County resources
Utilities, schools, property records, homestead filing and more for new and soon-to-be homeowners in Winder, Auburn, Statham, Bethlehem.
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 Information is provided as a convenience and may change; let us know if you spot something out of date.
In Barrow County, the Board of Assessors sets property values, the Tax Commissioner bills and collects property taxes (and handles car tags), and the Clerk of Superior Court records deeds and plats.
Assessed values, appeals, and exemptions. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM. Assessment notices go out each spring, and you have 45 days to appeal.
The county's official parcel search, linked from barrowassessor.org. Look up owner, acreage, assessed value, and sales history. Online appeals are also filed here during the appeal window.
Pay property tax bills online and renew car tags. Open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:30 PM. Card payments carry a 2.5% service fee.
Records deeds, plats, liens, and easements. Real estate records go back to 1915. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM.
Copy and recording fees. Since 1/1/2025 (HB 1292), self-filers must e-file real estate documents through GSCCCA with ID verification.
Statewide online search of deed and lien indexes, and the only portal for e-filing real estate documents.
If you own and live in the home as of January 1, you can file for homestead with the Barrow County Board of Assessors by April 1 to get the exemption on that year's tax bill. You only file once.
Four ways to file: online (the 'Apply online' link on this page), email, mail, or in person. Bring a signed application, a driver's license showing the new address, and a car registration or current utility bill. You don't need to renew.
Word document listing local exemptions: a frozen (floating) county homestead (HB 1485) that holds county taxable value at the prior year's level until the home is sold or changes, senior school-tax exemptions (age 62+ and 70+, with income limits), a senior county exemption at 65+, and a 100% disabled veteran exemption. Under HB 92 you can also apply during the 45-day appeal period.
Statewide overview of homestead and special exemptions.
Water service depends on your address. Barrow County Water serves three unincorporated areas and sells water wholesale to the cities. Winder, Auburn, Statham, and Braselton each bill their own customers. Bethlehem residents get water (and gas) from the City of Winder. Barrow County Wastewater provides sewer in unincorporated areas, Auburn, Statham, and parts of Winder. Many rural homes use septic instead.
Retail water for about 5,800 customers in unincorporated Barrow. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM. After-hours and weekend emergencies: 770-307-6610.
New-service application for county water and sewer customers.
Sewer for unincorporated Barrow, Auburn, Statham, and parts of Winder.
Annual water quality reports (2025 and 2024).
Start service here for City of Winder water, sewer, natural gas, and garbage. Open Mon–Fri 9 AM–5 PM. Residential applications are linked on this page. Email: customer.service@cityofwinder.com.
Application to start or stop residential utility service.
Utilities Department line for water service questions. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM.
Annual reports, 2022–2026.
You must open new accounts in person at City Hall with ID and a settlement statement or lease. Deposits: $100 water, $50 trash, plus a $52 trash-cart delivery fee. Emergency water issues: (470) 606-3047.
Annual consumer confidence reports.
Apply at City Hall with a photo ID and your purchase agreement or lease. Deposit is $150 for homeowners and $300 for renters. Water quality reports (2018–2025) are on this page.
Braselton water and sewer for town customers, including the part of town in Barrow County. Billing questions: 706-654-5559. After-hours water and sewer calls: (678) 283-0437.
Septic permits and records in Barrow are handled by Barrow County Environmental Health, part of Georgia's Northeast Health District. Well water testing goes through the UGA Extension office.
Septic permits, septic records and as-builts, and well permits. Open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:30 PM, closed noon–1 PM. A residential building permit on septic needs an Environmental Health approval letter.
Call about well water testing (samples go to UGA's lab) and soil tests. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–12 PM and 1–5 PM.
The City of Winder does not sell electricity. Depending on the address, power comes from Jackson EMC, Georgia Power, or Walton EMC. Check the provider for the property before closing.
Main assistance line for starting or transferring service, Mon–Fri 7 AM–6 PM. Outages: 1-800-245-4044. Covers much of Barrow County.
Residential customer service. Outages: 1-888-891-0938.
Online start-service request.
Serves some areas of Barrow, including parts of Winder. Customer care Mon–Fri 7 AM–7 PM. Walton EMC also sells natural gas as a certified marketer.
This matters in Barrow: the City of Winder runs its own municipal gas system, serving Winder, Bethlehem, and other parts of Barrow County, plus parts of Walton and Oconee counties. Those customers sign up with Winder, not a gas marketer. Homes on the Atlanta Gas Light system (Georgia's deregulated market) must pick a PSC-certified marketer.
Municipal gas service for Winder, Barrow County, and parts of Walton and Oconee counties. Start service through the Winder Customer Center at (770) 867-3106.
