9 permits · verified 2026-10-02
What permits do you need to open a retail store in Cobb County?
In short
A retail store in Cobb County, GA has 2 permits that apply to every business of this type, plus 7 more that depend on your premises, signage or how you are set up. Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division charges $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge for the articles of incorporation. 4 of the 9 are charged as a range or formula rather than a flat fee. Verified 2026-10-02 against the issuing agencies’ published fee schedules.
Permits particular to a retail store in Cobb County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Alcoholic Beverage Licenseonly if it applies to you | Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency) | New application $600.00 (non-refundable); change-of-ownership application $300.00. Annual license fees, in addition to the Occupation Tax Certificate: Liquor $5,000.00 pouring / $5,000.00 package; Beer $600.00 pouring / $600.00 package; Wine $600.00 pouring / $600.00 package; Sunday Sales $1,000.00 pouring / $500.00 package; Corkage (pouring only) $100.00; Catering (pouring only) $2,000.00. Pool tables on the premises require a separate business-license application and a $110.00 regulatory fee. A 3% tax on the price of spirituous-liquor drinks sold by the drink is remitted monthly by the 20th. | annual | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
Local permits that apply to every type of business in Cobb County
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building Permit / Land Disturbance Permitonly if it applies to you | Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections Division | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | per project | 2026-10-02 |
| Occupation Tax Certificate / Business License | Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency) | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | annual, calendar year | 2026-10-02 |
| Onsite Sewage Management (Septic) Permitonly if it applies to you | Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental Health | Varies — formula on the Cobb County page | per project | 2026-10-02 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
GA registrations that apply to every type of business
| Permit | Issuing agency | Fee | Renews | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration | Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division | No fee | no renewal — valid until cancelled, suspended or revoked | 2026-09-03 |
| General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | No fee | set by the issuing city or county, usually annual | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Incorporationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Articles of Organization (LLC)only if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $110 one-time — $100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge | no expiry, but an annual registration is due each year | 2026-09-03 |
| Annual Registrationonly if it applies to you | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division | $60 a year — $50 plus a $10 service charge; $40 for a nonprofit | annual — filed between 1 January and 1 April | 2026-09-03 |
Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.
How much does it actually cost to permit a retail store in Cobb County?
There is no single figure, and any site quoting one is rounding away the part that matters. Of the 9 records listed for a retail store in Cobb County, GA, 2 apply to every business of this type and 7 are conditional. Adding every fee on the page together would overstate what most operators pay, because it would include permits they never need.
4 of the 9 are charged as a range or a formula set by the issuing agency, and 2 have no fee published at all. The ones particular to this business that vary:
County Alcoholic Beverage License: New application $600.00 (non-refundable); change-of-ownership application $300.00. Annual license fees, in addition to the Occupation Tax Certificate: Liquor $5,000.00 pouring / $5,000.00 package; Beer $600.00 pouring / $600.00 package; Wine $600.00 pouring / $600.00 package; Sunday Sales $1,000.00 pouring / $500.00 package; Corkage (pouring only) $100.00; Catering (pouring only) $2,000.00. Pool tables on the premises require a separate business-license application and a $110.00 regulatory fee. A 3% tax on the price of spirituous-liquor drinks sold by the drink is remitted monthly by the 20th.
The other 3 variable fees belong to permits that apply to every type of business here; their formulas are set out on the Cobb County permits page and the GA state page.
Which offices issue these permits in Cobb County?
Permits for a retail store in Cobb County, GA come from 5 separate offices: Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections Division, Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency), Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental Health, Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services Division, Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division. No single office issues them all, which is why an opening means filing in several places rather than one.
- Cobb County Community Development, Development & Inspections DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Building Permit / Land Disturbance Permitassets.cobbcounty.gov/files/2024-06/2024%20Fee%20Schedule%20Update_Final.pdf
- Cobb County Business License Division (Community Development Agency)Issues 2 permits on this page: Occupation Tax Certificate / Business License, County Alcoholic Beverage License1150 Powder Springs Street, Suite 400, Marietta, GA 30064 · 770-528-8410www.cobbcounty.gov/community-development/business-license
- Cobb & Douglas Public Health, Environmental HealthIssues 1 permit on this page: Onsite Sewage Management (Septic) Permitcobbanddouglaspublichealth.com/programs/environmental-health/food-service
- Georgia Department of Revenue, Taxpayer Services DivisionIssues 1 permit on this page: Sales and Use Tax Certificate of Registration1800 Century Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30345-3205 · (877) 423-6711gtc.dor.ga.gov
- Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations DivisionIssues 4 permits on this page: General Business License — Georgia state position (local occupation tax certificate), Articles of Incorporation, Articles of Organization (LLC), Annual Registration2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, Suite 313, Floyd West Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334-1530 · (404) 656-2817ecorp.sos.ga.gov
What does a retail store need in Cobb County that other businesses do not?
County Alcoholic Beverage License
A restaurant, coffee shop, retail store, or food-truck catering operation selling or serving alcohol in unincorporated Cobb County needs this license from the Business License Division, in addition to the separate state license described below. The application itself instructs: 'you must also contact the Cobb County Zoning Division at 770-528-2035 to verify that the proposed location is zoned for the type of business activity that you are proposing to conduct.' A location within 300 feet of a residence or 600 feet of a school, park, library, or church triggers an extended 12-to-16-week police investigation and Board of Commissioners review instead of the usual 4-to-6-week process; applicants must also advertise in the Marietta Daily Journal for two consecutive Fridays and obtain a certificate from a Cobb-approved RASS responsible-alcohol-sales workshop. Every employee who sells or serves alcohol must separately hold a work permit from the Cobb County Police Permits Unit (545 Fairground St., Unit 101, Marietta, 770-499-4408) under Code §6-207; no fee for that individual work permit is published in this application. All licensees must also hold the separate state alcohol license from the Georgia Dept. of Revenue and pay the federal Special Occupational Tax to the TTB. Code §6-147, despite its number appearing near the fee-bearing sections, governs only the License Review Board's hearing and appeal procedure, not a fee.
The other 3 local permits in the tables apply to every type of business in Cobb County, GA; what each one involves is set out on the Cobb County permits page. The 5 state-level registrations apply to every type of business across GA and are covered on the GA state page.
How does a retail store compare with other businesses in Cobb County?
The closest match is a coffee shop, which shares 1 of these permits. A coffee shop needs Food Service Permit, Food Service Permit and Certified Food Safety Manager, which a retail store does not.
| Business | Its own permits | Shared with a retail store | Only a retail store needs | Only it needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee shops | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Food trucks | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Restaurants | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Auto repair shops | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Childcare centres | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Contractors and trades | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Fitness studios | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Salons and barbers | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Veterinary clinics | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sources
Every figure for the permits explained on this page was read from one of these government pages on the date shown. Sources for the permits that apply to every type of business are listed on the Cobb County permits page and the GA state page. Confirmed by Editorial Team.
- Cobb County Alcoholic Beverage License Application, New Application/Change of Ownership, 03/2025Cobb County Business License Division · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
- Cobb County Community Development — Business License pageCobb County Community Development Agency · primary source · retrieved 2026-10-02
Related
Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.