COURTHOUSE OFFICES WILL CLOSE THURSDAY AND REOPEN IN NEW LOCATIONS ON MONDAY

August 12, 2019

The Butts County Courthouse, located in downtown Jackson will be closing this week beginning on Thursday, August 15th to begin significant structural repairs and restoration. The first phase funded in this SPLOST cycle will be the removal of all non-original materials, including asbestos and added-on spaces from all floors of the building; pulling all electrical wiring from 1911 out and replacing it with a modern, code compliant electrical system; replacement of plumbing with code compliant water systems; installation of a new elevator and outfitting the building with modern heating and air conditioning systems as well as a fire suppression system. Finally, the basement and main floor levels will be restored to its original look and finishes. All of this is being paid for by the County’s special purpose local option sales tax, which the voters approved for this project in November of 2017. The county’s share is completely funded by motor fuel sales at local truck fueling centers located at the Interstate. No property taxpayer funds are being used in this construction project.

Effective Monday, August 19th, the Probate Court and Juvenile Court Offices will be relocated to the Butts County Courthouse Annex, located at the corner of Byars and South Mulberry Street. Court sessions will be held in the City of Jackson Court Building next door when scheduled. The Annex address is 206 S. Mulberry Street.

The Public Defender’s Office will be relocated to the store building directly behind the annex at the corner of Byars and South Oak Street.

The Superior Court, when scheduled, will be held at the Butts County Administration Building, located at 625 W. Third Street, Jackson. The judge’s offices will function out of the Lamar and Monroe County offices until space is prepared at the Administration Building. Other Superior Court functions currently with the Clerk of Superior Court will remain in their offices across the street from the County Courthouse.

During construction, the Courthouse will not be open to the public as it will be a construction zone. We hope to have this phase of rehabilitation completed in the third quarter of 2020 and be ready to open the building again as the new offices of the Butts County Development Authority, Chamber of Commerce, Visitor’s Center and Historical Society/Arts Council. The focus of the building will be geared towards tourism, economic and commercial development, as well as arts and history.

This move follows the mandate of the Grand Jury that the historic courthouse is no longer safe for, suitable or large enough for the number of courts we have today compared to 121 years ago when it was built. This move will preserve the building, restore it to its original interior beauty and make it a place for citizens and visitors to learn more about Butts County, including investment in future industrial, commercial and economic development. You can follow the progress of the interior rehabilitation on Twitter from the account @1898Courthouse or on Facebook at Historic Butts County Courthouse.