Georgia’s first permanent state capital from 1796 until 1807, when the capital moved to Milledgeville. The Old Market House, built in 1796, survives as a National Historic Landmark – the only surviving market house from Georgia’s territorial period – and the Federal Road that connected Georgia’s early settlement network passed through Louisville. This history gives the county a significance in early American governance that its current modest size does not obviously signal.
Today Jefferson County is agricultural east Georgia – cotton, peanuts, timber, and poultry processing define the economy. The county has faced population decline common to rural Georgia counties without university or institutional anchors, and Louisville maintains the functions of a small county seat serving the surrounding agricultural communities. The Ogeechee River provides fishing and recreation. Jefferson County’s Conservation Use land enrollments – timber and agricultural land receiving preferential property tax assessment – are important to many landowners’ economic stability.
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 has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Jefferson County Probate Court: 202 East Sixth Street, Louisville, GA 30434 | (478) 625-7922. The Probate Court handles estate administration and guardianship. Jefferson County Clerk of Superior Court records all property instruments. For landowners with Conservation Use enrollment, estate plans should address qualifying use continuation requirements for heirs.
Senior Services
East Georgia Regional Commission – Area Agency on Aging
P.O. Box 1495, Wrens, GA 30833
Phone: (706) 595-2721
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, and long-term care counseling for Jefferson 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)
202 E. Broad St., Louisville, GA 30434
(478) 625-7922
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Jefferson County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Jefferson County Health Department, P.O. Box 306, Louisville, GA 30434-0658, (478) 625-3716.
Local societies
No dedicated Jefferson 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 Jefferson County 202 E. Broad Street, Louisville, GA 30434
Judge: Hon. Asholyn P. Lampp. Louisville briefly served as Georgia’s state capital from 1796 to 1806.
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 Jefferson 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
202 E. Broad St., Louisville, GA 30434
(478) 625-3128
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
202 E. Broad St., Louisville, GA 30434
(478) 625-3332
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
(478) 625-8246
GA DFCS — Jefferson
(478) 625-8181
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Jefferson Hospital
jeffersonhospital.org (Louisville)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Jefferson County Health Department – confirm current contact via jeffersoncountyga.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Louisville
Population: 15,000
Area: 524 sq mi
Established: 1796
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Jefferson County facilities via Amazon.
