Services

Residents can apply to serve on Bryan County’s advisory boards, authorities, and committees. Complete the Advisory Board and Committee Application for consideration by the Board of Commissioners.

Every County payment you can make online, in one place: property taxes and tag renewals, water and sewer bills, traffic tickets, and permit fees.

If you disagree with the value on your annual Notice of Assessment, you have 45 days from the notice date to appeal in writing. Late appeals are not accepted.

A homestead exemption lowers the taxable value of the home you own and live in. Apply once; it stays in place until you move or change the name on the property.

Land whose primary purpose is producing agricultural products or timber can be valued at its current use under a ten-year covenant with the County. Apply between January 1 and April 1.

Tax bills and assessment notices go to the address on file with the Tax Assessor. Send an address change request so you keep receiving them.

Property owners may declare their property’s value and report changes each year between January 1 and April 1. If you do not file, the County treats last year’s status and value as correct.

Properties with unpaid taxes may be sold at a tax sale. The next Bryan County tax sale is scheduled for October 6, 2026; the official list is posted four to six weeks before the sale.

The Floating Local Option Sales Tax is a 1% countywide sales tax used only for property tax relief. Voters decided it on the November 4, 2025 ballot; if approved, collections run for five years from January 2026 and appear as savings on tax bills.

The millage rate is the tax rate applied to your taxable value: 1 mill equals $1 of tax per $1,000. The 2025 rates are posted; 2026 rates are posted once finalized.

Pay Bryan County property taxes online through Government Window, by phone, by mail, or in person at the Tax Commissioner’s offices in Pembroke and Richmond Hill. Bills are mailed by mid-October and due Monday, December 15, 2026.

A permit is required for any structure over 200 square feet, and for smaller ones on a permanent foundation or connecting to power or water. Apply online through the Evolve permit portal; no paper application is needed.

Zoning applications — rezoning, conditional use permits, variances, preliminary and sketch plats, design modifications, and administrative appeals — are submitted through the Evolve project portal and reviewed by the Development Review Committee.

Unincorporated Bryan County is subject to coastal and river flooding. Find your flood zone on the County map, look up elevation certificates on file since 2009, and learn about flood insurance and the Community Rating System.

Look up any parcel’s zoning district on the County’s interactive planning and zoning map. Zoning decides what can be built or operated at a location, including home businesses and second homes.

A 911 address is assigned during the building permit process — for electrical, new residential or commercial construction, and manufactured home permits — so emergency responders can find you.

Any work in the County right-of-way — a new driveway, a culvert, or a utility line — needs an encroachment permit before work starts. Apply online; residential permits are $35.

Search issued and pending permits, see the status of your own applications, and view inspection results in the Evolve public portal.

When your permit or application is ready, pay the invoice by card in the Evolve portal. Impact fees, NPDES fees, and water and sewer tap fees must still be paid by cash or check.

Code Enforcement investigates complaints about building without a permit, junk vehicles, overgrown lots, farm animals in residential areas, boats and RVs in front yards, and abandoned structures in unincorporated Bryan County.

Once your permit is issued, schedule and track inspections in the Evolve portal. Requests made before 4:00 p.m. are usually inspected the next business day.

Clearing and grading, subdivision road construction, commercial site development, final and minor plats, record drawings, and traffic studies are submitted digitally through the Evolve project portal.

Two convenience centers take limbs, furniture, and other bulk items from Bryan County residents for a weight-based fee: Fort McAllister (Richmond Hill) and Mill Creek (Pembroke). Household garbage is not accepted.

Pay County water and sewer bills online (e-check $1.95, cards about 2.95%) or by mail to the Water and Sewer Department in Richmond Hill.

Call Water and Sewer to report an outage or leak — 912-459-6520 during business hours, 912-675-3930 after 5:00 p.m. and on weekends. Boil water advisories are posted by the department.

Bryan County contracts with Atlantic Waste Services for weekly curbside trash and recycling in the unincorporated area. Call the County to start service; call Atlantic Waste about pickups.

Bryan County Water and Sewer serves much of unincorporated South Bryan. Confirm your address is in the service area, complete the application, and pay a $150 refundable deposit at the Richmond Hill office.

Bryan County Animal Services adopts out dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens for $30 each, by appointment Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at the Richmond Hill and Pembroke shelters.

If you are in danger, call 911. To ask the Superior Court for a family violence, stalking, or dating violence protective order, use the state petition forms and file with the Clerk of Superior Court.

Magistrate Court hears civil claims of $15,000 or less, dispossessory and distress warrants, bad check cases, county ordinance violations, and preliminary hearings. Civil cases can be e-filed.

Current inmate information for the Bryan County Detention Center is published online by the Sheriff’s Office.

Logan’s Law creates a voluntary database of residents with special needs that 911 dispatchers and first responders can see when responding to a call. Complete the form to be added.

Traffic tickets are paid to Bryan County State Court in full before the court date on the ticket, online with Visa or Mastercard, or by money order or cashier’s check. A $100.00 late fee is added after 5:00 p.m. on the court date.

Call Animal Services during business hours. After hours and on weekends, call the Sheriff’s Office for aggressive strays, bites, and injured animals; call 911 for an attack in progress. Wildlife goes to the state Urban Wildlife Program.

