Chatham County Georgia Government: Structure and Services

Chatham County is the fifth most populous county in Georgia, anchoring the Coastal Georgia region with Savannah as its county seat. The county operates under a commission-manager form of government, a structure that separates legislative authority from professional administrative management. This page covers the county's governing bodies, primary service departments, functional jurisdiction, and the boundaries that define where county authority ends and state or municipal authority begins.

Definition and Scope

Chatham County was established in 1777 as one of Georgia's original eight counties, named for William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham. It spans approximately 440 square miles and encompasses the City of Savannah alongside 11 other municipalities, including Garden City, Port Wentworth, and Pooler. The county's governing authority is the Chatham County Commission, composed of 8 commissioners representing single-member districts plus a commission chair elected at-large.

Scope of this reference: This page addresses county-level government structure and services within Chatham County's jurisdictional boundaries under Georgia law. It does not address municipal governments operating within the county, the Georgia state legislature, or federal agencies operating in the Savannah area. Functions administered by the Georgia Department of Revenue or Georgia Department of Public Health at the state level are separate from county operations, though county offices may serve as local delivery points for certain state programs.

For a broader orientation to Georgia's government framework, the Georgia Government Authority homepage provides statewide structural context.

How It Works

Chatham County operates under the commission-manager model codified through the county's home rule authority under the Georgia Constitution, Article IX. The County Manager, appointed by and accountable to the full commission, directs day-to-day administrative operations across all county departments. This separates policy-making (commission) from professional administration (manager), contrasting with a commission-executive model where an elected executive holds both administrative and some legislative functions.

The county's primary operational divisions include:

  1. County Manager's Office — Oversees budget preparation, departmental performance, and intergovernmental coordination.
  2. County Attorney — Provides legal counsel to the commission and all county departments.
  3. Finance Department — Manages the county's general fund, capital expenditures, and debt service obligations.
  4. Tax Commissioner — An independently elected constitutional officer responsible for property tax billing, collection, and motor vehicle registration under O.C.G.A. § 48-5-130.
  5. Clerk of Superior Court — An independently elected officer maintaining court records, real estate filings, and passport acceptance services.
  6. Sheriff — Chatham County Sheriff's Office operates under an independently elected constitutional officer, separate from the county manager's chain of command.
  7. Chatham County Public Works — Maintains county roads, stormwater infrastructure, and solid waste transfer operations.
  8. Chatham Emergency Management Agency — Coordinates with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency under the state's tiered emergency response structure.

The Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) serves as the joint planning agency for both Chatham County and the City of Savannah, administering zoning, land use, and comprehensive planning under a consolidated agreement — a structural arrangement specific to this county that does not apply to all Georgia counties.

Common Scenarios

Property tax inquiries: Property assessments in Chatham County are handled by the Board of Assessors, a separate appointed body. The Tax Commissioner collects taxes based on those assessments. Disputes over assessed value go to the Board of Equalization, not the Tax Commissioner's office.

Building permits and zoning: Unincorporated Chatham County residents apply for permits through the County's Building Safety and Regulatory Services division. Residents within Savannah's city limits apply through the City of Savannah's Metropolitan Planning Commission permit portal, not the county building department.

Voter registration and elections: Chatham County Board of Elections and Registration administers elections, candidate qualifying, and voter rolls. State-level election administration is coordinated through the Georgia Secretary of State under O.C.G.A. Title 21.

Public health services: The Chatham County Health Department operates under a contract with the Georgia Department of Public Health, District 9-2, delivering immunizations, environmental health inspections, and vital records services as a local delivery agent of state public health authority.

Indigent defense: The Chatham County Public Defender's Office provides court-appointed defense services in Superior, State, and Juvenile courts, funded through a combination of county appropriations and the Georgia Public Defender Council.

Decision Boundaries

County vs. municipal jurisdiction: Chatham County government directly administers services only in unincorporated areas for functions such as zoning, building permits, and road maintenance. Within Savannah's boundaries, the city government exercises those same functions independently. The county does administer countywide functions — the Tax Commissioner, Sheriff, Superior Court, Probate Court, and Magistrate Court — regardless of whether a resident lives in an incorporated or unincorporated area.

Constitutional officers vs. appointed departments: The Sheriff, Tax Commissioner, Clerk of Superior Court, Probate Judge, and Magistrate Court Judge are constitutional officers elected directly by Chatham County voters under the Georgia Constitution. These offices are not subordinate to the County Manager and cannot be restructured by commission vote alone. Appointed department heads — Public Works, Finance, Information Technology — serve at the manager's direction.

County vs. state authority: State agencies including the Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Department of Human Services, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation maintain field offices in Chatham County but operate under state authority and state appropriations, not county control. The county commission has no administrative authority over those offices.

Intergovernmental agreements: Chatham County maintains formal service-sharing agreements with the City of Savannah for the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Chatham Area Transit Authority (CAT). These joint entities have their own governing boards and are not solely accountable to either the county commission or Savannah's city council.

References