Restaurant permits and licenses in Georgia

This is the filing that brings your restaurant into legal existence as an LLC or corporation. You complete it before nearly every other state account, because the sales tax, payroll, and labor registrations all ask for the entity name and control number this filing assigns.

Issued by

Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division

Fee

$100 online or $110 by mail, with optional expedited turnaround adding $100 to $1,000

Renewal

None (one-time)

Processing

About 7 business days online and up to 15 by mail, with expedited service as fast as one hour for an extra fee

Each year your entity confirms its current address, leadership, and registered agent with the Corporations Division to stay in good standing. Let the window close and the state can administratively dissolve the company, which quietly strips the liability protection you formed it for, so most operators set a calendar reminder for the spring deadline.

Issued by

Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division

Fee

$60 per year online, made up of a $50 filing fee and a $10 service charge; filing late adds a $25 penalty

Renewal

Annual, between January 1 and April 1 for LLCs (corporations file by March 1)

Processing

Processed the same day for a one-click online filing

Georgia requires this under O.C.G.A. 10-1-490 whenever a restaurant trades under any name other than the exact legal name on its Articles. The unusual part is the destination: it is filed with the county Clerk of the Superior Court, never the Secretary of State, and the registration has to be published in the county legal newspaper for two consecutive weeks before it counts.

Issued by

Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the restaurant chiefly operates (not the Secretary of State)

Fee

Around $150 to $210 in clerk filing fees set by each county, plus roughly $20 to $100 for the required legal-newspaper notice

Renewal

One-time; you only refile to change or cancel the name

Processing

The filing is quick, but it is not complete until the two-week newspaper notice runs, so the full process often takes several weeks

Every restaurant making taxable sales registers as a dealer with the Department of Revenue before it opens. Prepared meals are fully taxable at the 4 percent state rate, and county and city local-option taxes raise the combined rate charged at the register, so the rate you collect depends on where the restaurant sits. Keep the certificate posted on site.

Issued by

Georgia Department of Revenue (via the Georgia Tax Center)

Fee

$0 (free)

Renewal

None as long as you keep filing returns under the same ownership

Processing

Account number usually emailed within about 15 minutes of registering online through the Georgia Tax Center

The moment you put someone on payroll, you register to withhold Georgia income tax from their wages and remit it to the Department of Revenue on a schedule set by your volume. It is a separate account from your federal EIN and from the unemployment insurance number, even though all three get set up around the same first hire.

Issued by

Georgia Department of Revenue (via the Georgia Tax Center)

Fee

$0 (free)

Renewal

None; the account stays open while you have Georgia employees

Processing

Issued within minutes of registering online through the Georgia Tax Center

Restaurants with staff open a Department of Labor unemployment insurance account, which is distinct from the Revenue withholding number. In Georgia the employer alone funds this, with nothing taken from worker paychecks, and a fresh rate notice arrives by mail in late December. You file tax and wage reports each quarter once the account is active.

Issued by

Georgia Department of Labor

Fee

Free to register; contributions then apply on a $9,500 taxable wage base per employee, with new employers commonly assigned a rate near 2.7 percent until experience-rated

Renewal

One-time registration; the assigned rate is reset by the Department of Labor each year

Processing

Account number typically issued right after you register online

Rather than a card for every worker, Georgia leans on a trained supervisor. Rule 511-6-1 requires each restaurant to keep at least one Certified Food Safety Manager who has passed an ANAB-accredited exam, with certified coverage across operating hours. A new manager has to be in place within 60 days of a permit being issued or of the previous manager leaving, and the rule still expects every food employee to demonstrate safe-handling knowledge.

Issued by

An ANAB-accredited certification provider (such as ServSafe, Learn2Serve, or Prometric); the Georgia Department of Public Health mandates the credential but does not issue it

Fee

Priced by the private provider rather than the state, usually about $100 to $200 for the course and exam together; confirm current pricing with your ANAB-accredited provider

Renewal

Every 5 years

Processing

Depends on the provider, with exam results often posted online the same day

This is the health license a fixed restaurant cannot open without. Georgia writes one statewide rulebook on construction, sanitation, employee health, and manager coverage through DPH Rule 511-6-1, but the permit itself is reviewed, inspected, issued, and priced by the county Board of Health where your dining room sits. There is no flat state fee to pay; the number comes from your county.

Issued by

County Board of Health / Environmental Health office, under the statewide authority of O.C.G.A. Title 26 and DPH Rule 511-6-1

Fee

Set by each county Board of Health, commonly tiered by risk type and size of operation; confirm the current amount with your county Board of Health

Renewal

Annual

Processing

Varies by county; plan review and a pre-opening inspection must clear before the permit issues

Before you build out a new restaurant or substantially remodel an existing one, your floor plan, equipment list, and menu go to the county for review. Like the permit it leads to, this requirement is statewide but the review and its fee are county business. Approval is a prerequisite to the food service permit, so a slow plan check delays everything downstream.

Issued by

County Board of Health / Environmental Health office, under the statewide authority of DPH Rule 511-6-1

Fee

Set by each county Board of Health; confirm current pricing with your county Board of Health

Renewal

None (one-time per build or major remodel)

Processing

Submit at least 10 business days before your planned opening date per DPH Rule 511-6-1; county review time varies

This is the state side of pouring alcohol, authorizing a restaurant to serve beer, wine, or spirits for on-premises consumption. Under O.C.G.A. 3-2-7.1 you apply online through the Georgia Tax Center, but the state will only issue it once your local alcohol license is already in hand. Only needed if your restaurant serves alcohol.

Issued by

Georgia Department of Revenue, Alcohol and Tobacco Division

Fee

Varies by license type; a consumption-on-premises license has been reported near $200, so confirm the current fee schedule on the Department of Revenue alcohol licensing pages when you apply

Renewal

Annual

Processing

A temporary permit can clear in roughly 2 to 5 business days after preliminary review, while the full background investigation behind the permanent license can run several months

Under O.C.G.A. 19-11-9.2, every Georgia employer reports newly hired and rehired workers, whether full-time, part-time, or seasonal, to the state new hire system within 10 days. For a restaurant cycling through line cooks and servers this is a recurring duty rather than a one-time permit, which is why it sits with the operational requirements.

Issued by

Georgia New Hire Reporting Center

Fee

$0 (free)

Renewal

Ongoing, with each new or rehired employee

Processing

Report within 10 days of each hire or rehire date

This is the first half of Georgia two-tier alcohol system and the step that gates the state license. A restaurant serving beer, wine, or liquor by the drink has to win approval from its city or county before the state will act. Since 2020 the centralized Alcohol License Portal lets you file the local and state applications together through the Georgia Tax Center, but the local approval is still a real, separate hurdle rather than a rubber stamp.

Issued by

The city or county licensing authority where the restaurant is located

Fee

Set by the local jurisdiction and varying widely from one city or county to the next; confirm with your local licensing office

Renewal

Annual, aligned to the jurisdiction's renewal cycle

Processing

Varies by jurisdiction

Georgia does not impose one statewide server certification for on-premises restaurant service. Some cities and counties require it locally, and state law does require training for anyone delivering alcohol off-premises, such as to-go and delivery orders. Even where no ordinance demands it, most insurers and operators treat server training as basic risk management, so check your local rules and your liability policy.

Issued by

No single statewide issuer; required only where a specific city or county mandates it (for example Macon-Bibb County or the City of Savannah)

Fee

Typically $5 to $40 per employee through an approved provider where it is required

Renewal

Commonly every 2 to 3 years, per the provider or local ordinance

Processing

Courses usually run 1.5 to 3 hours and are often completed online