Brookhaven Business License: Finance Department, April 30 Renewal and Notarized SAVE and E-Verify Affidavits
If you plan to operate inside the City of Brookhaven, you will almost certainly need the city's Occupational Tax Certificate. The city calls it a business license, and it is the document most people mean when they search for a Brookhaven GA business license. It is issued by the City of Brookhaven Finance Department, it renews every year, and it comes with two notarized affidavits that catch many applicants off guard. This guide covers who issues the certificate, what the city requires before and after you apply, the renewal calendar and the rules that follow you once you are open.
This is informational content, not legal or tax advice. City ordinances, fees and deadlines change. Confirm every figure and date here with the City of Brookhaven before you file or pay, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.
Georgia has no general state business license
Georgia does not issue a general statewide business license, and the Secretary of State issues none either. A typical business builds its compliance in three layers. First, it forms the entity with the Secretary of State's Corporations Division (sos.ga.gov/corporations-division). An LLC files Articles of Organization and a corporation files Articles of Incorporation, and each costs $110 total, which is the $100 fee plus a $10 service charge, whether you file online or on paper. Second, it registers with the Georgia Department of Revenue through the Georgia Tax Center if it sells taxable goods or has employees. Sales tax registration there is free, but it is not a business license. Third, it adds the licenses and permits its activity requires, which for most Brookhaven businesses means the local occupation tax certificate described below.
What the Brookhaven certificate is
Georgia's local business license is an occupation tax certificate authorized under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13. Each of Georgia's 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. Brookhaven's rules are in Chapter 15 of the city code of ordinances.
Brookhaven sits in DeKalb County, and the two governments split the work by location. The city licenses businesses inside its limits. DeKalb County licenses only unincorporated areas. A business inside the city pays the city, not the county, and the issuer is set by where the premises sit. A mailing address can name a different city than the one that controls your premises, so do not rely on it to decide which government issues your certificate.
Confirm zoning before you apply
The city's licensing page asks you to email Planning and Zoning before applying to confirm that your address is zoned for your intended use inside the city. Do this before you pay anything. Ask for the confirmation in writing and keep it with your application records. A home office, a food operation or an auto-related business is most likely to run into a problem at this step, and finding out after you have applied costs time you may not have.
Checklists for new and renewing businesses
Commercial and home based businesses both need the certificate. A home business cannot skip it because it has no storefront. The city publishes a checklist for new home based or commercial applications and a separate renewal checklist. Pull the one that matches your situation before you start. Cottage food producers need no state license under HB 398, effective July 1, 2025, but local business licensing and zoning still apply to a home kitchen business in Brookhaven.
Applying through the online portal
New certificate applications and special event temporary alcohol permits are submitted through the city's online portal. The city's licensing page labels renewal applications as found on the GovOS portal. If you are searching for the Brookhaven Georgia business license portal, start from the city's official licensing page and confirm which portal it names for your application type before you create an account. Do not rely on third-party listings for login or payment steps.
The April 30 renewal deadline
The certificate expires December 31 each year. For the 2027 certificate, the renewal and payment window runs from January 1, 2027 to April 30, 2027. Alcohol beverage licenses also expire December 31, but their window opens earlier. For 2027, the alcohol window is October 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026. The city republishes these windows every year, so confirm the current window with Finance before you plan your payment.
| License | Expires | Window for the 2027 license |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Tax Certificate | December 31 each year | January 1, 2027 to April 30, 2027 |
| Alcohol beverage license | December 31 each year | October 1, 2026 to November 30, 2026 |
Late renewals and unpaid prior years
A late renewal carries a 10% penalty. Interest also applies, at the rate stated in the current notice. The city's documents have not used one consistent monthly interest rate, so confirm the current figure with Finance rather than relying on an older page. Prior years must be paid before the city will process a current-year renewal. If you have been closed or dormant for a stretch, confirm your balance before you attempt to renew.
Fees: where to find the number
The city's licensing page does not state the fee formula. It does not publish a gross receipts rate, an exemption amount or an administrative fee that you can calculate by hand, so do not rely on figures from older guides or other cities. Use the city's checklist and calculator, or call the Finance Department at 404-637-0500. Bring your business type, your premises address and any prior certificate number. The Director of Finance is the named contact for questions the staff cannot answer on the phone.
The city is located at City of Brookhaven Finance, Brookhaven City Centre, 4001 Peachtree Road NE.
Notarized SAVE and E-Verify affidavits
The city requires notarized SAVE and E-Verify affidavits. Gather both before you visit a notary so the first appointment is the only one you need.
- SAVE affidavit: every applicant signs it. The requirement comes from O.C.G.A. 50-36-1.
- E-Verify affidavit: a private employer with more than 10 employees files it to get the local certificate. The requirement comes from O.C.G.A. 36-60-6.
If you have 10 or fewer employees, you still sign the SAVE affidavit and do not file the E-Verify affidavit under the employer threshold. If you have more than 10 employees, file both. Confirm with Finance which version of each form the city currently accepts.
Professional occupations and the $400 figure
Some occupations are taxed differently, and the $400 figure is often misquoted. Georgia law lets a locality set a ceiling of $400 for the professions listed in O.C.G.A. 48-13-9(c). That $400 is a maximum a locality may set, not a flat charge on every licensed professional. The listed professions include lawyers, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, engineers, architects, public accountants and similar professions. Cosmetologists are not on the list. The election that allows a locality to use this option is in O.C.G.A. 48-13-10(g), and whether the charge replaces the administrative fee differs by place. Ask Finance whether the city applies this option to your profession and how it affects your total.
After you open: moves, sales and closures
Certificates and alcohol licenses are not transferable as to location or ownership. The rules that apply once you are operating are specific:
- Moving inside the city: file a change of address form and schedule a fire inspection with the Permits Department.
- Selling the business: the buyer must apply for a new certificate. If the business sells alcohol, the buyer must also apply for a new alcohol license.
- Closing the business: file the Business Closed Form so the city stops expecting a renewal.
A move outside city limits is a different question. It means the business needs the license of the jurisdiction where its premises will sit.
Alcohol license renewal
An alcohol beverage license follows the earlier calendar described above. Because its window closes on November 30, 2026 for the 2027 license, it closes before the general certificate window opens on January 1, 2027. Plan the alcohol renewal first, and do not assume that a general certificate renewal covers it. Special event temporary alcohol permits are handled separately through the online portal.
Your state obligations are separate
The city certificate does not replace your state filings. Your annual registration with the Secretary of State and your tax registration with the Department of Revenue are handled on their own schedules. Check the Secretary of State's Corporations Division page at sos.ga.gov/corporations-division and the Department of Revenue at dor.georgia.gov. For free help with planning, the Georgia Small Business Development Center at the University of Georgia is at georgiasbdc.org.
Your next steps
- Email Planning and Zoning and get written confirmation that your address is zoned for your use.
- Pull the new or renewal checklist that matches your business.
- Obtain the SAVE affidavit, and the E-Verify affidavit if you are a private employer with more than 10 employees, and have them notarized.
- Apply for a new certificate through the online portal, or find your renewal on the GovOS portal.
- Calendar the December 31 expiration and the April 30 renewal deadline, and the earlier alcohol window if it applies.
- Call Finance at 404-637-0500 to confirm the current fee, the interest notice and any prior-year balance.
Brookhaven's dates, portals and forms can change between renewal cycles. Confirm each one with the City of Brookhaven Finance Department before you rely on it, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA if your business has multiple locations, employees across jurisdictions or an unusual structure.