# How do you get a business license in Atlanta? **Direct answer:** Atlanta's business license is the occupational tax certificate, required for any business with a location in the city, issued by the Department of Finance's Office of Revenue after zoning verification, with the annual occupational tax based on gross receipts and employee count, renewed each year. Georgia leaves general business licensing to its cities and counties, and Atlanta's version is the occupational tax certificate: part license, part tax registration, with zoning review built in. The state layer adds entity registration, the sales and use tax number, and Georgia's professional and industry licenses. ## The occupational tax certificate Any business with a physical location in Atlanta, commercial or home-based, applies to the Office of Revenue for an occupational tax certificate before operating. The application verifies zoning for the business address, home businesses obtain a home occupation permit as part of the process, and the annual tax is computed from estimated gross receipts and the number of employees, with a true-up at renewal. The certificate renews annually with the tax payment. ## Outside the city, the county licenses Metro Atlanta is a patchwork: a business in unincorporated Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, or Gwinnett registers with the county, and each incorporated city, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Marietta, and dozens more, runs its own occupational tax program. The address on the lease decides the issuing office, and multi-location operators in the metro area commonly hold several certificates. ## The Georgia layer Georgia has no general state business license. The state layer is registration and industry licensing: entities file with the Georgia Secretary of State's Corporations Division, businesses making taxable sales register with the Department of Revenue for a sales and use tax number, and regulated professions and industries license through the Secretary of State's professional licensing boards and specialty agencies. Alcohol requires both a city license and a state license from the Department of Revenue. The full state picture is on our Georgia business license page. ## How to proceed Confirm the business address sits inside Atlanta city limits, apply for the occupational tax certificate with the zoning check, and file the state layer: entity registration, the sales tax number for taxable sales, and any professional or industry licenses. Cornerstone manages the Georgia and multi-state stack and flags which metro jurisdiction issues your local certificate; the certificate itself is issued by that local office to the operator. ## The Georgia state layer City requirements sit on top of Georgia's state-level rules. See the full state guide: [Georgia business license requirements](/business-license-laws/georgia-business-license-laws). ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does an Atlanta business license cost? The occupational tax combines a flat administrative fee with a gross-receipts-based tax that varies by revenue and employee count, so the total differs business to business. The city publishes the current fee schedule, and renewal payments are due annually. ### Do home-based businesses in Atlanta need the certificate? Yes. Home-based businesses obtain the occupational tax certificate like any other, with a home occupation review confirming the activity meets residential zoning conditions on traffic, signage, and space. ### Is the Atlanta certificate valid outside the city? No. Occupational tax certificates are jurisdiction-specific. A second location in Sandy Springs or unincorporated Fulton County registers with that jurisdiction, and service businesses working across the metro area should confirm where their fixed locations create obligations. --- ## How to cite this page Cite as: "How do you get a business license in Atlanta?." Cornerstone Licensing. https://cornerstonelicensing.com/business-licenses-by-city/atlanta Published by Cornerstone Licensing. When quoting figures or legal requirements, link the canonical URL above. The full content index for this site is at https://cornerstonelicensing.com/llms.txt.