16 published records
Business licenses and permits in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta spans both Fulton and DeKalb counties, each running its own separate food establishment permitting program with its own fee table. The City's building and permitting fee pages were reorganized and do not publish current dollar figures.
What are you opening in Atlanta?
- RestaurantsFull-service restaurants carry the densest permit load of any small business: food, fire, occupancy, waste, and usually alcohol.See the full permit list
- Coffee shopsCafés are permitted as food service establishments even where no cooking happens, and the plan review step catches most operators by surprise.See the full permit list
- Retail storesRetail is the lightest common permit load, but the sales tax permit and the certificate of occupancy are non-negotiable in every jurisdiction.See the full permit list
- Salons and barbersPersonal care is licensed at state board level as well as locally, so the shop license and the practitioner licenses are separate obligations.See the full permit list
- Food trucksMobile food is the one category with no certificate of occupancy — but it gains a commissary agreement, and the unit itself is inspected rather than the premises.See the full permit list
- Fitness studiosPrepaid memberships trigger state registration and often a surety bond, which catches operators who budgeted only for the fit-out.See the full permit list
- Childcare centresThe heaviest permit load of any small business: state agency licensing, per-person background checks, and a stricter fire standard than ordinary commercial use.See the full permit list
- Contractors and tradesLicensed at state board level rather than locally, and the only common category with no premises permits at all — the bond is usually the long pole.See the full permit list
- Auto repair shopsOrdinary commercial permitting plus an environmental layer: waste oil, solvents and stormwater are each registered separately.See the full permit list
- Veterinary clinicsA state facility permit, controlled substances registration at both state and federal level, and a medical waste manifest — none of which a general business license covers.See the full permit list
Permits that apply to every type of business in Atlanta
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupation Tax Certificate | City of Atlanta Department of Finance, Office of Revenue | A flat $50 tax on the first $10,000 of gross receipts, plus a rate set by business classification on receipts above that, plus $25 per employee beyond the first (which is exempt), plus a $191 annual registration fee for the current tax year, plus a $50 zoning review fee on new applications or location changes. | annual — must be renewed by February 15 | 2026-09-04 |
| Building Permit (Commercial Construction and Alterations)only if it applies to you | City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (Office of Buildings; vending program) | A $175 non-refundable minimum initial application fee, plus a building permit fee based on the valuation of the work under Building Code Amendments §104.2 (ICC Table 100 building valuation data); 50% of the estimated total permit fee is paid when plans are submitted for review | expires if work is not started within six months of issuance or is abandoned for six months | 2026-10-09 |
| Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to you | City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (Office of Buildings; vending program) | $100 per story for a tenant build-out of an interior commercial space; $200 for a new one-story commercial building, plus $200 for each added floor up to seven stories, and $300 per floor at eight stories or more; temporary and permanent certificates are each a separate fee | one-time | 2026-10-09 |
| Sign Permitonly if it applies to you | City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (Office of Buildings; vending program) | Wall sign: $150 minimum plus $1 per square foot of sign area; freestanding or shopping-centre sign: $450 minimum plus $1 per square foot; portable sign: $75 | one-time | 2026-10-09 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
What do these permits involve in Atlanta?
Occupation Tax Certificate
The $191 registration fee is a recent increase — the city charged $75 for tax year 2025 and prior. Missing the February 15 renewal deadline draws a flat $500 penalty, and unpaid balances accrue 1.5% monthly interest after April 1, plus a further 10% penalty after June 30.
Building Permit (Commercial Construction and Alterations)
Figures are from the City's Building Code Amendments in the Code of Ordinances. §104.1(b) (Ord. 2025-07, 2-17-25): 'A nonrefundable minimum initial permit application fee of $175.00 shall be imposed for all building permit applications accepted for review.' §104.1(c)(i): applicants pay 50% of the total building permit fee, based on the cost of construction, when submitting for plan review. §104.2 (Ord. 2017-33, 6-28-17) values new work from ICC Table 100 (February 2009 data printed in the code); interior alterations without engineered structural work are valued at a minimum of 20%, and with structural engineering 40%, of new construction value. §104.2 also sets a $50.00 re-inspection fee, a $50.00 fee to change the contractor of record, double fees for work begun without a permit (penalty portion capped at $1,000.00), and MEP permits at a $150.00 minimum plus $150.00 for each additional trade.
Certificate of Occupancy
Building Code Amendments §104.8(a): no new building 'shall be occupied or used, in whole or in part, until a Certificate of Occupancy shall have been issued by the Director', and §104.8(c) applies the same rule to a building altered so as to change its occupancy classification. Fees are from §104.2(h) (Ord. 2017-33, 6-28-17): 'New commercial building of one story shall be $200.00'; over one story but under eight stories '$200.00 plus $200.00 per additional floor or portion thereof'; eight stories or higher '$300.00 per floor'; 'Tenant build-out for interior commercial spaces shall be $100 per story or portion thereof'. Temporary and permanent certificates 'are each a separate fee', and a duplicate certificate costs $50.00.
Sign Permit
Fees are from Building Code Amendments §104.2(o) (Ord. 2017-33, 6-28-17): wall signs 'Minimum fee of $150.00 plus $1.00 per square foot of sign area'; freestanding signs 'Minimum fee of $450.00 plus $1.00 per square foot of sign area'; 'Shopping center signs shall be charged at the same rate as freestanding signs'; 'Portable signs—$75.00'. A second sign of the same type reviewed on the same application is charged only the per-square-foot amount. All sign permit fees are payable on application and non-refundable, and a sign erected without a permit is charged double (penalty portion capped at $1,000.00, §104.2(g)). The fee does not decide whether a sign is allowed under the City's Sign Ordinance.
Sources
Every figure in the table above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.
- City of Atlanta — occupation tax certificate, flat tax, per-employee fee and annual registration feeCity of Atlanta Office of Revenue · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-04
- Atlanta Building Code Amendments Section 104 (permits, fees, certificate of occupancy), Part III Appendix ACity of Atlanta / Municode · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-09
Who issues business permits in Atlanta?
Permitting in Atlanta is split across 8 agencies we hold records for, with tax registration handled at state level. No single office issues everything, which is why an opening usually means filing in several places rather than one.
Atlanta issuing agencies
- Atlanta Police Department, License and Permits UnitAlcoholic beverage licenses · Gymnasium and health club licenses · Private-property vending permits · License Review Board applications4 permits
- City of Atlanta Department of City Planning (Office of Buildings; vending program)Building permits · Certificates of occupancy · Sign permits · Contractor registration · Public right-of-way vending program4 permits
- Atlanta Fire Rescue Department, Office of the Fire MarshalFire safety inspections of existing occupancies · Fire operational permits2 permits
- City of Atlanta Department of Finance, Office of RevenueOccupation tax certificate2 permits
- Atlanta Department of TransportationRight-of-way dining permits1 permit
- City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, Grease Management ProgramFood service wastewater discharge (grease trap) permits1 permit
- DeKalb Public Health, Environmental Health DivisionFood establishment permitting, DeKalb County side of Atlanta · Certified food safety manager training1 permit
- Fulton County Board of Health, Environmental Health ServicesFood establishment permitting, Fulton County side of Atlanta1 permit
Other Georgia jurisdictions we cover
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.