Every registered voter or licensed driver 18 and older in Bryan County can be summoned. Call the jury status line the day before your date, and use the excuse affidavit if you qualify for a deferral or excusal.

Register with Smart911 to get Bryan County Emergency Management alerts by phone, text, or email, and to give 911 dispatchers information about your household.

Poll workers must be U.S. citizens age 16 or older who live in Bryan County or an adjoining county, attend training, and pass a background check and drug test. Election day pay is $175 to $275.

Polls are open 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. on election day. Check your precinct on My Voter Page or the County’s voting map; Bryan County has ten election day polling locations.

Register online, by mail, or in person at the Board of Elections office. You must be registered 30 days before an election to vote in it.

Official Bryan County results are published by the Georgia Secretary of State; your sample ballot is on My Voter Page. Reconciliation reports and audit notices are posted by the Board of Elections.

Any registered voter can vote by mail without giving a reason. Apply online or on paper up to 78 days before the election; the completed ballot must reach the Elections office by 7:00 p.m. on election night.

Early voting runs 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at the Harn Community Center in Pembroke and the Richmond Hill Recreation Complex, with Saturday voting for the general primary and general election.

Bryan County funds two public libraries in the Statesboro Regional Library System: Pembroke (1018 Camellia Drive) and Richmond Hill (9607 Ford Avenue). Any Georgia resident can get a free library card.

Bryan County runs two recreation branches: Hendrix Park in North Bryan (a recreation center, gym, two tennis courts, and 11 athletic fields) and Henderson Park and Timber Trail in South Bryan (three recreation centers, two gyms, four tennis courts, and 26 fields).

Senior Citizens Services runs centers in Pembroke and Richmond Hill with fitness and wellness programs, arts and crafts, games, outings, computer access, and nutritious meals, weekdays 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

Request a recreation center, gym, field, or pavilion at Hendrix Park (North Bryan) or Henderson Park and Timber Trail (South Bryan) at least seven business days before your event.

Coastal Regional Coaches is the public, reserve-ahead transit service for Bryan County and the coastal region: $3 per boarding within the county, weekdays 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Book by noon the day before.

Public Works maintains about 217 miles of paved and 107 miles of dirt county roads. Report potholes, dead animals, low limbs, damaged signs, and dirt road problems to the Administration Division.

The Public Works Stormwater Division maintains about 100 miles of canals and ditches. Report flooding or drainage maintenance problems to the Administration Division.

Interactive maps for property, zoning, roads, flood information, voting precincts, and permits, plus printable storm surge, hurricane evacuation, and residential development maps.

Bryan County residents age 21 and older apply through the Probate Court. A new license is $79.00 and a renewal is $30.00; licenses are valid for five years.

The Clerk of Superior Court accepts passport applications by appointment. Bring the completed DS-11, proof of citizenship, a photo, and identification.

Notary applications are completed online through the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority and finished with the Clerk of Superior Court.

The most-used County forms in one place: board and committee applications, water service start/stop, waste service requests, jury duty excuses, volunteer and coaching applications.

The Probate Judge is the county’s vital records registrar and can issue certified copies of Georgia birth, death, and marriage records to people authorized to receive them.

Bryan County residents can get a new or replacement disabled parking placard at either Tax Commissioner office with a form MV-9D signed by a licensed practitioner.

Apply online, then both applicants visit the Probate Court in Pembroke or Richmond Hill with photo ID. The license costs $77, or $37 with premarital counseling.

Dogs and cats four months and older must have a pet license and a current rabies vaccination. Get the license from a participating vet or at a County customer service office for $5.00 to $15.00.

Deeds, liens, plats, and UCC filings are recorded by the Clerk of Superior Court’s Real Estate Division. Most recordings cost $25.00; real estate records can be searched online.

A business operating under a name other than its registered name files a trade name registration with the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where it is located.

Renew your tag online through Georgia DRIVES, at a self-service kiosk, by mail, or in person. Registrations are due by your birthday; late penalties start the next business day.

Submit an open records request through the County’s JustFOIA portal and track its status there. The County Clerk is the Open Records Officer for the County and its departments.

The Tax Commissioner is the local tag agent for Georgia titles and registrations. Bring the title paperwork, your Georgia ID, and proof of insurance; title work is not accepted after 4:45 p.m.

License plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle. Move a plate to your new vehicle for $5.00, or cancel it online when you sell without replacing.

Every business in unincorporated Bryan County needs a current business license. Apply online through the County’s licensing portal; the application fee is $150 for commercial and $75 for home-based businesses, plus the annual occupation tax.

Selling alcohol in unincorporated Bryan County requires an Alcohol Beverage License under the County’s 2022 alcohol ordinance. Apply online; the advertising and investigation fees and the annual license fee are due with the application.

See open positions and apply through ADP Workforce Now, Bryan County’s hiring system. Human Resources also accepts resumes by email for active positions.

Open invitations to bid and requests for proposals, with their documents, closing dates, and contacts, are posted on the Bids and RFPs page.

Business licenses expire December 31. Renew online from mid-October; renewals completed after February 1 pay a 1.5% penalty per month, and after July 31 a new application is required.