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Georgia · Northeast Georgia · #601
Madison County, Georgia
Between Athens and the South Carolina border in Georgia's Piedmont foothills, Madison County is authentic northeast Georgia - red clay farmland, Broad River fishing, small communities like Hull and Comer that know who they are, and a county seat at Danielsville that serves without fanfare.
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Office: Madison County Sheriff’s Office & Detention Center – 1436 Highway 98 West, P.O. Box 65, Danielsville, GA 30633 | (706) 795-6202 | Fax (706) 795-2999 | 911/Communications Center (706) 795-2101 (for after-hours or dispatch); Sheriff J. Michael Moore, with Chief Deputy Kip C. Thomas. Hours: Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-29 and SR-98 serve Danielsville, the county seat; Comer is the county’s largest city, roughly population 1,200. Madison County is part of the Athens-Clarke County metropolitan area within the broader Atlanta-Athens-Sandy Springs combined statistical area.
Notes: Madison County was created December 5, 1811, named for James Madison, then the sitting fourth U.S. President. Danielsville, the county seat, is named for General Allen Daniel, a Revolutionary War veteran and state legislator instrumental in the county’s creation, who also ordered construction of Fort Daniel in present-day Gwinnett County during the War of 1812. Danielsville is genuinely the birthplace of Dr. Crawford W. Long, the physician who pioneered the first documented use of ether as a surgical anesthetic in 1842 – the same historical figure honored by neighboring Long County’s name.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Madison County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Danielsville, GA (built 1901, Romanesque, architects J.W. Golucke & Co. and Fred Wagener; National Register of Historic Places since 1980).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Madison County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via madisoncountyga.us.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Madison County Public Library (Danielsville) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Watson Mill Bridge State Park is home to the Watson Mill Bridge, built in 1885 and genuinely the longest covered bridge still standing in Georgia, spanning the South Fork of the Broad River.
Notes: Madison County’s other incorporated towns include Carlton, Colbert, Comer, Hull, and Ila. The county has historically been agricultural, with early crops of corn, beans, and pumpkins giving way to cotton and oats.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Madison County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via madisoncountyga.us.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via madisoncountyga.us; Madison County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Madison County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via madisoncountyga.us.
NOTES: Madison County is the ninety-seventh county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Danielsville’s genuine connection as the birthplace of anesthesia pioneer Dr. Crawford W. Long, and Georgia’s longest covered bridge at Watson Mill Bridge State Park, 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 Madison County
Madison County occupies the zone where the Georgia Piedmont begins its transition toward the Blue Ridge foothills – the terrain is gentler than Rabun or Habersham counties to the north but more varied than the flat coastal plain to the south. The county’s communities – Danielsville, Comer, Hull, Carlton – are small towns with agricultural and residential character, serving a population that farms, commutes to Athens or Commerce for work, and values the county’s rural quality of life. The Broad River provides excellent smallmouth bass fishing. The county’s timber and agricultural land is managed under Conservation Use programs that support many landowners’ economic stability.
Madison County has attracted some residential growth from the Athens metro fringe – commuters willing to drive 30–45 minutes for significantly lower housing costs. But it has not been transformed by that growth in the way that Oconee or Walton counties have been. The county’s school system is small enough that students know their teachers; the county’s political culture is conservative and community-oriented; and the landscape of hardwood forests, creek bottoms, and cattle pasture retains the character of rural northeast Georgia.
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
SENIOR SERVICES
Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging
305 Research Drive NE, Athens, GA 30605
Phone: (706) 369-5650
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, and long-term care counseling for Madison County residents.
Senior Services
Northeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging
305 Research Drive NE, Athens, GA 30605
Phone: (706) 369-5650
Senior transportation, Meals on Wheels, and long-term care counseling for Madison 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)
91 Albany Ave., Danielsville, GA 30633
(706) 795-6310
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Madison County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
East Georgia Genealogical Society (Winder) serves Madison among its 29-county region.
Local societies
East Georgia Genealogical Society (see above) is the primary regional resource; no dedicated Madison-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 Madison County P.O. Box 147, Danielsville, GA 30633 (706) 795-3351
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 Madison 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
91 Albany Ave., Danielsville, GA 30633
(706) 795-6311
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
91 Albany Ave., Danielsville, GA 30633
(706) 795-6320
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Northeast
(706) 795-2131
GA DFCS — Madison
(706) 795-2166
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Piedmont Athens Regional
piedmont.org/athens
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Madison County Health Department – confirm current contact via madisoncountyga.us.
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Editorial Trust
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Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Danielsville
Population: 30,000
Area: 285 sq mi
Established: 1811
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Madison County facilities via Amazon.
