County resources
Utilities, schools, property records, homestead filing and more for new and soon-to-be homeowners in Lexington, Crawford, Arnoldsville, Maxeys.
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 Information is provided as a convenience and may change; let us know if you spot something out of date.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 Oglethorpe County the Tax Assessor sets property values. The Tax Commissioner bills and collects the taxes. Both offices are next door to each other on West Main Street in Lexington. Lexington, Crawford and Arnoldsville send their own city tax bills; Maxeys has no city property tax.
Bills and collects property and mobile home taxes and handles car tags. Open Mon–Thu 8–5 and Fri 8–12 and 1–5. Mail payments to P.O. Box 305.
The Tax Commissioner's official payment site for property and mobile home taxes. You can also pay by mail. Partial payments are accepted, but interest and penalties keep accruing on any unpaid balance.
Your first tax bill goes to whoever owned the home on January 1, usually the seller. The county says bills mail in September and are due in November. If you haven't seen the bill by October 1, call for a copy. The office doesn't prorate taxes; you and the seller settle that at closing.
Sets property values and handles exemptions, conservation use, returns and appeals. Open Mon–Fri 8–5; mail to P.O. Box 136. Returns are due January 1–April 1, and you have 45 days from an assessment notice to appeal.
The Assessor's official parcel search, linked from the county site. Search by owner, address or parcel number to see values, sales, acreage and maps.
Records deeds, plats, liens and PT-61 transfer forms. Open Mon–Fri 8–5; mail to P.O. Box 68.
Georgia's official online index of recorded deeds, liens and plats, linked from the Clerk's page. Searching most records requires a paid account.
Linked from the Clerk's page. Lets you browse scanned deed and plat index books from 1794 to 1991, which helps with old title research.
The county Tax Commissioner doesn't collect city taxes. Call Lexington at (706) 743-3322, Arnoldsville at (706) 742-5036 or Crawford at (706) 743-5260. The page says Maxeys has no city taxes.
The state's summary of local tax rules. It covers return and appeal deadlines, the 60 days you get to pay after a bill is mailed, and mobile home permits.
In Oglethorpe County you file homestead exemptions with the Tax Assessor, not the Tax Commissioner. The deadline is April 1 for the year you want it to start. The state says the county has no local homestead exemptions beyond the statewide ones, so seniors should ask about the state senior exemptions.
The Assessor's page has the homestead application. You must own and live in the home on January 1, and file by April 1. Call to confirm which documents to bring.
The Tax Commissioner's own page sends all exemption questions to the Tax Assessor at (706) 743-5166.
Says there are no local homestead exemptions in Oglethorpe County, only the statewide ones. Apply after the home becomes your main residence and by April 1; if you don't apply, you lose the exemption for that year.
Covers the $2,000 basic exemption plus senior exemptions (65+ for county taxes, 62+ for school taxes; most have income limits), disabled veteran and surviving spouse exemptions.
Georgia's floating homestead caps yearly increases in a home's taxable value at inflation, for every local government that didn't opt out. We couldn't find the county commissioners' decision online, so ask the Assessor which of your taxes it applies to.
The school district posted a notice that it opted out of HB 581, so the floating cap won't apply to school taxes. It says existing exemptions are not affected. The page loads only in a browser.
Farm and timber owners can apply for a lower assessment in exchange for a 10-year covenant; this state form is linked from the Assessor's page. File with the Assessor by April 1.
There is no countywide water system. All four towns run their own water systems, and Crawford also has a city sewer plant. Lexington sells water to some homes outside its limits. Elsewhere, homes use a private well or one of about 15 small subdivision water systems, so check the seller's bill or the state list below.
Crawford runs a surface-water system and a city wastewater plant, according to state records and the county plan. City Hall is open Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri 9–4 and Wed 9–1. We didn't find a city website.
Download the water service application here. You'll pay a $100 deposit, and new construction pays a tap fee: $600 inside city limits or $2,200 outside. Bills are due on the 20th, with a 10% late fee.
Moving into an existing service costs a non-refundable fee of $175 for owners or $250 for renters. Bills are due on the 20th, and service is cut off if unpaid by the 5th. You can pay online, by ACH, by mail or at the drop box.
Maxeys runs its own water system. The water service application, water policy and an online bill-pay link are on this page.
The state's list of every active public water system in the county. It includes the four city systems and about 15 privately run subdivision systems, such as Pine Ridge, Oakwood and Hawks Landing. Use it to find who supplies a subdivision.
The joint county–city plan says the water network is limited and lacks full fire-flow pressure in places. Most new homes will use septic, and the county is studying a countywide system with the cities.
