Kennesaw Business License: Zoning Verification, Certificate of Occupancy and the March 31 Renewal
If you open or run a business in Kennesaw, the city's occupation tax certificate, usually called the Kennesaw business license, is the local permit you will deal with most often. It is not a single form. The city requires zoning to be verified first, requires a valid Certificate of Occupancy for commercial locations, and only then accepts the license application. This guide covers that order, the fees the city sets, the rules for home based businesses, short-term rentals, and the March 31 renewal deadline.
Georgia has no state business license
Georgia does not issue a general statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and registering with the Department of Revenue for sales tax is not a business license either. At the state level, a business usually does three things:
- Forms or registers its entity with the Secretary of State. Articles of Organization (LLC) and Articles of Incorporation (corporation) cost $110 in total, which is the $100 fee plus a $10 service charge. You can file online or on paper. Check the Secretary of State's Corporations Division page for current filing details.
- 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, and Georgia issues no separate resale permit.
- Adds the licenses and permits its specific activity requires, such as occupational licenses from state boards.
The local requirement is the occupation tax certificate, also called a business license. Cities and counties issue it under O.C.G.A. Title 48, chapter 13. Georgia has 159 counties and about 537 cities and towns, and each sets its own formula, deadlines and prerequisites. Kennesaw is one of those cities.
Step 1: Confirm the address is inside city limits
Kennesaw sits inside Cobb County, and Cobb County licenses only the unincorporated area. A Kennesaw address inside the city limits goes to the city. A business inside a city pays the city, not the county.
The issuer is set by where the premises sit, not by your mailing address. A Kennesaw mailing address does not settle the question, and a business in unincorporated Cobb would apply to the county instead. Check the property on the city's GIS map before you apply. If you are unsure, call the Business License Office at 770-429-4540.
The order of steps
Kennesaw's pages set out the sequence below. Do not skip ahead, because each step depends on the one before it.
- Confirm the address is inside the city. Use the GIS map, as described above.
- Complete the Occupancy Zoning Verification application. The city says zoning verification is required before a license application can be received.
- Obtain a Certificate of Occupancy. For commercial locations, Building Services issues it after fire and building inspections. A business license cannot be issued without a valid Certificate of Occupancy. The Certificate of Occupancy and the business license are separate documents.
- Apply for the business license with the Business License Office, 3080 Moon Station Road, Kennesaw, GA. The city says processing for a new license takes a minimum of 24 hours.
What the license costs
The occupation tax is based on three factors: your gross receipts, your class of business under the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code, and a $55 administrative fee. The minimum fee is $80. Because the city sets the calculation, ask the Business License Office to work out your figure from your projected gross receipts and SIC code. Do not use a number from another Georgia city.
Fingerprinting costs $45. It applies to applicants for alcohol, massage, bail bonds, pawnbroking and precious metals businesses.
Any money you owe the city must be paid before the city releases a license or permit. Alcohol licensees must also attend an approved alcohol sales and service workshop.
The flat fee election for certain professionals
Under O.C.G.A. 48-13-10(g), certain professional practitioners may elect a flat fee of $400 per registered professional instead of the gross receipts calculation. Three points matter here:
- $400 is a ceiling that a locality may set. It is not a flat tax that every business pays.
- Only the professions listed in 48-13-9(c) qualify. The list includes lawyers, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, engineers, architects and public accountants, among others. Cosmetologists are not on the list.
- Whether the election replaces the administrative fee differs by place.
If you are a listed professional, ask the Business License Office whether you are eligible and how the election works for Kennesaw.
Home based businesses
Running a business from your home is allowed only after the city approves it. The Zoning Department must approve a Home Occupation Affidavit before the city issues a license for any home based business. You will also sign a statement acknowledging the residency restrictions that apply. Contact the Zoning Department at 770-590-8268 before you apply.
Ask Zoning specific questions about your use, including customer visits, signage, employees, deliveries and any equipment you plan to use. Do not assume that a neighbor's approved business has the same conditions as yours.
Food businesses run into a separate rule. Since July 1, 2025 (HB 398), cottage food products need no state license. Local business licensing and zoning still apply, so a Kennesaw home baker still goes through the city steps.
Renewal and the March 31 deadline
Existing Kennesaw businesses must renew and pay no later than March 31. Payments made after that date carry a 10% penalty plus 1.5% interest per month.
You can pay the renewal on the city's online payment portal. However, the renewal is not complete until the certificate arrives by mail. Paying online on March 30 does not finish the job. Watch for the certificate, and call the Business License Office at 770-429-4540 if it has not arrived in a reasonable time.
The March 31 date applies to Kennesaw only. Other Georgia cities and counties set their own renewal dates. Your Secretary of State annual registration is a separate filing with its own deadline, so check the Secretary of State's site for that requirement.
Other permits and offices
Depending on your business, you may need to deal with these offices:
- Food service: Cobb and Douglas Public Health
- Food permits: Georgia Department of Agriculture
- Alcohol pouring permits: Kennesaw Police Records Division
- Trade name (DBA) registration: Clerk of Superior Court of Cobb County. A trade name is not filed with the Secretary of State. Filing requires publishing notice in the county legal organ once a week for two weeks. The clerk fee is about $165 plus the newspaper charge, so confirm the exact amount with the county clerk. The Secretary of State's business division FAQ explains the process.
- Professional licenses: State boards, such as those in the Secretary of State's Professional Licensing Boards Division, for contractors, electricians, plumbers, cosmetology, real estate and similar work
Short-term rental certificate
Kennesaw's Short-Term Rental Ordinance (Chapter 22, Article XIII) requires an owner to hold both a business license and a Short-Term Rental Certificate. The current fees are:
- $250 application fee
- $90 inspection fee
- An 8% hotel motel excise tax
Short-term rental certificates expire December 31. For the state-level rules that apply to rentals, see our Georgia short-term rental rules guide. Confirm the current Kennesaw fees and inspection steps with the city before you list a property.
Employer affidavits and hiring requirements
Every applicant signs the SAVE affidavit under O.C.G.A. 50-36-1. A private employer with more than 10 employees must also file the E-Verify affidavit under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6 to receive the local certificate.
Separately, Georgia requires workers' compensation coverage once a business has three or more workers, including part-time workers. Georgia has no state paid sick leave or family leave mandate. Sales tax rates vary by county and city, so check the Georgia Department of Revenue for your location and for the sales tax rules that apply to your products. Our Georgia business taxes guide covers those rules in more detail.
When to get professional help
Most single-location businesses in Kennesaw can complete these steps on their own. Talk to a land use attorney before you apply if your property has a zoning variance question, if you want to use a home for a business that has significant customer traffic, or if you hold a state license that affects your local approval. Talk to a CPA if you qualify for the professional fee election and need to decide whether it saves money, or if your business has multiple locations or entities.
Important notice
This guide is informational only. It is not legal, tax or licensing advice, and it does not create an attorney-client or accountant-client relationship. Fees, deadlines and procedures change, and each city and county sets its own rules. Confirm every figure with the City of Kennesaw Business License Office, the Zoning Department, or the agency named in this guide before you file or pay.