Upson County

What Upson County does

Upson County, Georgia is a political subdivision of the State of Georgia, established on December 15, 1824, from land acquired through the Treaty of Indian Springs (1821). Governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners led by Chairman Dan Brue, with County Manager Lonnie Joyce overseeing operations, the county serves approximately 27,000 residents across 326 square miles in West Central Georgia, with Thomaston as the county seat and The Rock and Yatesville as additional incorporated areas. The entity operates 11 documented departmental offices including utilities, tax collection and assessment, sheriff, emergency management, road department, animal control, archives, recreation, airport, and senior services.

The county's core product is the unified delivery of essential public services, presented through a single civic engagement portal at upsoncountyga.org built on CivicPlus CMS. Functional modules include water and sewer utilities (with publicly tiered subscription and usage-based pricing), property tax assessment and collection, motor vehicle registration, building and zoning permitting, voter registration and election services, animal control and shelter operations, emergency management and 911 dispatch, solid waste coordination via GFL Environmental, senior center programs, and recreation facilities anchored by Sprewell Bluff Park (12+ miles of Flint River trails with campgrounds). Digital services include an online e-payment platform and a Notify Me email/text alert system.

Revenue mechanics are tax- and fee-based: property and ad valorem taxes form the primary stream, supplemented by water/sewer utility charges (water base $23.00/month plus tiered usage from $4.50 to $5.75 per 1,000 gallons; sewer base $4.20/month plus tiered usage from $6.30 to $8.05), licensing and permit fees (beer/wine licenses, building permits), court fees, animal shelter fees, recreation fees, and bulk trash pickup service fees. Customer segments are entirely geographic: county residents, local businesses, and property owners within the jurisdiction, with no ability to export services outside county boundaries. A notable economic development signal is the April 2024 announcement of Brightmark LLC's planned $950 million circularity center in Thomaston.

Name

Upson County

Legal name

Upson County, GA

Website

https://upsoncountyga.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1824

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Upson County is a Georgia county government (est. 1824) serving approximately 27,000 residents across 326 square miles in West Central Georgia. It delivers monopoly essential public services including utilities, tax collection, law enforcement, emergency management, permitting, and recreation through county departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Services

NAICS

Other General Government Support (92119), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Administration of Economic Programs (9261), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Refuse Systems (4953), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works Departments (Streets, Bridges, Stormwater, Fleet, Maintenance) (BPAIALAD), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

Keywords

• County government services
• Water and sewer utilities
• Property tax assessment
• Public safety services
• Parks and recreation

Headquarters

HQ city

Thomaston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Property and Ad Valorem Taxes: County government derives revenue primarily from property taxes and other ad valorem taxes assessed on real property within the county.
2. Utility Services Revenue: Revenue from water, sewer, and sanitation services provided to residents and businesses. Water base rate is $23.00 plus usage charges per 1,000 gallons. Sewer charges range from $4.20 base plus usage fees.
3. Licensing and Permit Fees: Revenue from various licenses including beer and wine licenses, building permits, and other regulatory permits.
4. Service Fees: Fees for various county services including court fees, animal shelter fees, recreation fees, and bulk trash pickup services provided by GFL Environmental.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Upson County Government delivers essential local government services to county residents and businesses, including municipal water and sewer utilities, property tax assessment and collection, law enforcement, emergency management, animal control, solid waste collection, building and zoning permits, recreational parks, senior services, and voter registration. Revenue is generated through property/ad valorem taxes, utility billing, and licensing/permit fees.