Owns the pipelines outside municipal gas systems. Call this number for leaks, gas odor, or emergencies. You buy the gas itself from a certified marketer.
Official list of marketers and their contact information for Atlanta Gas Light customers.
Each city arranges its own trash pickup. Barrow County's website lists no county curbside service for unincorporated areas, so those residents should check with their HOA or call the county (770-307-3000) and plan to sign up with a private hauler.
$38.17/month for a 95-gallon cart, up to 2 bulky items a week, leaf and limb pickup, and street sweeping. Billed with city utilities. The page has a pickup-day address lookup.
The city bills for trash, and Republic picks up weekly. For large-item or yard waste pickup (extra fee), call Republic at this number.
Call Waste Pro to set up an account. They bill you directly. Garbage pickup is Tuesday, recycling every other week.
The town site says garbage and recycling pickup is on Mondays, and its Newcomer's Guide says garbage is free for town residents. The site is http only.
Private residential hauler that serves the Winder area. Check your address for unincorporated service.
Barrow County's site sends residents to the Athens-Clarke CHaRM for paint, electronics, and other hard-to-recycle items. The link redirects to accgov.com.
Runs annual recycling events and litter programs.
Check service at the exact address during due diligence. The FCC map shows every provider that reports service at an address.
Enter the address to see every wired, fixed-wireless, and satellite provider reporting service there.
Cable internet. Listed in Winder's resident guide and Bethlehem's newcomer guide.
DSL and fiber. Listed in Winder's resident guide and Bethlehem's newcomer guide.
Address lookup. Listed in Winder's resident guide.
Listed in Winder's resident guide. Check availability by address.
5G home internet, an option in rural areas. Check by address.
Satellite internet backup for rural properties without wired service.
Barrow County School System serves the whole county, including Winder, Auburn, Statham, and Bethlehem. Schools are split into the Apalachee and Winder-Barrow clusters.
District central office.
Open the interactive map and enter your address to find your zoned schools. If an address is on a zone line, call the school to confirm.
Direct link to the district's address search map.
Enrollment steps and proof-of-residency requirements.
Bus route and stop lookup.
Barrow County handles zoning and permits for unincorporated areas. Winder, Auburn, Statham, Bethlehem, and Braselton each have their own zoning and permitting.
Zoning, rezonings, variances, and code compliance. Open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:30 PM. Email: planning@barrowga.org.
Apply and schedule inspections through the county's Citizen Self Service portal. A permit is needed for any structural change or new structure. No fence permit is required, but fences must meet the code.
Online permit applications, status tracking, and inspection requests for unincorporated Barrow.
Includes the Unified Development Code.
Future Development and zoning map, plus downloadable zoning map PDFs. Planning staff can also verify an address for mortgage or utility setup (gis@barrowga.org).
Interactive map with zoning, utilities, election, and public works layers.
Zoning, permits, and inspections inside Winder city limits. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM. Spanish translation: 678-425-6859.
Online permit applications for Winder.
Interactive maps of Winder.
Permits inside Auburn city limits.
Residential and trade permit applications for Statham.
Call 911 for emergencies. Sheriff's deputies patrol unincorporated Barrow, and Winder, Auburn, and Statham have their own police departments.
Non-emergency line. The site also has an extra patrol request form and incident and accident reports.
Countywide non-emergency dispatch number, from the Statham PD page. Statham PD office: 770-725-5992.
Non-emergency line.
Offers vacation house checks (extra patrol request).
The crime map embedded on the Sheriff's website. Enter any address.
Search registered offenders near an address.
Emergency and weather alerts by text, call, or email.
Update your Georgia driver's license with your new Barrow address first. The Tax Commissioner's tag office requires it for every transaction.
Register vehicles, renew tags, and change your registration address. Open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–4:30 PM.
Update or transfer your driver's license. Do this before visiting the tag office.
Also runs city elections for Auburn, Bethlehem, Carl, Statham, and Winder. All early voting is at this office. Open Mon–Fri 8 AM–5 PM.
Check your registration and polling place, or update your address.
Victor Lord Park (100+ acres), youth and adult sports, pickleball, dog park, and facility rentals.
City parks and facilities.
State park in Winder with a lake, trails, and camping.
Winder's new-resident checklist: utilities, power providers, internet, tags, voting, and schools.
Check the flood zone during due diligence. Lenders require flood insurance for homes in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
Enter the address to see the official flood zone (FIRM panel).
Georgia DNR's interactive flood map viewer, easier to use than FEMA's for a quick parcel check.
County stormwater program and drainage issue reporting.
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.