Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
Georgia · Southwest Georgia · #650
Quitman County, Georgia
On the Chattahoochee River where Georgia meets Alabama, Quitman County is Georgia's second-smallest county by population - a small farming and timber community whose character is defined by agricultural persistence and the quiet life of the river plain rather than by anything that makes regional or national news.
Affiliate disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you use them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial recommendations are independent of these relationships.
What do you need to do?
Tell us your goal and we'll guide you step-by-step to the right office, forms, and official resources.
Office: Quitman County Sheriff’s Office – 121 Main Street, Georgetown, GA 39854 | (229) 334-3726 | Fax (229) 334-0905; Sheriff Charles Davis.
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 payment – verify any such call directly.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: SR-39 serves Georgetown, the county seat and Quitman County’s only incorporated municipality; note that another, unrelated Georgetown exists in Chatham County, Georgia. In November 2006, residents voted to consolidate the city government of Georgetown with the county government of Quitman into a single consolidated city-county – a genuinely uncommon governance structure in Georgia.
Notes: Quitman County was created December 10, 1858, from Randolph and Stewart Counties, Georgia’s 128th county, named for General John A. Quitman, a leader in the Mexican-American War and later Governor of Mississippi. Georgetown itself is named for the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., though it was originally called “Tobanana” after a nearby creek. Quitman County is genuinely the second-least populous county in Georgia. Much of the county’s original western border, including a fortified settlement believed built by prehistoric Native Americans near the confluence of Cool Branch and the Chattahoochee River, now lies beneath Lake Walter F. George, a reservoir on the Chattahoochee shared with neighboring Clay County.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Quitman County Courthouse – 111 Main Street, Georgetown, GA (built 1939 by the Public Works Administration using federal relief funds, Stripped Classical, architect T. Firth Lockwood, Jr.; National Register of Historic Places since 1995), a one-story brick building built after the original wooden courthouse burned in 1920 and county revenues, worsened by the Depression, delayed replacement for nearly two decades.
Notes: The separately listed Old Quitman County Jail (115 Main Street, built 1891, two-story brick, renovated 1994; National Register of Historic Places since 1981) served until roughly 1965, replacing the county’s original 1859 wooden jail.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Quitman County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via gqc-ga.org.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Quitman County Public Library (Georgetown) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Lake Walter F. George and the shared Lake Walter F. George Wildlife Management Area (with Clay County) offer fishing, boating, and outdoor recreation. The Harrison-Guerry-Brannon-Crawford Family Cemetery contains the graves of many distinguished early Georgians. The historic Old Quitman County Jail is a notable heritage site.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via gqc-ga.org.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Quitman County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via gqc-ga.org.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via gqc-ga.org; Quitman County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Quitman County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via gqc-ga.org.
NOTES: Quitman County is the one-hundred-and-twentieth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The county’s genuinely uncommon 2006 consolidated city-county government and its status as Georgia’s second-least populous county 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 Quitman County
Quitman County is one of Georgia’s smallest counties – a small southwest Georgia farming community on the Chattahoochee River border with Alabama. Georgetown, the county seat, maintains the minimal governmental infrastructure required by Georgia law for a county of its size. The county’s economy is agricultural: timber, cattle, and some row crops in the Chattahoochee River bottomlands. The river provides fishing and some recreational use. Quitman County has no significant institutional employer and its population has declined over decades, reflecting the economic pressures on the smallest and most rural counties in the state.
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
Quitman County Probate Court: 230 Randolph Street, Georgetown, GA 31754 | (229) 334-2578.
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)
106 Goldie St., Georgetown, GA 31754
(229) 334-2578
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Quitman County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society (Albany) serves Quitman among 29 Southwest Georgia counties.
Local societies
Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society (see above) is the primary regional resource; no dedicated Quitman-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 Quitman County 115 Main Street, Georgetown, GA 39854 (912) 334-2224 Quitman County is one of Georgia’s least populous counties.
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 Quitman 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
106 Goldie St., Georgetown, GA 31754
(229) 334-2060
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
106 Goldie St., Georgetown, GA 31754
(229) 334-2578
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Southwest
(229) 334-4004
GA DFCS — Quitman
(229) 334-4007
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (Albany)
phoebeputney.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Quitman County Health Department – confirm current contact via gqc-ga.org.
Editorial independence: CountyOffices maintains strict editorial independence from our affiliate partners. Our content is researched from official government sources. Affiliate relationships do not influence our recommendations or the information we publish.
Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Georgetown
Population: 2,300
Area: 151 sq mi
Established: 1858
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Quitman County facilities via Amazon.
