Newnan Georgia City Hall at 25 LaGrange Street where businesses obtain their occupation tax certificate

Newnan, Georgia Business License: How to Get Your Occupation Tax Certificate

Newnan, Georgia Business License: How to Get Your Occupation Tax Certificate

Every business operating inside Newnan city limits needs an Occupational Tax Certificate — and it needs to be displayed. This isn’t optional, and the city takes enforcement seriously. What makes Newnan’s process different from most Georgia cities isn’t the paperwork itself. It’s a revenue cross-check that blocks applications before they even start, a tax calculation method most business owners haven’t seen before, and a hard April 15 deadline with an 11.5% penalty that hits fast.

Here’s exactly how it works.

What You Need Before You Apply

Before you fill out a single form, check whether you — or your business — owe anything to the City of Newnan. Not just business taxes. Anything. Property taxes, personal property taxes, grass cutting charges, water bills, outstanding fines. If there’s a delinquent balance tied to your name or your business, your certificate application gets blocked until it’s cleared.

This catches people off guard. Most cities only check business-related debts. Newnan runs a broader sweep. Use the city’s online parcel search with your map number and last name to verify your standing before you spend time on the application.

Buying an existing business? There’s an additional wrinkle. The previous owner must fully close out their account and pay every outstanding tax before the city will process your application. Not mostly paid. Not payment-arranged. Fully closed. No exceptions. Confirm this is done before you finalize any purchase agreement — otherwise you could be waiting on someone else’s delinquency before you can legally operate.

Once you’ve verified a clean record, gather these documents:

  • Driver’s license for each owner
  • SAVE Affidavit — must be notarized. This verifies lawful US presence under O.C.G.A. § 50-36-1. Bring a Secure and Verifiable Document (driver’s license or passport) to the notary
  • Private Employer Affidavit — required for all applicants under O.C.G.A. § 36-60-6
  • E-Verify user number if you have 11 or more employees. Fewer than 11? You file an exemption affidavit instead
  • State-issued professional license if your business type requires one
  • Federal EIN from the IRS (free at irs.gov/ein if you don’t have one)
  • Articles of Organization or Incorporation for your LLC or corporation

The Finance Department handles all licensing at City Hall: 25 LaGrange Street, Newnan, GA 30263. The Licensing Specialist can be reached directly at 678-673-5478 — call if you have questions before you come in.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Complete the Application

Download the New Business Occupational Tax Certificate Application from newnanga.gov or pick it up at City Hall. One important point: Newnan does not accept applications by email or mail. Unlike most Georgia cities that let you submit remotely, Newnan requires online submission through the city portal or in-person delivery. Plan accordingly.

Step 2: Get Zoning Approval

Before the Finance Department will process your application, Planning & Zoning has to sign off. Their office is on the second floor of City Hall. They verify that your business location is properly zoned for your type of operation and that the space meets building safety codes.

If the building has been recently inspected, zoning approval often happens while you wait — you’re not necessarily looking at a multiday delay. If an on-site inspection is required, figure on roughly 24 hours. Either way, don’t skip this step or try to route around it. Finance won’t touch the application without it.

Step 3: Fire Marshal and Building Inspection (If Required)

Certain business types — anything involving public occupancy, food, flammable materials, or specific equipment — require Fire Marshal approval and/or sign-off from the Building Inspection Department before you can proceed. If you’re unsure whether your business falls into this category, ask the Licensing Specialist when you call. Better to know upfront than to show up at Finance with an incomplete package.

Step 4: Submit Everything to Finance

Once you have zoning approval (and any required Fire Marshal or building clearance), bring the completed application, all affidavits, and your payment to the Finance Department. Everything goes in together.

Step 5: Receive Your Certificate

The Finance Department issues your Occupational Tax Certificate at this point. Post it at your place of business — it’s not optional, and it’s what inspectors will ask to see.

How Newnan Calculates Your Tax

This is where Newnan gets genuinely unusual.

Most Georgia cities charge a flat percentage of gross receipts — everyone pays the same rate, just scaled to revenue. Newnan doesn’t do that. The formula is:

Gross receipts × profitability ratio multiplier + $25 administrative fee

The profitability ratio multiplier is specific to your industry classification. The logic is that higher-margin industries pay a higher effective rate because their revenue translates into more actual profit. Two businesses with identical gross receipts can end up with completely different tax bills if they’re in different industry categories.

This also means there’s no single published rate you can apply yourself. The multiplier depends on how your business gets classified, and that classification is determined by the city. Call the Licensing Specialist at 678-673-5478 to find out the multiplier for your specific business type before you estimate your costs.

For new businesses: Your initial tax is based on estimated gross receipts for the first year. Give a reasonable estimate — you’ll true it up at renewal.