Outside Crawford's sewer area, nearly every home uses a septic tank, and many rural homes use a private well. Septic permits and inspections come from Oglethorpe County Environmental Health, part of the Northeast Health District. Well water testing goes through the UGA Extension office in Crawford.
Issues septic permits and repair permits and does existing-system evaluations. Specialists are in the office only Wed and Thu 8:30–10 am; call at other times.
Explains septic permits, site evaluations and existing-system evaluations, which are useful before you buy. It also lists state-certified pumpers and installers and Oglethorpe's lot-size rules for septic. Call for current fees.
Drop off well water samples for UGA lab testing. A basic test costs $20, a bacteria test $40, and the home-loan closing test (W33B) $90. Bacteria tests need a special bottle, so pick one up first.
UGA's plain-English guide to which well tests to order and how to read the results.
No Oglethorpe town runs its own electric utility. Depending on the address, power comes from Rayle EMC, which has an office in Lexington, Jackson EMC or Georgia Power. Walton EMC does not list Oglethorpe in its territory. Ask the seller for a recent power bill to confirm.
Rayle EMC lists Oglethorpe among the 10 counties it serves and has a local office in Lexington. Open Mon–Fri 8–5.
Jackson EMC lists Oglethorpe among its 10 counties. The nearest office is the Neese office in Hull. Its site blocks automated checks; the phone and address come from its contact page.
Residential customer service, Mon–Fri 7 am–7 pm. Report outages 24/7 at 1-888-891-0938. Confirm Georgia Power serves your address before you move in.
Natural gas is scarce in Oglethorpe County. None of the four towns runs a gas system. Atlanta Gas Light's own ZIP list leaves out Lexington (30648), Crawford (30630), Arnoldsville (30619), Maxeys (30671) and Stephens (30667). Most homes heat with electricity or propane.
Enter your ZIP to see whether AGL serves it. Of the county's main ZIPs, only Winterville (30683), which reaches into western Oglethorpe, is on AGL's list. Even then, ask about your exact street.
If you do have gas service and smell gas, leave the house and call this number. Call 811 before you dig.
If AGL serves your address, you buy gas from a state-certified marketer. The PSC lists the marketers and compares their rates.
The county has no curbside trash pickup. Residents take household trash in green county bags to the Public Works landfill near Crawford or to one of three community drop-off sites. If you want curbside pickup, you'll have to arrange a private hauler. Household trash is sent to the Athens-Clarke landfill.
Open Mon–Fri 7:30–3:45 and Sat 8–11:45. Construction and demolition debris costs $40 a ton ($10 minimum), cash or check only. Public Works will also bury dead livestock for free; call ahead.
For county residents only, and only green county bags are accepted: $0.75 small or $1.50 large, sold at each site. The Simston site (Centerville Rd), Maxeys (off Hill St) and Devils Pond each open on Mon, Wed or Thu, and Sat; check this page for hours.
Single-stream recycling at the main facility and the community sites, open to anyone; don't bag recyclables. Scrap metal, electronics and tires go only to the landfill site. Tires cost $2–$8 each and are for residents only.
Oglethorpe's recycling page sends paint, batteries, propane tanks and similar items here. Open Tue and Fri–Sat 7–1 and Wed noon–6. The county's page lists older hours.
Internet options vary from road to road in rural Oglethorpe. Spectrum is building out with a state grant, and Windstream (Kinetic) received federal rural funding here. Always check a specific address on the FCC map before you buy.
Enter an address to see which providers report service there, and at what speeds.
The state's broadband office, with Georgia's coverage map and grant projects.
Spectrum is building gigabit internet to nearly 11,000 unserved homes and businesses in Banks, Madison and Oglethorpe counties with a Georgia Capital Projects Fund grant. Check whether your address is live yet.
Says Windstream ($2.1M) and Charter ($1.1M) won FCC rural funding (RDOF) for Oglethorpe. Spectrum also got $7.9M in state funds to reach almost 3,000 county locations. The library has free public Wi-Fi.
Windstream's home internet brand. Check availability at your address.
One public school district, the Oglethorpe County School System, serves the whole county. It has about 2,300 students in three schools (elementary, middle and high), all in Lexington.
Central office for enrollment, bus routes and calendars. The site loads only in a regular browser. The address and phone are from the federal NCES directory.
Federal data: 2,293 students in 2024–25, pre-K through 12th grade. That's about 12.8 students per teacher across 3 schools.
Lists the district's three schools, Oglethorpe County Elementary, Middle and High, with enrollment for each.
For unincorporated areas, Oglethorpe County Planning & Zoning handles zoning, building permits and code enforcement. The towns differ. Lexington issues its own building permits and has a historic district. Arnoldsville has its own zoning and permit forms. In Maxeys, you need city approval before the county will issue a permit.
