DeKalb County Government

Overview DeKalb County is Georgia’s third largest county with approximately 700,000 residents calling it home. The geographical area of the County covers approximately a 271 mile radius consisting of a portion of Atlanta; the cities of Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Stone Mountain and Tucker; and several unincorporated areas. Four major interstat...es and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) are easily accessible for commuting. 

DeKalb is the headquarters of some of the county’s most prominent businesses and organizations including the Center for Disease Control, the only federal agency based outside of Washington, DC; the Yerkes Primate Center; American Cancer Society and Emory University’s Rollins Research Center. Emory University, one of the new Ivy League Schools of the South, and Agnes Scott College, a top women’s liberal arts college in the country, are located in DeKalb. 

DeKalb has emerged as one of Georgia’s most culturally diverse communities. More than 64 languages representing Asian, Hispanic, European and African cultures are spoken here. The County also has become a home for African, Iraqi and Latino asylum seekers displaced by war or turbulent political circumstances.

One of DeKalb’s most well-known attractions is Stone Mountain Park, home to the world’s largest free-standing piece of exposed granite and the world’s largest relief sculpture. Another natural attraction is Davidson Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, 2,000 acres of granite outcrop, wetlands, pine and oak forests, streams, and a lake.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the County’s top elected official. The County has 47 departments with most department heads reporting to the CEO through the Chief Operating Officer (COO).  Like other   county governments, there is a Board of Commissioners (BOC) that comprises the legislative branch, a court system that is the judicial branch, and other elected officials and constitutional officers.