Product overview

Upson County, Georgia operates a single unified government services platform (upsoncountyga.org) built on the CivicPlus CMS, offering residents access to county services through multiple integrated modules. The platform provides core services including water/utilities management, tax collection, recreation facilities (notably Sprewell Bluff Park), animal control, emergency management, senior services, building/zoning permits, solid waste management, election services, and online payment processing. The portfolio operates as a single integrated civic engagement portal rather than separate products, with each department (Utilities, Tax, Recreation, Emergency Services, etc.) providing department-specific functionality within the unified platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water & Sewer Utilities Services Municipal water and sewer services including billing, rate management, and utility account services for Upson County residential and commercial customers. Water base rate is $23.00 plus usage tiers ($4.50 to $5.75 per 1,000 gallons); sewer base charge is $4.20 plus usage tiers ($6.30 to $8.05 per 1,000 gallons).
• Tax Services Property tax assessment and collection services including motor vehicle registration through the Tax Commissioner and Tax Assessor departments of Upson County.
• Sprewell Bluff Park A 12+ mile trail park along the Flint River offering camping, hiking, fishing, paddling, and nature-based recreational activities at 700 Sprewell Bluff Road, Thomaston, GA.
• Senior Center Services Recreation and social services for senior citizens including arts, crafts, billiards, bingo, bridge, exercise classes, and meal programs at 302 S Bethel Street, Thomaston.
• Animal Control Services Animal shelter operations including stray animal control, adoptable pet services, and animal complaint handling at the Upson County Animal Shelter, 2371 Yatesville Highway, Thomaston.
• Emergency Management Services Emergency planning, preparedness, and coordination services including the Emergency Operations Center for disaster response, serving both Thomaston and the broader Upson County.
• Building, Zoning, and Code Enforcement Building permits, zoning enforcement, code compliance, and land development services administered by Upson County Community Development.
• Solid Waste and Bulk Pickup Services Trash collection services including bulk pick-up (available once per month at no charge for existing GFL customers) and transfer station access for Upson County residents, delivered through partner GFL Environmental.
• Voter Registration and Election Services Voter registration, election management, absentee voting, and election results reporting administered by the Upson County Elections office.
• Sheriff and Law Enforcement Services Law enforcement, patrol, and jail operations for Upson County provided by the Sheriff's Office at 235 Aviation Drive, Thomaston, GA.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Brightmark LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2024Brightmark LLC announced plans to develop a $950 million circularity center in Thomaston, Georgia (Upson County). The project aims to recycle over 400,000 tons of plastic annually, process mixed plastic waste streams, create new products, and promote regional economic growth and environmental sustainability. This represents a significant economic development partnership for Upson County.
• GFL EnvironmentalcoreOthersGFL Environmental provides solid waste collection services for Upson County. The company handles residential trash pickup, bulk trash pickup services, and manages the Thomaston Transfer Station. Bulk pickups are scheduled through GFL and are available once per month at no charge for existing GFL customers.
• Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority works with Upson County on economic development initiatives, business recruitment, and industrial development projects within the county. The authority is listed as a helpful link on the county's website and is part of the county's economic development ecosystem.
• Georgia State Agencies (Various)coreOthersUpson County coordinates with multiple Georgia state agencies including: Department of Natural Resources (Wildlife Resources Division), Department of Family & Children's Services, Health Department (District 4 Public Health), Georgia Forestry Commission, Department of Behavioral Health, and Georgia Department of Driver Services for various county services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spalding County, Georgia: Neighboring Georgia county of comparable rural character and population (~67k residents), providing the same mix of utilities, law enforcement, tax collection and road maintenance. Direct functional peer for service-delivery model benchmarking.
• Lamar County, Georgia: Adjacent West Central Georgia county with similar population scale (~18k), county seat (Barnesville), and dependence on water/sewer utilities and property tax revenue. Closest direct peer by geography and operational scale.
• Pike County, Georgia: Direct parent county of Upson (created in 1824 from Pike and Crawford) with similarly small population (~19k), rural tax base, and reliance on county-administered utilities. Highly relevant for comparative unit-cost analysis.
• Monroe County, Georgia: West Central Georgia peer county (~28k residents) with overlapping service portfolio (utilities, sheriff, tax, recreation). Comparable in scale and in pursuit of industrial recruitment, making it a strong benchmark for Brightmark-style economic development outcomes.
• Butts County, Georgia: Adjacent Georgia county (~25k residents) operating the same service mix including water utilities, sheriff's office, tax commissioner and recreation authority. Useful peer for staffing and budget benchmarking.
• Crawford County, Georgia: Other parent county of Upson, with similarly small rural population (~12k) and limited industrial base. Provides a like-for-like comparator on per-resident cost of service delivery.
• Meriwether County, Georgia: West Central Georgia peer with a similar rural, low-density profile (~21k residents) and overlapping county service portfolio. Comparable in tax-base composition and infrastructure maintenance burden.

Others

• GFL Environmental: Upson County's solid waste services vendor, providing residential trash collection, bulk pickup and Thomaston Transfer Station operations. Included as an ecosystem partner rather than a peer entity.
• CivicPlus: Technology vendor providing the content management system underlying upsoncountyga.org. Relevant as the digital-services infrastructure provider enabling online payments, alerts and resident engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Fulton County, Georgia: Largest county in Georgia with the same general-purpose county government functions at vastly greater scale. Useful as a broad-incumbent benchmark for the upper bound of service portfolio scope a county entity can operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UpsonCountyGovt
• Facebookfacebook.com/upsoncountygovernment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upson-county-government
• Instagraminstagram.com/upson_county_government

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Upson County