Alpharetta Business License: City Occupation Tax Certificate, Online Renewal and What to Prepare

October 29, 2026

If your business operates inside Alpharetta city limits, you need the city's occupation tax certificate, which most people call the Alpharetta GA business license. The City of Alpharetta requires every business operating in the city to hold a current certificate on its first day of business. This guide explains who issues the certificate, what you will sign, what to gather before you apply, and how to renew online.

Treat this as a process guide. The city's public pages do not print a fee table or a renewal due date, so the exact figures come from your current renewal notice or invoice, or from the city's business license office.

This article is informational only. It is not legal, tax, or zoning advice. Confirm your obligations with the City of Alpharetta, and talk to a qualified attorney or CPA if your ownership, employee count, or licensing situation is complex.

Who issues your Alpharetta business license

Georgia has no general state business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and registering for sales tax with the Department of Revenue is not a business license. The local license is an occupation tax certificate, often called a business license, issued under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13. Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns, and each one sets its own formula, deadlines, and prerequisites.

Alpharetta is in Fulton County, but the county does not license businesses inside the city. Which government issues your certificate depends on where the business operates, not where the owner lives or where the mailing address points:

• Inside Alpharetta city limits: you pay the City of Alpharetta.
• Outside city limits: a different government issues it. Fulton County licenses only the Fulton Industrial District, so check with the city or county that covers your address.

More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so many readers deal with their county rather than a city. If you live in Roswell, Sandy Springs, or Johns Creek but run a business in Alpharetta, the Alpharetta certificate applies to that business. Those cities set their own rules for businesses inside their limits, so read their pages separately if you also operate there.

Complete your state filings first

Your entity and state registrations come before the local certificate. Most owners handle them in this order:

1. Form the entity. An LLC files Articles of Organization. A corporation files Articles of Incorporation. Each costs $110 total ($100 filing fee plus a $10 service charge), filed online or on paper. Online filings take about 7 to 10 business days and paper filings about 15 business days. Expedited review costs $120 for 2 business days, $275 for same-day review if received by noon, or $1,200 for one hour on business days. You can reserve a name for 30 days for $35. File through the eCorp portal at https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/ and read the Corporations Division page at https://sos.ga.gov/corporations-division.
2. Register with the Department of Revenue. If you sell taxable goods or have employees, register through the Georgia Tax Center at https://gtc.dor.ga.gov/. Sales tax registration is free. Georgia issues no separate resale permit. The resale document is Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption.
3. Add the licenses and permits for your activity. Some trades and professions need a license from a state board before you can operate. Check those requirements before you apply for the local certificate.

Steps before you sign a commercial lease

If you plan to operate from a storefront, office, or other commercial space, complete these steps before you sign a lease or start work on the space:

1. Confirm zoning for your use at that address. Ask the city whether your type of business is allowed at the specific property. A location that works for one use may not work for another.
2. Schedule the fire inspection the city requires for the location.
3. Get any health or state permits your activity requires. Some activities need approval from a health agency or a state board in addition to the city.
4. Apply for the occupation tax certificate.

Home-based businesses

If you run the business from your home, confirm with the city that a home occupation is allowed at your address before you apply. Do not assume a home-based business is permitted because you already work from home. Ask the office to confirm the answer in writing before you start operating.

Alcohol sellers

Businesses that sell alcohol hold two licenses. The Georgia Department of Revenue issues the state alcohol license, and the City of Alpharetta issues the local occupation tax certificate. Each has its own renewal calendar, so track both. Ask the city office for the local renewal timeline when you start, and check the state requirements directly with the Department of Revenue at https://dor.georgia.gov/.

What every applicant signs

Every applicant signs the lawful presence affidavit under O.C.G.A. 50-36-1. The affidavit requires a secure and verifiable document, so have that document ready before you sit down to sign.

Private employers with more than 10 employees on January 1 must also file an E-Verify affidavit to get the local certificate (O.C.G.A. 36-60-6). If you do not meet that threshold, this affidavit does not apply, but confirm your headcount with the office if you are close to the line.

The city typically wants these affidavits notarized, so plan to sign them in front of a notary rather than at home.

How the occupation tax is built

Georgia occupation taxes are usually calculated with either a headcount schedule or a gross receipts formula. The bill often combines several pieces:

• the tax itself, based on the headcount or gross receipts figure that applies to your business
• an administrative fee
• a regulatory fee for specific activities, such as alcohol sales
• a late penalty and monthly interest if you pay after the due date

The exact figures are set by the city, so read them from your own invoice. Do not budget from a neighboring city's bill or a number you found online, because each Georgia locality sets its own formula.

Professional licenses follow a separate question. Georgia law sets a $400 ceiling that a locality may choose to apply to certain listed professions. That ceiling is not an Alpharetta rule. Professionals should ask the business license office whether the election is offered before assuming it applies.

Renew your Alpharetta business license online

Since 2025, renewal has been handled online through the city's business license renewal portal. Do not wait for a paper notice. Gather your information and start the renewal as soon as you have it ready.

Before you renew, check for prior-year balances. The city requires all outstanding occupation taxes and fees from prior years to be paid in full before the current license can be renewed. An unpaid balance from an earlier year can hold up this year's renewal.

The city's public pages do not state a renewal due date or print a fee table. Read your current renewal notice or invoice for the date and amount, or call the business license office at 678-297-6086 to ask.

What to have ready

Item	Where to find it	Why you need it
Last year's Alpharetta license number	Prior-year certificate or renewal notice	Identifies your existing account
Invoice or PIN	Current renewal invoice or city notice	Ties the renewal to your bill
Headcount or gross receipts figure	Payroll and sales records	Your tax is calculated from the figure that applies under the city's formula
Prior-year balance status	Your city account or the business license office	Outstanding balances must be paid before renewal
Business entity details	Your Secretary of State filing and business records	Confirms the business name and ownership on the license
Activity license numbers	State board or Department of Revenue approvals	Needed for regulated activities such as alcohol sales

Keep copies of your signed SAVE and, if you filed one, E-Verify affidavits on file so you can produce them if the office asks.

Questions to ask the business license office

For license questions, call the City of Alpharetta business license office at 678-297-6086, the number the Fulton County finance page lists for Alpharetta. City Hall is at 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, GA 30009. Ask the office to confirm:

• your renewal due date and the exact amount on your account
• whether your activity needs zoning, fire, or health approvals before you apply
• whether a home occupation is allowed at your address
• whether the professional flat-rate option is offered for your profession
• how a prior-year balance affects your current renewal

The certificate does not replace your other filings

The Alpharetta certificate does not replace your entity filing with the Secretary of State, your Department of Revenue registration, zoning approval, or state board licenses. Your entity's annual registration with the Secretary of State is also a separate filing with its own deadline. See our annual registration guide for those details, and keep that deadline on your calendar apart from the city renewal.

Official sources

• City of Alpharetta business license office: 678-297-6086, 2 Park Plaza, Alpharetta, GA 30009
• Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division: https://sos.ga.gov/corporations-division
• Georgia Secretary of State eCorp: https://ecorp.sos.ga.gov/
• Georgia Department of Revenue: https://dor.georgia.gov/
• Georgia Tax Center: https://gtc.dor.ga.gov/