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Office: Taylor County Sheriff’s Office – 4 W Main Street, Butler, GA 31006 | Non-emergency (478) 862-5451 | Jail (478) 862-5444 | Email: [email protected]; Sheriff Jeff Watson.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-19 and SR-137 serve Butler, the county seat and largest city, midway between Macon and Columbus.
Notes: Taylor County was created January 15, 1852, from parts of Macon, Marion, and Talbot Counties, Georgia’s 99th county, named for Zachary Taylor, 12th U.S. President, whose Mexican-American War victory at the Battle of Buena Vista boosted him toward the presidency. Butler, incorporated February 8, 1854, is named for General William Orlando Butler, a poet and vice-presidential candidate who also served in the Mexican-American War. The northeastern portion of the county, east of the Flint River, had belonged to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation prior to its removal from the state; the Fifty Mile Station on the Muscogee Railroad served as the county’s first informal courthouse for elections and business.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Taylor County Courthouse – Main Street, Butler, GA (built 1935, Classical/Colonial Revival, architect Frederick Roy Duncan of Columbus; National Register of Historic Places since 1995).
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Taylor County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via taylorcountyga.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Taylor County Public Library (Butler) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Beechwood Farm was the home of John B. Gordon, a Confederate general who later served as a U.S. Senator and Georgia Governor. Fort Lawrence, established by Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins in the early 19th century, is a notable historic site. Annual community events include the Crackerland Country Fair in Howard and the Georgia Strawberry Festival in Reynolds, both held each April.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via taylorcountyga.com.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Taylor County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via taylorcountyga.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via taylorcountyga.com; Taylor County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Taylor County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via taylorcountyga.com.
NOTES: Taylor County is the one-hundred-and-thirty-fifth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The Mexican-American War naming connections behind both the county and its seat 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 Taylor County County
Taylor County is west-central Georgia’s Flint River watershed timber and agricultural county – the river drainage, upland pine timber, and traditional middle Georgia farming define a small community where Butler serves the surrounding rural families in the quiet west-central Georgia interior between Columbus and Macon.
Butler (the county seat, population ~1,700) is Taylor County’s governmental hub on GA-96, a small west-central Georgia agricultural community whose timber economy, farming heritage, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Taylor County Tax Assessor at 1 Court Square, Butler, GA 31006, phone 478-862-3802. GA assessed at 40% of fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Taylor County Probate Court at 1 Court Square, Butler, GA 31006, phone 478-862-5594, 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)
28 N. Broad St., Butler, GA 31006
(478) 862-5137
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Taylor County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Local societies
No dedicated Taylor 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 Taylor County 2 N. Broad Street, Butler, GA 31006 Judge: Hon. Dianne C. Renfroe.
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 Taylor 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
28 N. Broad St., Butler, GA 31006
(478) 862-3217
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
28 N. Broad St., Butler, GA 31006
(478) 862-5777
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Central
(478) 862-3523
GA DFCS — Taylor
(478) 862-3523
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Taylor Regional Hospital
taylorregional.org (Hawkinsville)
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Taylor County Health Department – confirm current contact via taylorcountyga.com.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Butler
Population: 8,500
Area: 378 sq mi
Established: 1852
Public Records
TruthFinder
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