County resources
Utilities, schools, property records, homestead filing and more for new and soon-to-be homeowners in Athens, Winterville.
Good to know: utility providers and school zones can depend on your exact address — always confirm with the provider. Information is provided as a convenience and may change; let us know if you spot something out of date.
Athens-Clarke is a consolidated city-county government; property records, tax bills and deeds are all handled at the ACC Courthouse, 325 E. Washington St.
Sets property values and handles assessment notices and appeals. Office hours Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Search parcels by owner, address, or parcel ID for values, sales, and maps.
Property tax bills, payments, and homestead applications. Hours 8 AM-5 PM. 2026 bills are due Oct 20, 2026.
Records deeds and plats. Hours Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM. Deed records from 1801-1984 are on Kofile QuickLinks.
Statewide online deed index, including Clarke County. Some searches require a paid account.
Statewide online plat index, including Clarke County.
The exemption isn't automatic. You must own and live in the home as your primary residence on January 1 of the tax year.
Apply IN PERSON at the Tax Commissioner's Office; no online filing is offered. ACC's deadline is not April 1: it matches the assessment-appeal deadline, 45 days after the Notice of Assessment is mailed (usually mid-May). The 2026 deadline was July 6, 2026. Late applications apply to the next tax year. Call option 6 for homestead questions.
Extra ACC exemption for owners whose household income is within federal poverty guidelines.
ACC Public Utilities provides public water and sewer. Its Water Business Office also starts trash service for homes inside the Urban Service District.
Open Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8 AM-5 PM and Wed 8 AM-6 PM. You can pay by phone, online, or mail.
Apply online up to 60 days ahead, and allow 3 business days. Owners need a photo ID and closing documents. Costs: $75 deposit plus $20 service fee. Same-day service is in person only ($25 fee).
Interactive map of public water and sewer lines. Use it to check whether a property can connect to sewer or is likely on septic. Line locations are approximate.
Annual Consumer Confidence Report. The current posted report covers 2025 water data.
Homes not on ACC sewer use septic systems, which Clarke County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District) permits and keeps records for.
Septic permits, repair permits, existing-system evaluations and septic records. Open Mon-Fri 8:30 AM-5 PM, closed 12-1 PM.
Septic permit requirements, the Clarke County lot-size ordinance, and homeowner septic guides.
Pumpers approved to dispose of septage at the ACC Water Reclamation Facility, with contact info.
Call for well water sampling instructions and test kits. Samples are analyzed by UGA labs. Open Mon-Fri 8 AM-12 PM and 1-5 PM.
Guide to what to test a private well for and how often.
Electric provider depends on the address. Georgia Power serves most of Athens. Walton EMC, Jackson EMC and Rayle EMC serve parts of the county. Oglethorpe Power is a wholesale supplier to EMCs and does not serve homes directly.
Residential customer service Mon-Fri 7 AM-7 PM. Report outages 24/7 at 1-888-891-0938.
Online start, stop, or transfer service.
Serves parts of Athens-Clarke (eastern Walton/Oconee/Athens-Clarke service region). Start, stop, or move service here.
Its 10-county service area includes Clarke County. Nearest office is the Neese office in Hull. The website blocks automated checks; the phone and address come from its contact page as indexed by search.
Serves rural parts of 10 counties, including Clarke. Lexington office listed. For outages, call (706) 678-2116.
Georgia's natural gas market is deregulated. Atlanta Gas Light owns and maintains the pipes and meters, and you buy gas from a PSC-certified marketer of your choice.
24-hour leak, odor, and emergency line. Customer service is (800) 427-5463, Mon-Fri 7 AM-7 PM. Call 811 before digging.
Official current list of marketers, with contact info, to pick a gas provider.
ACC Solid Waste collects trash and recycling only inside the Urban Service District (the former Athens city limits), where service is required. Elsewhere in the county, residents hire an ACC-franchised private hauler.
Garbage and recycling for the Urban Service District. For missed pickups, call within 24 hours and press 5. Office open Mon-Fri 8 AM-5 PM.
Look up your collection day and check whether you're in the ACC service area.
Pay-as-you-throw rates by roll-cart size (effective 7/1/2026), with recycling included. Set up water service first. Billing office is ext. 7884.
ACC's list of franchised residential haulers (AAA Sanitation, Johnson and Son, Waste Pro, Curbside Services, Republic), with phone numbers.
Drop-off for hard-to-recycle items. Open Tue/Fri/Sat 7 AM-1 PM and Wed 12-6 PM. $3/trip for ACC residents; card or check only, no cash.
Countywide residential pickup on a 4-week zone rotation. Use paper bags only, and have piles out by 8 AM Monday of your zone's week. Press 2 for the current schedule.
Find your leaf & limb zone (1-4).
Availability varies by street. Check each provider's address lookup before closing.
AT&T's Athens page with a check-availability-by-address tool.
Cable internet across much of Athens; enter your address to check service. Spectrum's site blocks automated checks.
Xfinity's Athens page. Service is limited to some areas, so check your address.
Clarke County School District assigns students by home address (attendance zone). Out-of-zone School Choice transfers are possible when space is available.
District office Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:45 PM.
Official zone maps by feeder pattern, plus a street-by-street index.
PDF that lists the zoned elementary, middle, and high school for each street. Call the district to confirm.
Online enrollment application, required documents, and address-change info. Email registration@clarke.k12.ga.us.
Zoning, subdivisions, historic preservation, and land-use questions.
Front counter Mon-Fri 8 AM-4 PM. Apply online through the ACC Community Portal, or email accbuild@accgov.com.
Online portal for permit applications.
Effective Jan 1, 2026: the 2024 IRC/IBC/IPC/IMC/IFGC with Georgia amendments, and the 2023 NEC with 2026 Georgia amendments.
Full ACC code, including the zoning ordinance.
Interactive GIS map with zoning and parcel layers.
ACC has 16 local historic districts and 44 landmarks. Exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Boundary maps for each local historic district and landmark.
Call 911 for emergencies.
Non-emergency line. East Precinct/Administration is (706) 613-3330.
ACC Police's public interactive crime map.
Crime data dashboards, reports, and media releases.
Search registered offenders by address or neighborhood.
Official Georgia statewide registry.
Currently fare-free for all riders. Bus information line.
UGA buses are open to the public. Live tracking is at uga.passiogo.com.
Register vehicles and transfer tags. You must register within 30 days of moving to Georgia. Lobby Mon-Fri 8 AM-4:30 PM, phone 8 AM-5 PM.
Update your voter registration after you move.
Check your registration and polling place, or register online.
Search an address for the current flood map (FIRM) and flood zone.
Buying in a neighborhood with an HOA? Read the covenants during due diligence.
Use our under-contract checklist, find trusted local pros, or ask your agent anything.