River and lake land

The Chattahoochee bisects Heard County from north to south, and in the southern part of the county it forms the northernmost section of West Point Lake. Heard's 2022 comprehensive plan notes that over half of the land along the river corridor is under Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction, and it commits the county to enforcing its Chattahoochee River protection ordinance.

A tract the family has always called river property may actually border federal land. Any dock, path, or clearing on Corps land depends on a permit held by the current owner, and it lapses at a sale. A survey that shows the Corps line answers more questions about what a buyer is getting than any description in the old deed.

Septic, storm history, and the 2026 property review

The county plan lists limited sewer capacity and the need to expand water and sewer among Heard's weaknesses. Rural houses run on septic tanks permitted through Heard County Environmental Health in Franklin, and some still draw from private wells.

The EF4 tornado that went on to strike Newnan touched down near the Texas community in Heard County late on March 25, 2021, and Heard was named in the federal disaster declaration that followed. If a roof, outbuilding, or stand of timber on your land took damage on that path and was never fully dealt with, we buy it that way.

In 2026 the Tax Assessor's Office began a countywide update in which field staff visit each property and photograph the front and rear of every structure; the county says the state requires this every three years. An addition, second mobile home, or new outbuilding the county never recorded may show up on the next assessment. That does not affect whether we can buy, only the tax figures prorated at closing.

Heard County property we buy

  • Pasture, woodland, and home sites, whether or not a house stands on them
  • River and West Point Lake tracts bordering Corps land
  • Mobile homes set on relatives' land, still titled or made part of the real estate
  • Farmhouses on wells and septic systems
  • Inherited land where several heirs need to sign
  • Houses and outbuildings with old storm or tree damage

Records, courts, and closing in Heard County

The county seat is Franklin, where the Clerk of Superior Court keeps the deed, security deed, and lien records and the Probate Court on East Court Square takes estate and will filings. Values and exemptions belong to the Board of Tax Assessors; bills, collections, and tax sale lists belong to the Tax Commissioner. Codes Enforcement works from the county administration building on Park Avenue. Your closing is conducted by a licensed Georgia attorney.

To get an offer on Heard County property, send the parcel number from the assessor's site and tell us whether a survey exists, whether the land touches the river or lake, whether any mobile home still has its own title, and how many heirs will sign. Those four answers decide most of the price and timeline here.

Frequently asked questions

Our land runs to the Chattahoochee. Do we own the riverbank?

Not necessarily. Much of the river corridor is Corps land. A survey or the assessor's map will show where your line actually falls.

Do you buy land with no house on it in Heard County?

Yes. Bare acreage is welcome, and so is a lot that only holds a mobile home.

The assessor's office photographed our house this year. Does that matter for a sale?

Only for taxes. If the value changes, the closing attorney prorates the bill between you and us.

Our parcel showed up on the Heard County tax sale list. Is a sale to you still possible?

Often, if there is time to close before the sale date, with the taxes and costs paid from the proceeds. If the sale has already happened, talk to a Georgia attorney about redemption right away.

Heard County property and court resources

Sources