Habersham County GA

Lookup Public Records in Habersham County, Georgia. Including Vital Birth and Death Records, Deeds, Probate, Property Records, Mortgages, Liens, Judgments, Marriage Licenses, Voter Registrar, Payroll, Military Discharges.

Habersham County, Georgia Overview

Habersham County is located in the state of Georgia. Named after Joseph Habersham, the county was formed in 1818 and its county seat is Clarkesville. The county has a total population of 43,041, as of 2010, with its area spanning 279 square miles (land area being 277 square miles, while water area being 2.3 square miles). The county consists of 8 ZIP codes, with ZIP code 30523 recorded as the one with the largest population. Habersham County borders the following counties: Rabun County, Georgia to the north; Banks County, Georgia to the south; Oconee County, South Carolina and Stephens County, Georgia to the east; White County, Georgia to the west; Towns County, Georgia to the northwest, and; Hall County, Georgia to the southwest.

Habersham Clerk of Court Information

The Clerk of Superior Court is a constitutional officer elected by the voters of Habersham County to serve a four-year term. The Clerk of Superior Court also serves as Clerk of State Court and Clerk of Magistrate Court. The Superior Court, Georgia’s general jurisdiction trial court, has exclusive constitutional authority over felony cases, cases regarding title to land and equity, declaratory judgements, habeas corpus, mandamus, adoptions, name changes, divorces, child custody, and child support enforcement. The clerk is responsible for recording deeds and maintaining the chain of title to all property in the county. In addition, the clerk appoints notary publics and records business and trade names and military discharges. The State Court is a trial court with limited jurisdiction covering misdemeanor and traffic violations and civil actions involving $15,000 or more unless the Superior Court has exclusive jurisdiction. The Magistrate Court handles all civil trials involving amounts less than $15,000. The Clerk of Court is charged with the responsibility of attending all court sessions for Superior and State Courts and to file and maintain accurate records of the proceedings. The Clerk also manages all revenue collections and disbursements for the Superior and State Courts. The office of the Clerk of Court functions as the recorder for the county’s records, filing legal records and making most of them available for public inspection.

Habersham Clerk of Court

The office of the Superior Court Clerk is subject to Uniform Superior Court Rule 21 that requires all records to be open for inspections and copying by the public. The Clerk of Court’s office complies with these requirements by having court records available each working day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for public inspection and copying. The costs for copies is .50 per page and $2.00 for the seal for certification. You may contact the Clerk of Superior Court at 706-839-0300 for further information.

Below is the physical address of the Clerk of Court:

David Wall, Clerk of Court
295 Llewellyn Street, Suite 110
Clarkesville, GA 30523
Phone: 706-839-0300
Fax: 706-839-6351
Email: [email protected]

Habersham Board of Commissioners Information

Habersham County residents have a statutory right to inspect a vast number of Georgia’s public records using the state’s Open Records Act (OPA). Under this law, you can inspect the public records of all county and municipal government entities as well as state departments, agencies, boards, bureaus, commissions and authorities and regional authorities. The OPA also covers private entities performing a service for a public agency, as well as non profit organizations that receive more than one-third of their funding from tax funds.

You have the right to inspect all public records of the government bodies subject to the OPA. The term “public records” is broadly defined to include all written documents, maps, books, tapes, photographs and electronic information, prepared and maintained or received in the course of the operation of a government body.

Habersham Board of Commissioners

Habersham County will work diligently in fulfilling your request for documents in accordance with the Open Records Act. As authorized by O.C.G.A. Section 50-18-71(b)(2), the Habersham County Board of Commissioners has designated an Open Records Officer. Official requests for Habersham County Board of Commissioners records under the Open Records Act must be made directly to the Open Records Officer, Lindsay Underwood.

Please note that Mrs. Underwood is the Open Records Officer only for the Habersham County Board of Commissioners, which excludes the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and any other elected official’s office such as the Clerk of Court, Judges, and Tax Commissioner. It also excludes independent authorities such as the Habersham County Hospital Authority.

Habersham Open Records Request Form

Below is the physical address of the Board of Commissioners:

Habersham County Board of Commissioner’s Office
Attn: Lindsay Underwood, County Clerk
555 Monroe St. Unit 20
Clarkesville, GA 30523
Email: [email protected]

Habersham Tax Assessor Information

The Tax Assessor’s office operates under a five-member Board of Tax Assessors comprised of local taxpayers appointed for three-year terms by the Board of Commissioners. The primary responsibility of the Board of Tax Assessors is to appraise property at fair market value as of January 1 of each year and to compile the annual tax digest. The appraisers and clerks in this department track ownership changes, parcel boundaries, zoning, use, building and property characteristics, tax exemptions, trends in sales prices, constructions costs, rents, incomes, expenses and personal property assets in order to appraise property each year. Real estate, furniture, fixtures, machinery, equipment, inventory, boats, aircraft, heavy duty equipment, mobile homes and motor vehicles are also appraised by staff. The appraisal staff is required to adhere to the Appraisal Procedures Manual established by the Georgia Department of Revenue. Much of the data gathered and used by the Assessors’ staff is public and can be viewed during normal business hours, 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. The Tax Assessor’s’ Office does receive homestead and/or school exemption applications. The Tax Assessor’s’ Office does not generate tax bills. The Tax Assessor’s’ Office is responsible for the valuation of property. For information on tax bills, please visit the Tax Commissioner’s Office section of our website, or contact them directly at 706-839-0120.

Habersham Tax Assessor

Below is the physical address of the Tax Assessor:

Joan Church, Chief Appraiser
6257 State Hwy. 115 Suite 6
Clarkesville, GA 30523
Phone: 706-839-0100
Fax: 706-754-8079