At renewal: You use actual prior-year gross receipts, substantiated by your business tax return, a profit and loss statement, or a Schedule C. The city requires documentation, not just a number you write in.

Special Rate Categories

A few business types fall outside the standard gross receipts formula:

Professional practitioners — this includes lawyers, physicians, osteopaths, optometrists, chiropractors, dentists, psychologists, veterinarians, landscape architects, land surveyors, physiotherapists, CPAs, embalmers, funeral directors, engineers, architects, and licensed marriage/family therapists, social workers, and counselors — can choose between two methods: the standard gross receipts calculation, or a flat $400 per practitioner + $25 administrative fee. Run the numbers. For high-revenue solo practitioners, the flat rate often wins.

Insurance agents pay a flat $100 per location annually, regardless of revenue.

Non-profits with IRS 501(c) documentation pay only the $25 administrative fee.

Financial institutions are taxed at 0.25% of gross receipts annually, with a $1,000 minimum.

Veterans with a 10% or greater service-connected disability qualify for a no-fee certificate under O.C.G.A. §§ 43-12-1 through 43-12-8. Bring documentation of your disability rating.

Renewal Process and Deadlines

All Occupational Tax Certificates expire on December 31. Every year, the city mails renewal packets during the first week of January to whatever address they have on file for your business.

You have until April 15 to renew without penalty. That’s the grace period — no late fee, no consequences, as long as your completed renewal is received by that date.

After April 15, a 11.5% penalty applies to the total tax due. And note the specific word: received. Postmarks don’t count. If you mail your renewal on April 14 and it arrives April 16, you owe the penalty. Mail it early or submit in person if you’re cutting it close.

Your renewal packet will include a tax return form that must be notarized. Along with that, you’ll need:

  • A copy of your prior-year business tax return, P&L statement, or Schedule C showing actual gross receipts
  • Updated SAVE Affidavit
  • Updated E-Verify affidavit (or exemption affidavit)

If you lose your renewal packet, the city will issue a duplicate — but there’s a $10 replacement fee, and the city does not keep copies of your prior submissions on file. Keep yours somewhere you’ll find it in January.

One more thing: if your mailing address changes, notify the city immediately. Not receiving your renewal notice is not a valid excuse for late filing. The deadline is April 15 every year. You’re responsible for it regardless of whether a packet showed up in your mailbox.

Special Licenses and Additional Requirements

Alcohol

If your business sells alcohol — either for on-premises consumption or off-premises (retail) — you need a separate alcohol license on top of your Occupational Tax Certificate. There are also ongoing reporting requirements:

  • Monthly 3% alcohol excise tax report, due by the 10th of each month. Late filing carries a penalty
  • Quarterly sales reports are required
  • All alcohol purchases must go through licensed distributors. You cannot buy through retail or wholesale stores, even for a small establishment

Home-Based Businesses

Working from home doesn’t exempt you. If your business operates out of your residence and that residence is inside Newnan city limits, you still need an Occupational Tax Certificate. Depending on the nature of the business, you may also need Building Department or Fire Marshal review. When in doubt, call the Licensing Specialist before assuming you’re in the clear.

If your business involves food service, health services, or personal care, you’ll need Health Department approval before the city will finalize your certificate. Contact the Coweta County Health Department at 770-254-7422.

Businesses subject to Department of Agriculture inspection — food processing, certain retail food operations, feed dealers, and similar — should call 404-656-3645 to coordinate the required inspection.

State-Licensed Professions

If your profession requires a Georgia state license (contractors, cosmetologists, real estate agents, healthcare providers, and many others), include a copy of that license with your application. The city verifies it.

Outside Newnan City Limits

This article covers the City of Newnan specifically. If your business is in Coweta County but outside Newnan city limits, you need a Coweta County business license instead. Contact the Business & Alcohol License Division at 22 East Broad Street, Newnan, or call 770-254-2626. The county and city are separate licensing authorities — one does not substitute for the other.

The Things Most People Miss

To pull it together: the three things that most commonly create problems for Newnan business applicants are the delinquency cross-check, the profitability-ratio tax (which you can’t calculate yourself without calling the city), and the April 15 renewal deadline.

The delinquency check is worth handling before you do anything else. If you or your spouse owe property taxes on any parcel in Newnan — even a personal residence — that can block your application. Find out before you invest time in the rest of the process.

For the tax calculation, don’t guess. Call the Licensing Specialist at 678-673-5478, tell them your business type, and get your actual multiplier. It takes five minutes and saves you from budgeting on a number that could be wrong in either direction.

And mark April 15 now. The 11.5% penalty isn’t a warning — it’s automatic.