Utilities & Georgia Car Stuff

This morning proved to be the best four hours of annual leave used ever, to get all of this stuff out of the way in one fell swoop. Since I got possession of the home today, I definitely wanted to have all the utilities transferred over today to avoid any break in service. And it was about time I became an official Georgian.

Georgia Driver's License

The first thing to do was get my Georgia driver's license squared away since every other task today--specifically the car title registration--would be dependent on having a valid DL. There are five offices of the Georgia Department of Driver Services in the metro Atlanta area: Decatur-South DeKalb Mall, North Cobb-Canton Rd (Marietta), Lithonia, Lawrenceville, and Locust Grove.

I chose to visit the Decatur-South DeKalb Mall branch, which is literally inside the mall at 2801 Candler Road, Decatur, GA 30034. The office is open 7:30am-6:30pm M-F and 7:30am-12pm Saturdays. You can even make an appointment for certain types of transactions, like an out-of-state transfer (like me), but only between 9am and 2pm. Luckily, the lines aren't very long on an early Thursday morning.

The process is simple. You get in line for the receptionist who'll make sure you have all the documentation and forms you need. You then get a number and wait. To transfer my out-of-state DL for a Georgia DL, I needed my:

• Valid out-of-state DL
• Proof of Georgia residency (i.e., my settlement statement)
• Proof of identity (i.e., passport)
• Proof of U.S. citizenship (i.e., passport)
• SSN
• $20 in cash, credit, or check (for a 5-year DL; $35 for a 10-year DL).

After a quick eye exam, the mandatory bad photo shoot, and 45 minutes total, I had my Georgia DL in hand. I had also signed on as an organ donor and registered to vote.

Georgia Vehicle Registration (DeKalb County)

I then moved onto what I've been dreading...registering my car with DeKalb County. Georgia state laws and requirements surrounding car tags, titles, property (i.e., ad valorem) tax, emissions testing, etc. are REALLY confusing.

The Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division has all the general info, but the county tax commissioner's office is where you need to go register and so get more detailed info.

The DeKalb County Tax Commissioner is located at 4380 Memorial Drive, Decatur, Georgia 30032, and has a nice one-page checklist for new residents describing all the documentation they need. I've poured over this list for days and eventually just stuck all my documentation in a big sack because I didn't want to have to go back.

Good decision too. The lady at the counter must've liked me because I got it right on my first try. Sounds pretty rare. All my paperwork was in order, including:

• Proof of ownership of the vehicle (the list is confusing as all hell, so thank goodness I brought EVERYTHING. Since I bought my car new and am still paying off the loan, the title is held by the lien holder. So my proof was my original purchase agreement with the car dealership with the complete address of the dealership and lien holder [i.e., bank]), plus my current car registration)
• Proof of residency/non-residency (requires two forms of documentation from the list. I used my settlement statement and valid, current out-of-state registration)
• Valid GA DL
• Proof of GA liability insurance less than 30 days old
• Current vehicle mileage
• No emissions testing needed b/c my car is less than 3 years old
• Fees (debit, credit + $4 fee, in-state check)

The fees will depend on your registration period. In DeKalb County, registrations expire on your birthday and must be renewed during the 30-day period preceding and ending on your birthday. My birthday's in early December, so maybe there's a longer period for a first-time registration (or maybe the lady at the counter just liked me), but I lucked out and didn't have to pay a boatload of fees.

I was feeling so positive that I went ahead and got a special plate. The standard Georgia plate is pretty boring with a clipart peach. All special plates have manufacturing fees and possibly annual tag fees in addition to the standard annual $20 fee. Part of the fees go to the associated fund, charity, etc.

I chose the wildflower plate with a purple coneflower because it's really cute, and there's only a one-time $25 manufacturing fee, $24 of which goes to the Roadside Enhancement and

Beautification Fund. Best value. :)

Utilities

• Power - Georgia Power pretty much covers all of this area, so I just called their residential customer service to set up (1-800-660-5890). Simple. Well, should be simple, except that the rep I spoke with couldn't find my house in the system for some reason. Not helpful, so I called All Connect to get it done (1-866-377-7853), no problem. All Connects can set up all utilities for you with one call. Nice service.
• Gas - There are a number of natural gas companies in town, but I've decided to go with Gas South. Signed up online and got a $40 credit (if sign up by Nov. 5).
• Water - I had to physically go to the DeKalb County Finance, Treasury and Accounting Services at 1300 Commerce Drive, Decatur, GA 30030 to set this one up. Not bad. Just needed my settlement statement, picture ID, application form, and certificate of compliance. In an effort to conserve water, any properties in DeKalb County built prior to 1993 must now be retrofit with low-flow plumbing fixtures. My home inspector was able to sign off on this certificate for me so I could turn my water on!