Chatham County

Fire Protection in Unincorporated Chatham County

Protecting what matters.

Properties Protected

Contract Amount

The Basics

For the past two years, Chatham County officials and Chatham Emergency Services representatives have been meeting to discuss how best to provide fire protection services in unincorporated Chatham County. These conversations became necessary due to non-payment of the annual fire subscription fee by property owners, resulting in funding challenges for the fire department.

To understand what level of services residents wanted from their fire department, Chatham County Commissioners held Town Hall meetings and launched a community survey. The responses told us that most citizens were satisfied with the level of services being provided and thought the costs were reasonable. However, the fire department's revenue matter remained since almost 1/3 of property owners were not paying the annual subscription fee.

The Board of Commissioners heard you. In December 2021, the Board approved a contract with Chatham Emergency Services to provide the necessary fire protection. What does this mean for you? If you live in unincorporated Chatham County and were previously billed by Chatham Emergency Services for a fire subscription fee, you will no longer receive a bill from them and instead be billed a Fire Service Fee by Chatham County to cover the cost of the $13 million contract.

Understanding What People Wanted

Chatham County Commissioners held Town Hall meetings and launched a community survey.

The Board of Commissioners Heard You

The Board approved a contract with Chatham Emergency Services to provide the necessary fire protection.

Unincorporated Chatham County Fire Fee Rates

Fire Fee Chart

What is improved property.  House, garage, shed, gazebo, deck, etc.
Fee example.  1500 square foot house + 250 sqft. single car garage + 200 sqft. shed + land($100 flat fee) = $225

The Calculation

The fee will be based on the square footage of your improved property, which includes all structures that could catch fire and burn and a flat fee for land. The square footage for each property will be obtained from the Chatham County Board of Assessors.

The math is simple. Here is an example of how the fee will be calculated based on the most common building square footage category. There is a flat fee of $100 for all land, plus the calculated fee for structure(s) on the property. Therefore, if you have a 1500 square foot home with a single car garage, which is approximately 250 square feet and a 10 x 20 storage area or shed that is 200 square feet, your total square foot for the structure is 1950. Based on your 1950 square foot structure(s), the fee is $125, plus a $100 fee for land, your total fire service fee would be $225.

Fire Service Fee bills will not be mailed prior to October 2022. For more information, please check out the FAQ section. If you do not find the answer to your question, you can use the Contact Us Form.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not find the answer to your question, you can use the Contact Us Form.

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Fire Fee Lookup

Use the link below to look up a fee by parcel (pin) or address


Contact

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