Gilmer County, Georgia · Ellijay
Water spreading, a burst pipe, sewage, mold or smoke? Call to be connected with a restoration company that serves Ellijay, East Ellijay and Cherry Log. Start the steps below while you wait.
Answered 24/7 by a participating local provider. We're a referral service and don't do the work ourselves. How it works
Start here
Pick the closest match. These steps limit the damage and protect your insurance claim. Skip anything that isn't safe.
Gilmer County averages 9 nights a year at 20°F or colder, mostly December to February, and 6% of its homes predate 1960.
Heavy rain days of an inch or more come about 17.3 times a year here, most often in February. A sump pump that hasn't run since last season is a common weak point.
Backups often follow heavy rain, which Gilmer County gets about 17.3 days a year, when storm water overloads sewer mains and pushes up through the lowest drain in the house.
In Gilmer County, 4.6 inches fell on the wettest day of the 2015–2024 record. Storms like that, and ice dams in snowy winters, cause most roof leaks.
42% of occupied homes in Gilmer County heat mainly with wood or propane, above the Georgia county median of 7.1%.
With 34 muggy nights a year, mold in Gilmer County can appear within days of a leak. Dry first, then clean.
Local risk profile
About 32,426 people live in Gilmer County, 426 square miles in northwest Georgia, in roughly 18,507 homes. The county seat is Ellijay, and East Ellijay and Cherry Log round out the largest towns. Much of its housing is recent, with a median build year of 1998.
57/100 Water Damage Risk Index: Elevated Gilmer County ranks 48 of 159 Georgia counties. See the statewide ranking and method.The three factors where Gilmer County ranks highest compared with other Georgia counties.
Gilmer County gets more hard-freeze nights than most of Georgia. In the 2015–2024 record the county logged about 9 nights a year at or below 20°F (4th of 159) and 68 below freezing. Twenty degrees is roughly where uninsulated pipes start to freeze.
On December 24, 2022 the low fell to about 0°F, and in the stretch ending January 2017 the county went 3 days in a row below freezing. Leaks from split pipes typically appear the day the thaw arrives.
Most freezing nights fall from December to February, peaking in January. Disconnect garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots before the first hard frost, and keep the heat at 55°F or higher if you'll be away.
Freezing nights typically start around Nov 3 and end around Apr 5.
Heavy rain is a bigger factor here than in most of Georgia. About 17.3 days a year bring an inch or more (6th of 159), most often in February, out of 66.4 inches of total precipitation. On March 26, 2021, 4.6 inches fell in a single day. The worst three-day stretch dropped 7.17 inches, ending September 28, 2024, the kind of soaking that overwhelms sump pumps and storm sewers.
About 66 days a year swing from below freezing at night to above freezing by day. Those freeze-thaw cycles feed ice dams on roofs, open cracks in foundations and driveways, and stress pipes that are already marginal.
Housing
16% of homes in Gilmer County predate 1980, below the Georgia county median of 38.4%, which ranks 151st of Georgia's 159 counties.
Growth since 2000 added 46% of today's homes. In houses that new, the weak points are washing machine hoses, ice maker lines, water heaters and sump pumps rather than the pipes in the walls.
The 1980s and 1990s account for 39% of the county's homes. If yours is from those decades, look under the sinks and at the water heater for gray plastic pipe stamped PB, which is polybutylene and leak-prone.
14% of homes are manufactured or mobile homes, below the Georgia county median of 20.9%. Their water lines run under the floor behind the skirting, so a torn skirt or failed heat tape freezes them faster than lines in a site-built house.
The Census counted 30% of homes as vacant, above the Georgia county median of 14%. Empty houses are where a small leak turns into a large claim, because nobody is there to hear it.
Beyond water
Summer nights that don't drop below 65°F, a good marker of humid air, come about 34 times a year here, below the Georgia county median of 112. Mold grows when indoor humidity stays above about 60%, the EPA's ceiling. A basement dehumidifier set to 50% and drying anything wet within 24 to 48 hours prevents most problems.
Mold remediation: what to expectHeating fuel matters for fire risk. In Gilmer County it's 11% utility gas, 45% electric, 38% propane and 3% wood. Wood and propane heat are above the Georgia norm. Annual chimney and vent inspection, which the NFPA recommends, is one of the most effective fire-prevention habits for these homes.
Fire and smoke cleanup: first stepsCoverage
Calls connect to restoration companies that work across Gilmer County. The largest communities by population:
Population from ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Townships and unincorporated areas are covered too.
Nearby
Fannin gets more pipe-freeze nights than Gilmer. It also has the most heavy-rain days in its area. Fannin County has the oldest housing nearby, with 26% of homes built before 1980.
By the numbers
| Factor | Gilmer | Georgia median | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 6.3% | 15% | 141 of 159 |
| Homes built before 1980 | 16% | 38% | 151 of 159 |
| Homes built 2000 or later | 46% | 27% | 15 of 159 |
| Manufactured or mobile homes | 14% | 21% | 106 of 159 |
| Vacant homes | 30% | 14% | 11 of 159 |
| Wood or propane heat | 42% | 7.1% | 3 of 159 |
| Nights at 20°F or colder | 9/yr | 2/yr | 4 of 159 |
| Days with 1 inch+ of rain | 17/yr | 12/yr | 6 of 159 |
| Freeze-thaw days | 66/yr | 29/yr | 4 of 159 |
| Muggy nights (65°F+) | 34/yr | 112/yr | 156 of 159 |
Rank 1 is the highest value. Bars run from the lowest to the highest Georgia county; the tick marks the median; orange means higher water damage risk than the median, green means lower.
Questions
Peak risk months in Gilmer County: freezing from December to February, heavy rain in January, February and December.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year estimates (2020-2024); weather from NOAA nClimGrid-Daily county averages (EpiNOAA), 2015–2024, averaged across the county; county boundaries from Census TIGER. Reviewed 2026-10-21. Methodology