Brunswick Business License: City vs Glynn County, St. Simons Island and the Golden Isles
If you are opening or moving a business in Brunswick, Georgia, the first local question is not what the license costs. It is which government issues it. Brunswick has two possible issuers: the City of Brunswick, and Glynn County for the unincorporated area. The answer depends on where your premises sit, not on your mailing address.
What the local license is
Georgia has no general state business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and a sales tax registration with the Department of Revenue is not a business license. The local document is an occupation tax certificate, which many people call a business license. It is issued under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13, by the city if your business is inside city limits, or by the county if it is in unincorporated territory.
Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns. Each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for many businesses the county is the issuer.
Which office issues your certificate
Use this rule to sort your address:
- Inside Brunswick city limits: the City of Brunswick issues the certificate. A business inside the city pays the city, not the county.
- Unincorporated Glynn County: Glynn County issues the certificate under its occupation tax ordinance, Chapter 2-6. That ordinance expressly excludes the City of Brunswick and Jekyll Island.
- Jekyll Island: check with the Jekyll Island Authority. This guide does not describe its rules.
A Brunswick mailing address does not decide the issuer. St. Simons Island, much of the US 17 corridor, the port area and land near the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) are unincorporated Glynn County. Many of those addresses still use a Brunswick mailing address, so do not rely on the postal city name.
If you are not sure
Call either office with the street address of the premises and ask which one has jurisdiction. Get the answer in writing if your lease, loan or permit timeline depends on it.
City of Brunswick
The city's occupation license page is under the Planning, Development and Codes department at 601 Gloucester Street, the Customs House, which is City Hall. The city's table sets the tax by number of employees. Each total includes a $45 administrative fee and a $25 annual fire reinspection fee.
| Number of employees | Total due on the city's page |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | $130 |
| 250 or more | $645 |
The city's table has tiers between these two rows. This guide does not print them, so request the full table from the city before you budget.
Confirm the amounts and the renewal date with the city. The city page does not confirm a renewal date, so check the date directly with the city, and confirm the office phone number with the city as well.
Glynn County (unincorporated area)
Licensing and Compliance handles the certificate at 1725 Reynolds Street. The phone number is 912-554-7120. This guide does not state the county's fees or renewal date, so confirm both with the county before you apply.
The ordinance taxes any person engaged in business in the unincorporated area. Four rules matter most:
- The certificate must be displayed at the business.
- Employee counts include the owners of unincorporated business entities other than corporations.
- A rental residential property of four or more units with an on-site representative counts as a separate place of business.
- Zoning and any fire inspection must be handled before you apply, as described below.
Professional occupation licenses and the $400 ceiling
Some professions fall under a separate occupation tax provision. O.C.G.A. 48-13-10(g) allows a locality to elect a $400 ceiling for professions listed in O.C.G.A. 48-13-9(c). That list includes lawyers, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, engineers, architects, public accountants and similar professions. Cosmetologists are not on the list.
The $400 is a ceiling, not a flat charge for every licensed professional. Whether it replaces the administrative fee also differs by place. Ask the issuer how the provision applies to your profession.
Occupational licenses for contractors, electricians, plumbers, cosmetologists, real estate agents and similar trades come from state boards, such as the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division. A local certificate does not replace them.
Before you apply for the local certificate
- Zoning: confirm that the use is allowed at the address.
- Fire inspection: get any fire inspection the issuer requires.
- SAVE affidavit: everyone signs it under O.C.G.A. 50-36-1.
- E-Verify affidavit: a private employer with more than 10 employees files it under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6 to get the local certificate.
If you run a cottage food operation, Georgia has required no state license since July 1, 2025 under HB 398. Local business licensing and zoning still apply, so check with the issuer.
Entity and tax steps that come before or alongside the local license
- Form the entity with the Secretary of State. Articles of Organization for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation for a corporation cost $110 in total, which is the $100 fee plus a $10 service charge. You can file through eCorp or on paper.
- Register with the Department of Revenue. Register through the Georgia Tax Center if you sell taxable goods or have employees. Sales tax registration is free. Georgia issues no separate resale permit. The resale instrument is Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption.
- Register a trade name with the county clerk, if you use one. Trade names are filed with the Clerk of Superior Court of the county where the business is chiefly carried on, not with the Secretary of State. Clerk fees are about $165 plus the newspaper publication charge, which runs once a week for two weeks in the county legal organ. Check the exact amount with your county clerk. See the Secretary of State FAQ for details.
- Add the local certificate. Apply with the City of Brunswick or Glynn County, depending on the premises.
Some other points apply to the entity itself. Georgia levies no franchise tax on a typical single-member or partnership LLC. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, pay a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000, based on net worth. Workers' compensation is required once you have three or more workers, including part-time workers.
Annual registration with the Secretary of State is a separate filing that every entity must make each year. See the Corporations Division page for the current requirements. For sales tax rates, which vary by county and city, see the Department of Revenue business taxes guide. Do not use a single statewide rate for your address.
Renewal dates
Each issuer sets its own renewal date, and Georgia does not have one statewide date for local certificates. Confirm the City of Brunswick date with the city, and confirm the Glynn County date with Licensing and Compliance. Do not assume they match, and do not assume that a date from a neighboring city or county applies to you.
When to get professional help
A single-location shop with one owner can usually handle the local application alone. If your business spans the city line, operates in both the city and unincorporated county, holds a professional license, or has employees in more than one place, consult a qualified attorney or CPA before you file. Ask them to confirm which issuer covers each location.
Disclaimer
This guide is informational content, not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and rules change, and each issuer sets its own. Confirm current amounts and dates with the issuing office, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.