Airport Authorities
Your county doesn't own any planes, but oversees many aspects of its operation as a county asset.
Stormwater Management
The underground network of pipes and valves and other equipment is designed and maintained so you don't have to give rainwater runoff or flashfloods a second thought.
County Jail
Definitely not something you'd probably want to do yourself, the county sheriff operates and oversees jails and keeps lawbreakers and criminals off of our streets.
Judicial Services
You'll see many examples throughout this page of the Superior, State, Probate & Juvenile Courts in action on your behalf. Judicial services also include providing public defenders as well as maintain court records.
Communications
Public, educational and government (PEG) TV channels are just some of the ways your local government keeps you informed.
Fire Protection
Whether full-time, part-time, or volunteer, your county firefighters are there for you when you need them most, not just for fires, but for chemical spills and bomb threats, too.
Public Transportation
In some counties public transportation provides safe, reliable and affordable transportation to help people get where they need to go.
Tax Incentives
Counties don't operate homeless shelters, but create tax breaks and other incentives to attract and retain these irreplaceable services we all benefit from.
Food Inspectors
County health department inspectors work behind the scenes enforcing safety standards and best practices so you can eat out with peace of mind.
Economic Development
Counties position your community as an attractive place for businesses to locate creates jobs and expand the tax base.
County Roads
County road crews are there to keep signals working, signs maintained and more than 85,000 miles of county roadways safe.
COUNTY SERVICES
Technically a state agency, many counties help pay for personnel to provide immunizations, infant health services, family planning, water supply testing, sewage disposal, swimming pool and other inspections.
Library services
Whether single county or part of a regional system, libraries lend not only books and videos, but often free internet and computer access, educational programs and more.
Fire Protection Services
Without your having to think much about it, your county tests and maintains the equipment and infrastructure so it's ready the instant someone needs it.
Elections
Counties play a key role in the election process by checking candidates' qualifications, registering voters, overseeing absentee balloting and maintaining county voter rolls.
Water Supply
When you turn the faucet, out comes the efforts of talented, dedicated county employees that erect towers, maintain reservoirs and ensure the safety of life's most precious liquid.
Health services
Technically a state agency, many counties help pay for certain personnel to provide immunizations, infant health services, family planning, water supply testing, sewage disposal, swimming pool and other inspections.
Parks & Rec
Your county maintains buildings for all-season use, as well as educational programs and summer camps for kids. Got any Parks & Rec memories, made possible by your county?
Parks & Rec.
Providing areas where friends and families gather and relax and play is important to our quality of life. It's also a huge responsibility to keep them maintained and insured.
Library Services
The Dewey Decimal System in action, your library collects and maintains and meticulously catalogs books, CD and videos ... and lends them to you for free!
Communications
Counties give you convenient access to a variety of local government information via social media, websites, newsletters and more.
Immunizations
Where there are kids, there is the opportunity for the spread of diseases, so your county immunizes them as part of an overall infant health program.
Roads
There are many, many miles of "county roads" in your county. And many, many that aren't. Road signs are the best clues as to who should be addressing the problem on a given road.
County Roads
Populations grow, and new roads are required. Trees fall across roads that need clearing. Potholes develop, new asphalt is laid, and bridges get a fresh coat of paint. Your road crews are out there, for you.
Public Works
Nothing in your county gets built, renovated or even torn down without a county professional making sure the appropriate codes are being enforced, to protect your safety, property values, water supply and more.
Green Space
Your county sets policies and takes a role in preserving the beauty, protecting the wildlife and water supply, and promoting your enjoyment of special undeveloped areas in your community.
Water treatment
Toilets flush, dishwashers wash, and stormwater rushes into a complex system of pipes that end at a county-managed facility running 24/7 to cleanse H2O fit for re-use or release into the environment.
Planning/Land use
Your county looks out for you when it comes to how the land in your local area will be used. They develop a 10-Year Comprehensive Plan as well as zoning and development regulations.
Alcohol Licenses
For obvious reasons, not just anyone can sell alcohol. Your county has a set of requirements and procedures, as well as a rigorous application process to control who is allowed to sell alcohol.
Business Licenses
A lot goes into your favorite local store besides its inventory. Most counties issue business licenses (sometimes called Occupation Tax Certificates) as well as building permits and other licenses required to run a business.
Animal Control
Most people love animals, but dealing with a rabid raccoon or dog, or clearing road kill, are things that most people are glad they don't have to do for themselves.
Sanitation
Not everyone owns a truck to tote away their trash, yard clippings and fallen leaves. Some counties do it for their citizens, with specialized equipment, hard-working staff and efficient systems that make it seem effortless.
Property Records
The superior court clerk records the subdivision plats and the many, many property tax transactions that happen every day in your county, so you don't have to!
Communications
There's a lot going on in your county. So your county keeps you up to date through mass media as well as through the mail and public-access TV channels.
Recycling Bin Sanitation
Where would you put your garbage, your recycling, your bulk trash? If your county has recycling services, you'd spend a lot more energy than setting it on the curb if you had to do what counties do for you!
Coroner or Medical Examiner
Determines the cause of death when someone dies from violence or suicide, or suddenly when in apparent good health, or without a physician present or in any suspicious manner.
Communications
Counties communicate the way their residents do, adding to the traditional mix social media, websites and apps.
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Automobile Tag & Title
Imagine the lines if we all had to register our cars or trucks at one state motor vehicle office! Your county tax commissioner's office deals with the Georgia MVD on your behalf instead.
Emergency Medical Services
A service you hope you'll never need, but you'll be mighty glad you have when trained county EMS professionals respond to your call.
Public Transportation
In all kinds of weather, at all hours, county transportation drivers, engineers, laborers and administrators work to provide safe, reliable, affordable transportation for all.
Economic Development
Your county competes against other counties and other states to lure businesses here to create jobs and increase revenues from taxes.
Marriage License
After you pop the question, you head over to see the good folks at the Probate Court who will issue you a marriage license.
Law Enforcement
The sheriff and deputies patrol streets and roads for emergencies and speeders, serve court-related papers and many other things to ensure everyone's safety.
Sanitation
Not everyone owns a truck to use to tote away their yard clippings and fallen leaves. Your county does! And specialized equipment, hard-working staff and efficient systems that make it seem effortless.
