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Office: Terrell County Sheriff’s Office – 3108 Albany Highway, Dawson, GA 39842 | (229) 995-4488, serving Dawson, Parrott, Bronwood, Sasser, and surrounding rural areas.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911. The office’s legendary former Sheriff John W. Bowens, elected in 1992, served the county for over 30 years until 2024 – genuinely the longest-sitting sheriff in Terrell County history and the longest-sitting African American sheriff-elect in Georgia history – before passing away in January 2026; the current sheriff should be confirmed directly with the office.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-82 and SR-55 serve Dawson, the county seat and largest city, part of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area.
Notes: Terrell County was created February 16, 1856, from Randolph and Lee Counties, named for Dr. William Terrell of Sparta, a physician and statesman who served in both the Georgia General Assembly and U.S. House of Representatives (1817-21). Dawson, established on 100 acres purchased in 1856 and incorporated in 1857, is named for William Crosby Dawson, a U.S. senator from Georgia. During the Civil War, following Atlanta’s capture by Union forces, a refugee settlement was established in Terrell County for civilians displaced from the city.
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Terrell County Courthouse – E. Lee Street, Dawson, GA (built 1892, High Victorian, architect William H. Parkins, builder J.B. Sample; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), genuinely asserted in its NRHP nomination to be the best example of High Victorian architecture among all of Georgia’s courthouses.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Terrell County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via terrellcountyga.gov.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Terrell County Public Library (Dawson) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: The architecturally distinguished 1892 Terrell County Courthouse anchors downtown Dawson. Edgar Gilmer Dawson, an early University of Georgia graduate and Confederate officer connected to the Terrell family, has a UGA academic building – Dawson Hall – named in his honor, supporting agricultural education.
Notes: Confirm current parks and recreation facilities via terrellcountyga.gov.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Terrell County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via terrellcountyga.gov.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via terrellcountyga.gov; Terrell County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Terrell County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via terrellcountyga.gov.
NOTES: Terrell County is the one-hundred-and-thirty-seventh county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. The remarkable, historic 30-plus-year tenure of Sheriff John W. Bowens is among the standout local facts covered in this project; his recent January 2026 passing is noted respectfully, and the current sheriff should be confirmed directly. 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 Terrell County County
Terrell County is southwest Georgia’s Black Belt peanut and cotton agricultural county – the fertile dark soils that have supported farming families since the antebellum era and the Flint River watershed define a small community where Dawson serves the surrounding agricultural families in the southwest Georgia interior.
Dawson (the county seat, population ~4,500) is Terrell County’s governmental hub on US 82, a southwest Georgia agricultural community whose peanut farming, Flint River proximity, and courthouse anchor its identity.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Terrell County Tax Assessor at 955 Forrester Drive SE, Dawson, GA 39842, phone 229-995-5210. GA assessed at 40% of fair market value.
Courts & Legal
Terrell County Probate Court at 955 Forrester Drive SE, Dawson, GA 39842, phone 229-995-2631, 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)
955 Forrester Dr., Dawson, GA 39842
(229) 995-2631
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Terrell County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society (Albany) officially serves Terrell among 29 named Southwest Georgia counties.
Local societies
Southwest Georgia Genealogical Society (see above) is the primary regional resource; no dedicated Terrell-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 Terrell County 499 Rountree Drive SW, Dawson, GA 39842
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 Terrell 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
955 Forrester Dr., Dawson, GA 39842
(229) 995-4477
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
955 Forrester Dr., Dawson, GA 39842
(229) 995-2323
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) 995-5141
GA DFCS — Terrell
(229) 995-5160
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (Albany)
phoebeputney.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Terrell County Health Department – confirm current contact via terrellcountyga.gov.
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Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Dawson
Population: 8,500
Area: 335 sq mi
Established: 1856
Public Records
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