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Georgia · Coastal Georgia · #681
Long County, Georgia
Between the Altamaha and the Georgia coast, Long County's Ludowici is one of Georgia's smallest county seats but hosts some of the state's most significant infrastructure - including a portion of the highway and rail corridors serving Fort Stewart, the Army's largest installation east of the Mississippi, and the most radar-speed-trap-famous stretch of US-301 in Georgia.
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Office: Long County Sheriff’s Office – 6 E Academy Street, P.O. Box 368, Ludowici, GA 31316 | (912) 545-2118 | Fax (912) 545-2120 | Toll-free (800) 366-2661. Services include patrol, investigations, sex offender management, and criminal history/fingerprinting for employment purposes. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-84 and GA-57 serve Ludowici, the county seat and largest city; CSX railroad runs through the county on a double track.
Notes: Long County was created by Act of the Legislature on August 14, 1920, ratified by Georgia voters that November 2, becoming the state’s 159th county. It genuinely honors Dr. Crawford W. Long, a Georgia physician born in Danielsville and a graduate of Franklin College (now the University of Georgia), who performed the first documented use of ether as a surgical anesthetic during an operation in Jefferson, Georgia, on March 30, 1842 – a landmark moment in the history of modern medicine. Ludowici began in the 1840s as a small railroad stop called “Four and a Half” on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad, later known as Johnston Station, before taking its current name from a German tile manufacturer who settled there and produced red clay roofing tiles that became popular across South Georgia.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Long County Courthouse – GA-57, Ludowici, GA (built 1926, interior renovated 1974, Neoclassical, brick with a two-story portico and Tuscan columns; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), the county’s first and only courthouse.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Long County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via longcountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Long County Public Library (Ludowici) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The historic 1926 Long County Courthouse and the story of Ludowici’s tile-manufacturing namesake are among the county’s notable heritage attractions. The county’s Development Authority also supports a Senior Citizens Center, Head Start Program, and public transportation services.
Notes: Long County’s economy has historically centered on agriculture (tobacco, corn, soybeans, cattle, having earlier grown mostly cotton) and pine forestry.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Long County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via longcountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Long County Animal Control – confirm current contact via longcountyga.gov.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Long County Refuse Collection / Planning and Zoning / Code Enforcement – confirm current contact via longcountyga.gov.
NOTES: Long County is the ninety-third county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The county’s genuine, historically significant namesake – Dr. Crawford W. Long, the pioneer of surgical anesthesia – is 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 Long County
Long County occupies an interesting geographic position – sandwiched between Liberty County (Fort Stewart’s primary county) and Wayne County, with the Altamaha River forming its western edge and the Coastal Plain’s pine flatwoods defining its terrain. The county’s US-301 corridor – once the primary north-south snowbird route before I-95 was completed – is remembered by generations of Floridians and Northerners for the speed traps at Ludowici that became so notorious they were featured in national news coverage. The town has largely moved beyond that reputation.
Fort Stewart’s massive military reservation in adjacent Liberty County affects Long County through military family residential spillover and some economic activity. Timber is the county’s primary economic base alongside the governmental employment of county operations.
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. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Long County Probate Court: 85 Mays Street, Ludowici, GA 31316 | (912) 545-2123. The Probate Court handles estate administration and guardianship.
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)
90 N. McDonald St., Ludowici, GA 31316
(912) 545-2123
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Long County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Long 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 Long County P.O. Box 426, Ludowici, GA 31316 (912) 545-2131
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 Long 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
90 N. McDonald St., Ludowici, GA 31316
(912) 545-2144
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
90 N. McDonald St., Ludowici, GA 31316
(912) 545-2143
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Coastal
(912) 545-2332
GA DFCS — Long
(912) 545-2319
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Liberty Regional Medical Center (Hinesville)
libertyregional.org
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Long County Health Department – confirm current contact via longcountyga.gov.
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Editorial Trust
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Ludowici
Population: 19,000
Area: 403 sq mi
Established: 1920
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Long County facilities via Amazon.
