Rome Georgia Business License: City Clerk at 601 Broad St and Floyd County Alcohol and Fuel Licenses
If you open or run a business in Rome, the local license you need usually comes from the City of Rome, not Floyd County. The City Clerk's Office issues the Rome business license from the lobby floor of the City Hall and Auditorium building at 601 Broad Street. This guide explains who issues the license, when Floyd County is the issuer instead, and what to confirm before you go to city hall.
This article is informational, not legal or tax advice. Fees, deadlines and rules change, so confirm anything important with the agency named here, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for complex situations.
Georgia has no general state business license
Georgia does not issue a statewide business license. The Secretary of State issues none, and registering for sales tax with the Department of Revenue is not a business license. Most businesses build their setup in three layers:
- Register the entity with the Secretary of State. An LLC files Articles of Organization and a corporation files Articles of Incorporation. Each costs $110 total ($100 fee plus a $10 service charge), online or on paper. Reserving a name costs $35 for 30 days. Find filing details at sos.ga.gov/corporations-division, and check there for the current annual registration window and late penalty.
- Register with the Department of Revenue if you sell taxable goods or have employees. Register through the Georgia Tax Center at gtc.dor.ga.gov. Sales tax registration is free, and Georgia issues no separate resale permit. Resale purchases are documented with Form ST-5, the certificate of exemption. The state sales tax rate is 4%, and local rates vary by county and city, so check dor.georgia.gov for the rate that applies to your address.
- Add the local license and any activity permits. For a business inside Rome, that is the City of Rome occupation tax certificate, covered below.
Georgia levies no franchise tax on a typical single-member or partnership LLC. Corporations, and LLCs taxed as corporations, owe a net worth tax of $0 to $5,000 depending on net worth. Income tax is one flat rate, 5.19% for 2025 and 4.99% for 2026, and the corporate rate equals the individual rate.
City or county: who issues your license
Georgia's local occupation tax certificate, often called a business license, is issued by a city, or by the county for unincorporated areas, 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. More than half of Georgians live outside any city, so for them the county is the issuer. A business located inside a city pays the city, not the county.
The issuer depends on where the premises sit, not on your mailing address. A Rome mailing address does not by itself put a business under the city, and a business outside city limits may be under the county even with a Rome mailing address. Confirm the physical location before you apply.
The City Clerk's Office at 601 Broad Street
For a business inside Rome, the City Clerk's Office handles the rome ga city clerk business license process. The Business License Administrator works on the lobby floor of City Hall and Auditorium at 601 Broad Street. The phone number is 706-236-4459.
The city says applications can be completed with the administrator's help. It asks applicants to arrive before 4:00 PM so staff have time to serve them, so plan a daytime visit and do not wait until late in the afternoon.
Step 1: Submit the Business License Application Inquiry
Before you apply, submit the city's online Business License Application Inquiry form, which you can find on the City of Rome website. Searching for a rome georgia business license application leads you to the same process. The city says the cost varies with the type of license, the estimated gross revenue and the number of workers. The city does not publish a rate schedule on that page, so this guide does not give a dollar figure for a Rome business license. Ask the administrator for the fee that applies to your business before you submit a full application.
Step 2: Gather what you need before you visit
Use this checklist to avoid a second trip:
- Location: the street address where the business will operate, and confirmation that it is inside city limits.
- Zoning: confirm that your use is allowed at the address before you sign a lease or buy equipment.
- Inspections: ask whether your business type needs an inspection before the license is issued.
- State licenses: occupational licenses such as contractors, electricians, plumbers, cosmetology and real estate come from state boards, such as the Secretary of State Professional Licensing Boards Division. Have them in hand where your activity requires them.
- SAVE affidavit: everyone signs the SAVE affidavit under O.C.G.A. 50-36-1.
- E-Verify affidavit: a private employer with more than 10 employees files the E-Verify affidavit under O.C.G.A. 36-60-6 to get the local certificate.
- Workers' compensation: Georgia requires it at three or more workers, including part-time workers.
- Home food businesses: cottage food no longer needs a state license as of 2025-07-01 under HB 398, but local business licensing and zoning still apply.
Professionals and the $400 option
Some licensed professionals may elect under O.C.G.A. 48-13-10(g) to pay up to $400 instead of the usual local fee. Do not read that as a flat $400 charge. The $400 is only a ceiling a locality may set. The option applies only to professions listed in O.C.G.A. 48-13-9(c), such as lawyers, physicians, dentists, veterinarians, engineers, architects and public accountants. Cosmetologists are not on that list. Whether the option replaces the administrative fee differs by place, so ask the administrator whether it applies to you.
Renewals and penalties
The city's page does not give renewal dates or penalties. Ask the administrator for the renewal date and the penalty schedule before you open, and put the date on your calendar. Renewal timing is set locally, so do not assume it matches another city, a county or a state filing deadline.
Floyd County: the unincorporated exception
This is the distinctive Rome fact. The city says a Rome business license is not required if the business sits in unincorporated Floyd County. Floyd County government requires a license in the unincorporated area only for three activities: alcoholic beverages (beer and wine only), self-service fuel and precious metals. In other words, the county does not run a general occupation tax certificate for unincorporated businesses.
Do not assume this pattern applies to other Georgia counties. It describes Floyd County. Check with Floyd County government before you assume no county license applies to your business.
| Where the business sits | Activity | Who to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Rome city limits | General business | City of Rome, City Clerk's Office, 706-236-4459 |
| Inside Rome city limits | Alcohol, fuel or precious metals | City Clerk's Office, to confirm any additional city approval |
| Unincorporated Floyd County | General business | No Rome license required; confirm with Floyd County government |
| Unincorporated Floyd County | Beer and wine, self-service fuel or precious metals | Floyd County government |
The county rules above cover only the unincorporated area. If your business is inside city limits and involves alcohol, fuel or precious metals, ask the administrator which city approvals apply.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming a state license covers you. Georgia has no general state business license, so the local certificate and any board license are separate steps.
- Paying the county for a business inside city limits. A business located inside a city pays the city.
- Choosing the issuer by mailing address. The premises decide it.
- Expecting a published fee. The city does not publish a rate schedule, so get your amount from the administrator before you apply.
- Skipping the affidavits. Missing the SAVE or E-Verify paperwork can hold up the application.
Next steps
Submit the Business License Application Inquiry, confirm your address and zoning, and call the Business License Administrator at 706-236-4459 or visit City Hall and Auditorium at 601 Broad Street before 4:00 PM. Ask for the fee, the renewal date and the penalty schedule in the same conversation. For the state side, use the Secretary of State and Department of Revenue links above, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA if your ownership, tax or licensing situation is complex.