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Upson County approves special exception for private family cemetery on Jugtown Road
Summary
The Upson County Board of Commissioners approved a special-exception permit allowing a 0.9-acre private family cemetery on a 112.5-acre AR‑zoned parcel at 957 Jugtown Road, with conditions including a recorded affidavit and plat notation; county staff and the planning commission recommended approval.
The Upson County Board of Commissioners on March 25 approved a special-exception request allowing a private family cemetery on a 112.5-acre parcel at 957 Jugtown Road.
County staff recommended approval of Special Exception SPX252025-01 after the planning commission voted 4–0 to recommend the permit with conditions. The proposed cemetery footprint is 200 feet by 200 feet (0.9 acres) in the north-central portion of the property and is not visible from Jugtown Road, staff said.
Doug, a county planning staffer, told commissioners the proposal falls under the AR zoning district and the county’s special-exception standards and that most impacts would be minimal because the site is a small, family cemetery. The planning commission recommended several conditions, including that state cemetery regulations be followed, an affidavit of burial be filed within three months of the first burial, and that the plat and deed be updated to note the cemetery’s existence.
Applicant Jason Patterson described the site as a remote hollow behind a tree line in the northeast corner of the property and said the family wants only a private family cemetery. Patterson said the access would be handled by an access easement and that the cemetery would not create a separate lot.
Commissioners discussed tax implications. Chairman Brew and commissioners noted that in Georgia a parcel with a burial can be eligible for tax exemption but that exemption must be applied for to the tax assessor and is not automatic; the county staff and applicant said the assessor’s office would evaluate any exemption request and that the county’s practice is to mark taxable components without creating a separate parcel deed for features such as cell-tower footprints.
Commissioner Watson moved to approve SPX252025-01 with the recommended conditions; Commissioner Jones seconded. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor.
The motion includes conditions specified by staff and the planning commission: compliance with state cemetery regulations, a recorded affidavit of burial within three months after the first burial, and notation of the cemetery on the current plat and deed to preserve its identification for the future. The county also requested that the family maintain the cemetery.
