Exhibit 31.1

                                 CERTIFICATIONS
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I, J. Philip Hester, Sr., President and C.E.O., certify that:

     1.   I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-QSB of Chestatee
          Bancshares, Inc.;

     2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
          statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
          necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances
          under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to
          the period covered by this report;

     3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
          information included in this report, fairly present in all material
          respects the financial condition, results of operations, and cash
          flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods
          presented in this report;

     4.   The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I are
          responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
          procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))
          for the small business issuer and have:

          (a)  Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
          disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
          supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the small
          business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiary, is made known
          to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period
          in which this report is being prepared;

          (b)  Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
          disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our
          conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
          procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based
          on such evaluation; and

          (c)  Disclosed in this report any change in the small business
          issuer's internal control over financial reporting that occurred
          during the small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter that has
          materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
          small business issuer's internal control over financial reporting; and

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     5.   The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I have
          disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control
          over financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and
          the audit committee of the small business issuer's board of directors:

          (a)  All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
          design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which
          are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuer's
          ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
          information; and

          (b)  Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
          other employees who have a significant role in the small business
          issuer's internal control over financial reporting.


August 14, 2003

                                   /s/ J. Philip Hester, Sr.
                                   -------------------------
                                   J. Philip Hester, Sr., President and C.E.O.
                                   (Principal Executive Officer)

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