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Office: McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office / Law Enforcement Center – (706) 595-2040 (main); (706) 595-2145 (investigations line); Sheriff Logan Marshall, elected in 1992, a graduate of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Academy and the National Sheriffs’ Institute in Longmont, Colorado. Governor Zell Miller appointed Sheriff Marshall to the Board of Juvenile Justice in 1994 (served through 1998); he became the first Black President of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association in 2009, after serving as the Association’s Secretary/Treasurer starting in 1993. He personally champions the DARE program for fifth-graders in county schools.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. The office has publicly warned residents about phone scammers falsely claiming to represent the Sheriff’s Office to collect money – verify any such call directly.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: I-20 and US-78 serve Thomson, the county seat and largest city, nicknamed “The Camellia City of the South” for its thousands of camellia plants, part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Notes: McDuffie County was created October 18, 1870, named for George McDuffie, a South Carolina governor and U.S. senator. Thomson, originally called “Slashes,” was founded in 1837 as a depot on the Georgia Railroad and renamed in 1853 for railroad official John Edgar Thomson; it became McDuffie County’s seat upon the county’s 1870 creation. The Historic Wrightsborough Foundation preserves the memory of Wrightsborough, an early 12,000-acre Quaker settlement in the area.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: McDuffie County Courthouse – Thomson, GA.
Notes: Confirm current courthouse historic designation and architectural details via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: McDuffie County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
McDuffie County Public Library (Thomson) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Thomson’s genuine identity as “The Camellia City of the South” and the historic Wrightsborough settlement site are among the county’s notable heritage attractions.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: McDuffie County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via thomson-mcduffie.gov; McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: McDuffie County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
NOTES: McDuffie County is the ninety-ninth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Sheriff Logan Marshall’s historic 2009 election as the first Black President of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association 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 McDuffie County County
McDuffie County is northeast Georgia’s Augusta corridor and Piedmont agricultural county – the rolling red clay terrain between Augusta and Athens and the poultry and agricultural economy define a community where Thomson serves the surrounding families in the northeast Georgia Piedmont between two major university cities.
Thomson (the county seat, population ~6,500) is McDuffie County’s governmental hub on US 78, a northeast Georgia Piedmont community whose agricultural heritage, Augusta proximity, and historic downtown anchor its identity.
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Browse every category and topic available for this county.
McDuffie County Tax Assessor at 210 Railroad Street, Thomson, GA 30824, phone 706-595-2128. GA assessed at 40% of fair market value.
Courts & Legal
McDuffie County Probate Court at 210 Railroad Street, Thomson, GA 30824, phone 706-595-2134, handles probate.
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)
339 Main St., Thomson, GA 30824
(706) 595-2130
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of McDuffie County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
The Historic Wrightsborough Foundation preserves the memory of the early Quaker settlement of Wrightsborough (est. 1768), predating the county itself.
Augusta Genealogical Society (Augusta) also serves McDuffie as part of the greater Augusta region.
Local societies
Augusta Genealogical Society (see above) is the primary regional resource; no dedicated McDuffie-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 McDuffie County 210 Railroad Street, Thomson, GA 30824
Judge: Hon. Valerie Burley. Thomson is nicknamed “The Camellia City of the South.” McDuffie County is part of the Augusta metro area.
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 McDuffie 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
339 Main St., Thomson, GA 30824
(706) 595-2100
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
210 Railroad St., Thomson, GA 30824
(706) 595-2100
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
(706) 595-1300
GA DFCS — McDuffie
(706) 595-1200
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
University Hospital McDuffie (Thomson)
universityhealth.org/mcduffie
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: McDuffie County Health Department – confirm current contact via thomson-mcduffie.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Thomson
Population: 21,000
Area: 261 sq mi
Established: 1870
Public Records
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