Handles zoning lookups, rezonings, variances and subdivision plats. Rezonings and variances require a pre-application meeting; call (706) 405-2436. Open Mon–Fri 8–12 and 1–5.
Issues building, mobile home and driveway permits. There are no same-day permits or inspections; expect 2–7 business days. Email permits@oglethorpecountyga.gov.
Apply for permits and request inspections online. The county is changing portals, so call if you can't find your permit.
Report junk, illegal dumping or property-maintenance violations; there's an online complaint form. The county doesn't enforce HOA covenants.
Meets monthly at 6 pm, two weeks before the Commissioners, to hear rezonings and variances. Send comments at least 24 hours before a meeting.
The county's full ordinance code, including the Unified Development Code.
Lexington has its own building, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and demolition permits and its own zoning ordinance. Exterior changes in the historic district need a Certificate of Appropriateness.
Arnoldsville has its own zoning ordinance, Land Use/Code Enforcement Officer and building permit and variance forms. Questions go in by email or voicemail.
Inside Maxeys, submit plans and a plat to City Hall first. The city then sends an authorization letter to the county, which issues the permit and does the inspections.
The Sheriff's Office polices the whole county. We found no city police departments in the four towns. For emergencies dial 911. County EMS runs from one station in the center of the county, and the county has only one tornado siren (in Lexington), so sign up for CodeRED alerts.
Non-emergency line: press 3 for dispatch, 4 for open records and sex-offender questions, and 5 for reports. Administrative offices are open Mon–Fri 8–5.
Sign up for the Sheriff's emergency and severe-weather alerts by phone, text or app. This matters because there's only one tornado siren in the county.
Ambulance service 24/7 from one central station. It takes patients to Athens hospitals, Elbert Memorial or Wills Memorial.
Handles disaster preparedness and the CERT volunteer program. EMA says the county's only tornado siren is in Lexington, so keep a NOAA weather radio.
The state's official registry, linked from the Sheriff's site. You can search by address or area.
Hand-piled leaves and limbs don't need a permit, but follow safety rules. Land-clearing and agricultural burns need a same-day permit, available online from GaTrees.org.
Car tags are handled at the Tax Commissioner's office in Lexington. The Athens driver's license center closed on October 3, 2026, so the nearest one is now the new Oconee center in Bogart. Most county offices are in Lexington, and the landfill, EMS, rec department and senior center are along Athens Road near Crawford.
Register your vehicles here after you move in. You can renew tags online or by mail. The office has forms such as title applications (MV-1).
The state's online service for tag renewals, insurance lapse fines and other vehicle tasks.
The nearest driver's license office since the Athens center closed on October 3, 2026. Open Tue–Fri 8–6; road tests need an appointment.
Register to vote or update your address. Advance voting is held at this office. Open Mon–Fri 8–5.
Check your registration, your polling place and sample ballots.
Part of the Athens regional library system, with free public Wi-Fi. Open Mon and Wed–Fri 10–6, Tue 10–8, Sat 10–2; closed Sunday.
Youth sports, community events and open gym (Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri 9–4). Email for pool information.
Serves Oglethorpe under contract with the county. Open Wed–Sat 12–5 and Sun 12–4. It warns it may close for lack of funds. Report dangerous dogs to 911 and rabies concerns to the Health Department.
The county's official address-request portal, linked from its permits page. You need an address before a permit or utility hookup. Addresses go only to structures, not vacant lots or RVs.
Request pothole repair, dirt road scraping, mowing or drainage work on county roads. Open Mon–Fri 8–4:45.
Hot lunches and frozen home-delivered meals for seniors, plus activities and transportation. Open Mon–Fri 8–4.
Soil tests ($8), help with gardens, pastures and pests, and 4-H. Open Mon–Fri 8–12 and 1–5.
Meets the first Monday of each month at 6 pm. Find your district commissioner here. Open Mon–Fri 8–5, closed 12–1.
Oglethorpe County is mostly rolling farm and forest land, but low areas along the Broad River, creeks and ponds can be in FEMA flood zones. Check the official map for any property before you buy, and ask your lender whether flood insurance is required.
Search an address to see the official flood map and zone.
The state's interactive flood map. It's easier to use than FEMA's and shows flood zones over parcels and aerial photos.
The county's official parcel map, linked from Planning & Zoning. Use it to find parcel lines, acreage and zoning before you check flood layers.
The state floodplain office. It explains flood zones, map changes and building rules in floodplains.
FEMA's flood insurance site. Learn about your risk, get estimates and find an agent.
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.